Leh is one of the two districts located in Ladakh, the other being the Kargil to the west, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the second largest district in India in terms of area and it shares its boundaries with Ghanche District on the north and a small border with Xinjiang, China, through the Karakoram Pass which is part of the district, Aksai Chin and Tibet are to the east, Kargil district to the west, and Lahul and Spiti to the south. The district headquarters is based in Leh itself. Kargil and Ladakh administrative districts were created in 1979. Before that, the whole of Ladakh was under the administration of Leh. Religion has been the main source of diputes between Buddhists and Muslims since the late 20th century which consequently led to division. As of 2011 census, it is the second least populated district of Jammu and Kashmir after Kargil.

Leh History

The royal palace, known as Leh Palace, was built by King Sengge Namgyal, most probably between the periods when the Portuguese Jesuit priest, Francisco de Azevedo, visited Leh in 1631.King Sengge Namgyal's died in 1642. The Leh Palace is nine storeys high where the upper floors accommodated the royal family, and the stables and store rooms are located on the lower floors. The palace was abandoned when Kashmiri forces overwhelmed it in the mid-19th century and royal family moved their premises south to their current home in Stok Palace on the southern bank of the Indus.

The original name of the town is not sLel, as it is now-a-days spelt, but sLes, which signifies an encampment of nomads. These [Tibetan] nomads used to visit the Leh valley at a time when it had begun to be irrigated by Dard colonizers. Thus, the most ancient part of the remains on the top of rNam-rgyal-rtse-mo hill at Leh is called 'aBrog-pal-mkhar.

Leh Climate

Leh has a cold desert type climate with long, harsh winters which longs from October to early March. The minimum temperatures are well below freezing point for most of the winter. Occasional snowfall are observed in the city during winter. The weather in the remaining months is generally pleasant and warm during the day. Average annual rainfall is 90 mm is very low as compared to other districts. The temperature ranges from −28 C in winter to 33 C in summer. In 2010 flash floods was experienced which killed more than 100 people.

Leh Tourism

The most attractive feature of the landscape of Ladakh are the Buddhist monasteries situated on the isolated small hills surrounded by the villages. These aesthetically pleasing, architecturally interesting monasteries provide the focus for the faith of the highly religious Buddhist people. Monasteries are the spaces of worship, isolated meditation and religious instruction for the young people. Many monasteries celebrate their annual festivals in winter, which are marked by gay mask dances. Monasteries are rich with artefacts. Lamayuru, the oldest religious centre of Ladakh, beats all other in sheer magnificence. Its infrastructure is famous for wood carving, statues and frescoes. The wealth of its possession and its annual summer festival makes Hemis the most popular festival. The festival performances at Likir and Phyang with their proximity to Leh are great attractions in their favors while the accessibility of the Shey, Spituk and the Sankar monasteries make them suitable for visitors with time at a premium.

The approach to the monasteries is lined with mane walls which is are made of votive stones on which prayers and holy figures are inscribed and Chortens which are semi religious shrines or reliquaries, containing relics of holy people or scripts. Besides monasteries, the nine storeys Leh Palace, Stok Palace Museum and the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies Choglamsar, Mosque and Moravian Church at Leh are also the added attraction for tourists. Most of these can be conveniently visited from Leh as buses and cabs daily covers the road between Leh and those monasteries. Most of these monasteries are opened throughout the day.

Tourist places in Leh
Sculpture at Drass
Rock Cut Sculpture at Mulbekh.
Lamayuru Monastery.
Likir Monastery.
Alchi Monastery
Phyang Monastery.
Hemis Monastery.
Leh Palace.
Old Castle Tsemo Hill.
Stupa at T- Suru.
Shey Palace
The castle of leh and the temple of namgial tsemo.
Stok place  & monastery.
Shey place & monastery.
Tresthang monastery
Thiksay monastery
Stakna monastery
Hemis monastery
Chemday monastery
Takthok monastery
Matho monastery
Spituk monastery
Phyang monastery
The castle of basgo
Rizong monastery
Likir monastery
Alchi monastery
Lamayuru monastery
Wanla monaste
The castle of tingmosgang
Karcha monastery zanskar
Zongkuyl monastery
Bardan monastery
Stongde    monastery
The castle of sani
Drogpas
Nubra valley