Ladakh- Shades of Heaven on Earth

Ladakh has high passes, tall cliffs, barren hills without any vegetation but happiest of the people. How can barren hills be beautiful? Can there be a desert at 13,000 feet above mean sea level? Do camels inhabit such a desert? How do people survive at such altitudes? This picture story attempts to answer some of these questions. All the pictures of Ladakh are courtesy our daughter Akanksha who had visited Ladakh in July 2022. Thank you Akanksha for sharing the pictures. The opening picture below is courtesy Abha Maheshwari who travelled together to Ladakh with Akanksha and their families.

The Terrain

Driving through Ladakh you feel so small compared to the lofty mountains rising all around you. Above all, it gives you a feeling of humility. Pictures.

Highest Desert

Ladakh is a high-altitude desert lying north of the Higher Himalayan Ranges which act as a climatic barrier preventing the northward penetration of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) creating desert-like conditions. How can the desert be without its king- the camel? Ladakh has double-humped camels who oblige the tourists with a picture. These camels inhabit the cold desert regions like Mongolia, Kazakhstan etc. Pictures around Hundar desert at an altitude of 13,000 feet above mean sea level below.

The Monasteries

Ladakh is famous for Buddhist monasteries. Many of them are situated on tough hill slopes. You have to be physically fit to climb and reach the monasteries. But the view from the monasteries is breathtaking. Featured here are Thiksey monastery and Maitreya Buddha in Diskit monastery. The prayer wheels are called 'mani chos khor' by the locals in Ladakh. Pictures.

The People

People of Ladakh are mentally so tough. With winter temperatures touching -30 degrees Celsius, they are cut off from rest of the world for six to eight months. They need to stock up in advance. They use their roof tops as a deep freezer in winter. But they still welcome you with a smile. Pictures.

Pengongtso- The Lake

It is one of the icons of Ladakh. 130 kms long and 30 kms wide, two-thirds of the lake lies in China and remaining one-third in India. Tso means lake. And the name is Pen-gong. So Pengongtso is the full name of the lake. Crystal blue waters of the lake entice all travellers. In recent past, few home stays have come up near the lake with minimal facilities. Mercifully, such accommodation is trying to maintain the ecological balance. Hope uncontrolled tourism doesn't spoil the beauty of the lake and its surroundings. Pictures.

Contest KBG-76

One of these pictures of Pengongtso (the lake) was selected for KBG-76, the 76th edition of online caption contest Kaun Banega Ghumakkad. The contest received an overwhelming response. All the creative captions are listed below.

No.	Name	Caption for KBG-76 Contest
1	Ajai Bhumri	मेरी वीरानगी दूसरों का " Lovers Point "
2	Amandeep Kaur	Mountains are not funny, they are hill-areas🤭
3	Atul Mulkar	Lal Pila Hara Nila LEKIN Sabse Achcha Tiranga Hamara
4	Avinash Tiwari	Neele akash tale sunahri wadian. Bharat ka mukut Laddakh!
5	Avinash Tiwari	Neele neele ambar pe Swarn jochhaye dil ko lalchaye
6	Bharat Ladha	Prakriti ka rang sanyojan
7	BR Natarajan	If Kanyakumari is toe ring for Bharat Mata, then Ladakh is the crowning glory.
8	C Raghuram	Tranquility redefined - Bon whispering winds
9	Deepak Jena	Beauty is whatever gives joy.
10	Deepak Jena	Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.
11	Deepak Jena	Not all classrooms have four walls.
12	GR Sreenivasan	The desert has its own Symphony in Silence 🔕 😌
13	J Ramamoorty	Rocky beauty.
14	Jaishankar	My Lungta (prayer flags) fluttering in the wind are fertile and pregnant among these barren hills. They carry my prayers to the gods to shower their blessings on you.
15	Kausalya Govindan	Shades of heaven on earth!
16	LS Bhargava	Beauty beyond beautiful dreams
17	M Vasudevan	Colourful buntings and captivating Ladakhi backdrop.
18	Manju Khaitan	Majestic mountains give a feeling of richness and happiness in the mind!
19	Namrata Bhargava	Yeh haseen wadiyan, yeh khula aasmaan!
20	Nidhi Bhargava	दुनिया रंगों से भरी,पर प्रकृति का रंग सर्वोपरि
21	Nidhi Bhargava	String of rainbows
22	Nirmal Kumbhat	नंगा पर्बत
23	Peter de Padua	Colours of hope fly high
24	Poonam Bhargava	Bare is beautiful
25	Poonam Bhargava	प्रकृति का आलिंगन
26	Pradeep Siwach	Ladakh the rich land of Colours.
27	Prashant Jadenavar	One cannot see Heaven alive, but one can see Ladakh and it’s pretty close.
28	PRR Rao	May our dreams be larger than mountains and may we have the courage to scale their summits.
29	Radhika Sareen	Golden silence with immense beauty....
30	Radhika Sareen	Barren....but a land of thousand beauties....
31	Rajendra Singh	Nature in deep meditation !
32	Rakesh Bajaj	Just Born a few hundred millenia ago
33	Ramanand Baliga	Kissing the skies; Gaganchumbi
34	Rashmi Bhargava	Ladakh is not just a place it's a feeling
35	RB Dhavare	Prayers vide 'Colourful flags' fluttering in the background of Silence of the Barren  Hills shall reach the Almighty…
36	Rekha Bhargava	Swarg nahin dekha per Ladakh me prakriti ki chavi hi swarg ki chavi hai.
37	Ritu Bhargava	Unity in diversity.
38	Ritu Bhargava	This is extraordinary india, where different colours merge in Nature.
39	Ritu Bhargava	Bharat desh hai mera!
40	Ruma Purkayastha	Wonder n wander the land of high passes !!
41	Shereen Sultana	Surreal view
42	Sujata Das	Exploring the unexplored. Paradise on earth, Ladakh!!
43	Supradeep Sen	Endless Attraction
44	Susmita Ganguly	Prayer Flags on the roof of the planet.
45	Trixie Asirvatham	Himalayan sunrise over Lung ta - 'wind horses', Blue for sky ,white for air, red for  fire, green for water , yellow for earth; Prayer flags fluttering carry  blessings Positive vibes in all directions Over all beings and over the land.
46	Veeky Baths	Nothing can beat the beauty of Ladakh!!
47	Vinod Dhanuka	Beauty in Contrast
48	Vinod Dhanuka	Beauty Unhindered
49	VV Ramani	"Paradise on earth" Wake up, protect and preserve for next generations.
50	Yogesh	Splendour - The Beauty Speaks
51	Zafar Naseem	Pristine earthy colours of nature

Winners

We are delighted to announce and introduce the winners of KBG-76 along with their winning captions. We thank our Jury for their time.

BR Natarajan aka Dean Nattu- Janma Bhoomi Tamil Nadu, Karma Bhoomi Rajasthan. Nattu is a PhD from BITS Pilani where he was a Professor and Dean till 2010. Thereafter he became Vice Chancellor of leading universities. Presently, he  heads the Chemical Engineering department at Banasthali Vidyapith. He is fond of travelling. His caption caught the Jury's eye.

Peter de Padua writes creatively and has won several KBG Contests in the past also. A former Wing Commander of IAF, Peter is a water sport enthusiast. His matter-of-fact caption 'Colours of hope, fly high', won the Jury's appreciation.

Prashant Jadenavar holds a PhD in psychology and an MBA. He is an alumnus of National School of Drama. He has worked with Mahindra and Mahindra and Bosch and now a full time filmmaker. Passionate about theatre, Prashant has made around 20 short films and won awards at film festivals. His caption aptly described the beauty of Ladakh as shown in the picture.

Rekha Bhargava is an alumnus of Birla Balika Vidyapeeth Pilani and Delhi University. She has been a teacher. She loves travelling and meeting people. A regular participant in KBG Contests, her caption compared the beauty of Ladakh with heaven.

Ruma Purkayastha is an educator  and wellbeing coach who learns something from her grand children everyday! She majored in psychology and was Principal of a leading school in New Delhi. Her caption 'Wonder n wander the land of high passes' was unique and conveyed a different perspective of Ladakh. Ruma has won the KBG Contests previously also.

Congratulations to all the winners again.

Hope you enjoyed the beauty of Ladakh through our picture story. It is an amazing place. If you haven't been there, plan a trip. Best months are June to September. It remains snowbound for rest of the year. One word of caution: Do acclimatise well before starting your tour. It has rarified atmosphere with less oxygen.

Thanks for browsing.

Stay connected. More KBGs coming up!

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 21st Aug 22

Postscript:

22nd Aug 22 by a former Air Commodore, IAF who had flown many missions in Ladakh: "Ladakh was the playground, I played for two-and-a-half years. I happened to command the Squadron tasked for Ladakh. Every morning was unique, every sunrise was heavenly. From the air, it was the closest I saw the Nature so beautiful and vivid. With landings at Leh and other airfields, the experience is unique and incomparable." 

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