I n the ancient times the present Leh district was a part of
Greater Ladakh spread over from Kailash Mansarover to Swaat (Dardistan). The
Greater ladakh was neither under the Domain of Tibet or its influence. Not much
information is available about the ancient History of Ladakh. However,
reference about the place and its neighbourhood in Arab, Chinese and Mongolian
histories gives an idea that in the 7th Century A.D fierce wars were fought by
Tibet and China in Baltistan area of the Greater Ladakh in which deserts and
barren mountains od Ladakh was turned into battle fields for the warring
armies.
In the 8th century A.D Arabs also jumped into these wars and
changed their sides between China and Tibet. Around this period, the ruler of
Kashmir, Laltadita conquered Ladakh. In the 8th Century A.D itself, The Arabs
conquered Kashghar and established their control over Central asia which
embraced Islam in the 9th century A.d and thus a buffer state came into being
between Tibet and China, terminating the hostilities between the two warring
countries. The greater Ladakh also fell into peices.
The ancient inhabitants of Ladakh were Dards, and Indo-Aryan race
from down the Indus. But immigration from Tibetmore than a thousand years ago
largly overwhelmedthe culture of the Dards and moped up their racial
characters. IN eastern and central Ladakh, todays population seems to be mostly
of Tibet origin. Budhism reached Tibet from India via Ladakh. The area was the
stronghold of Budhism before Islam reached Ladakh.
A thousand years ago before the contol of Tibets rule, Raja Skitde
Nemagon, ruled over Ladakh which was known as Muryul (Red Country), as most of
the mountains and the soil in Ladakh wears a red tinge. In the 10th Century A.D
Skitday Nemagon, along with a couple of hundred men, invaded Ladakh where there
was no central authority. The Land was divided in small principalities, which
were at war with each other. Nemagon defeated all of them and established a
strong central authority. Those days Shey, was the capital of Ladakh became to
be known as Nariskorsoom, a country of three provinces. The present Ladakh was
divided into two provinces while the third comprised western Tibet. The area of
western Tibet slipped away from the kingdom but was reunited in 16th Century
A.D. by the famous Ladakhi ruler Sengge Namgyal. Ladakh was an independent
country since the middle of 10th century.
In the post-partition senario, Pakistan and China illegally
occupied 78,114 sq. km and 37,555 sq.km of the state, respectively while the
remaining part of the state acceeded to India. Pakistan also illegally gifted
5180 sq.kms of this area to China. Ladakh, comprising the areas of present Leh
and Kargil districts, became one of the seven districts of the State. In 1979
when the reorganisation of the districts was carries out, the Ladakh district
was divided into two full fledged of Leh and Kargil.
|
Area of Ladakh |
45,110 Sq Kms. |
|
Population
|
1,17,638 |
|
Villages |
113 |
|
Tehsils |
1 |
|
Community Dev. Block
|
6 |
|
Town |
1 |
|
Panchyats |
68 |
|
Education Institutions |
265 |
|
Health Institutions |
228 |
|
Villages electrified |
98 |
|
Villages provide drinking water |
112 |
|
Area under irrigation |
12,800 hec |
|
Literacy Rate |
62.24% |
|
Live Stock population |
3,97,700 including 1 lac pashmina
goats |
|
Assembly segment |
2 (Leh & Nubra) |
|
Number of electorates |
84,0113 |
|
|
Leh:
72,226 Nobra:11,847 |
|
Staple food |
Barley( Sattu) |
|
Delicious soft drink |
Gurgur Tea |