About Ladakh
If its the peace, tranquility and ancient culture that attracts you the most, Ladakh is the place to head for. It has successfully retained its ancient cultural heritage and still untouched by the waves of modernism. The inhabitants are simple and always wear a charming smile on their faces despite the trying climatic conditions. As far as tourist facilities are concerned, Ladakh is as advanced as any other destination in the world.

Where is it located?
Ladakh spreads across an area of 3,500 meter high plain, sloping down gently from the face of bare mountains and around terraced fields to the flood plains of the Indus river.

What is so special about Ladakh?
The century old culture of Ladakh can be viewed in its ancient monuments, monasteries, oral literature, art forms, fairs and festivals. It is a place where all occasions- marriage, birth, harvesting or even the flowering of plants are marked by feasting, dancing and the singing of folk songs.

What tourist attractions does it offers?

Which event in Ladakh is the most colorful?
Hemis Festival
The monasteries are also the centers of Ladakh's cultural. Each monastery celebrates its annual festivals. One of the festivals which is famous and celebrated with zest is the Hemis festival.

People from all over Ladakh come to attend this two day long festival. The festival is preceded by seven days of prayers by the monks in the monastery. The most impressive part of the festival is the famous mask dance which lamas of the monastery perform continuously for two days. The masks represent various gods and demons.

The whole festival signifies the triumph of good over evil. The day marks the birthday of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of the red sect.


What are the other festivals celebrated in Ladakh?
Festival Calender

Festival	Celebration Time
Leh Gompa	End January-early February
Stok Gompa	Early-mid February
Matho Gompa	End February-early March
Lamayuru Gompa	End April-early May
Hemis Gompa	End June-early July
Phyang Gompa	Early to end July
Thikse Gompa	Mid July to early August
Spitak Gompa	Early to mid January
Festival of Ladakh	1st week of August

Shey Palace and Monastery
Thiksey Monastery
Hemis Monastery
Stok Palace and Monastery

IMPORTANT BUDDHIST DESTINATIONS

-- Lumbini -- Bodhgaya -- Sarnath -- Kushinagar

BUDDHIST DESTINATION STATE WISE

-- Andhra Pradesh -- Arunachal Pradesh -- Bihar -- Chhattisgarh -- Goa -- Gujarat -- Haryana -- Himachal Pradesh -- Jammu and Kashmir -- Jharkhand -- Karnataka -- Kerala -- Madhya Pradesh -- Maharashtra -- Orissa -- Punjab -- Rajasthan -- Sikkim -- Tamilnadu -- Uttar Pradesh -- Uttarakhand -- West Bengal -- Nepal -- Lakshadweep

OTHER BUDDHIST DESTINATIONS

-- Ajanta Caves -- Alchi -- Bhaja Caves -- Dharamshala -- Dhauli Hill -- Ellora Caves -- Hemis Gompa -- Junnar Caves -- Kanheri Caves -- Kapilvastu -- Karla Caves -- Kaushambi -- Kesaria Stupa -- Ladakh -- Lalitagiri -- Leh -- Mathura -- Nalanda -- N. Konda -- Patna -- Pemayangtse -- Rajgir -- Ratnagiri -- Rumtek -- Sanchi -- Sankisa -- Sravasti -- Tabo -- Tawang -- Udaigiri -- Vaishali -- Varanasi