INDIAN GRAND CANYON : LADDAKH EN-ROUTE MANALI – SARCHU

INDIAN GRAND CANYON: ROAD ROUTE TO LEH-LADDAKH

India is so diverse a country by its colour, creed, race-ethnicity, and whatnot. It’s equally diverse with its geographical assets across its length and breadth. Apart from the long sea coastline on 3 sides which is a very vibrant blue, the northern part of India is equally mesmerizing with its mountains in the Himalayas ranging all the way from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. Laddakh has an enriched Geography with a variety of features like Ice clad mountains, Rivers, Water Lakes, Desert as its natural miracles. These places are so attractive that millions of Indians reach Leh city every year in this capital of Laddakh state of India. At least 2 road routes are there to reach Leh. One can reach Leh by road through Srinagar, Baltal, Drass, Kargil. Another route is through Manali, Rohtang, Sarchu. Either way, you choose to ascend from an altitude of 5300 feet at Srinagar Kashmir or an altitude of Manali at 6300 feet to 11500 feet at Leh.

Enroute, you come across with curvy roads with mountains on one side and valleys on the other with scintillating Rivers, which leave you numb and speechless with its ever-changing shades and colour across the scenes. People dream about the Grand Canyon of the United States of America but if they visit Leh by road it can be guaranteed your two eyes and multi-GB store of Brain will get exhausted in registering the breath-taking beauty of mountains.

On way to Leh via Rohtang Pass and Sarchu, valley will present its visitors with multiple castle-like structures on the riverine Mountains while river continues to flow in bed of the valley. Under the loop like patterns of Roads of Ladakh, spectacular scenes continue to mesmerise one’s Eyes, Brain and Soul altogether. The colour and types of mountains change from one zone to another as being like fragile grey causing shooting stone to come on to the roads or granite like shiny stone-like mountains and black stable mountains. About at 10,000 feet of altitude, these mountains have no or least of possible vegetation leading them to have a bare look. Their look are Attractive when sunlight falls on them against a backdrop of Blue sky. There is an old saying, moments of Journey are more enjoyable than the moment of reaching the destination. To this Chapter of life of Journey through Laddakh will leave you wised up.

While going from Srinagar, Kashmir to lay this distance of 425 kilometres which lets you enjoy serene and subtle beauty of the Himalayas. This way mountainous figures are trendy as being multi colour. Kargil comes on your way, which all Indians know of, as one War Memorial is developed where from Tiger hills hilltop number 4526 and other hills are easily seen from where Indian army fought tooth and nail way back in 1999. This War Memorial leaves you awestruck with its martyred officer’s Memorial bust who laid down their lives in their early 20s to save the nation.

Leh is capital of Laddakh and while reaching it from Srinagar and Zojila pass, you will witness 2 natural eye raisers. First is Confluence of river Zanskar with Holy River Indus. This is a spot of attraction for visitors who wish to enjoy river rafting too as 2 modes are available covering 9 Kilometres and 25 Kilometre distance with many Rapids. It’s a lifetime experience and here it is safe enough. Second natural monument is Magnetic Hill. This an experience where all your science knowledge gets jolted when your vehicle in neutral gear rides up on the uphill defying the rules of Gravity. Nature is so supernatural it cannot be understood with simple logic. Gurudwara Patthar Sahib is also nearby and a place to visit where First Sikh Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited once in his lifetime. Here religious fervour is literally felt. It is under management control of Indian army where they offer scrumptious food in evening time also.

Leh is religiously Buddha’s place as it has many monasteries out of which Thicksay, Alchi, Lamayuru and Disket Monasteries are situated in and around Leh. These monasteries are known to be established in around last 500 to 1100 years. Alchi Monastery is situated around 60 kilometres southwest of Leh and is oldest of the lot. Artistic wall paintings in temples with multiple colours are seen here just like Ajanta caves in Maharashtra. This monastery at Alchi has age old 3 Statue of Awaloketeshwara, Maitreyi and Manjushri which denote compassion, friendship, and prudence.

Same way Thicksay monastery in Leh city presents you an indoor 50 feet height Maitreyi Buddha statue which extends in two storied monastery. These buddha sculptures shown are so serene and subtle to mesmerize you from the inside out. Disket Monastery is situated on way to Nubra valley and does have a huge open air Maitreyi Buddha statue where from a beautiful landscape is simply mesmerizing with a river nearby and mountains all around. Maitreyi Buddha is considered to be in coming reincarnation of Buddha who is expected to cleanse the society. When asked, when he is expected, answers vary from person to person.

But tourists’ main attraction is Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake. Nubra Valley harbours Nubra river and is famous for Sand Dunes and Desert at an altitude of 12,000 feet with shining mountains all around. This gives a goosebump feel that at this altitude, how a dessert is created? Mother Nature is always sceptical and uncanny. In Nubra Valley are present beautiful mountains all around with a river in mainland and when Sun rises or sets the scenic beauty is remarkable and unexplainable. It is worth visiting Nubra valley and staying there for a night at least. Movie makers main attraction is Pangong Tso lake which is around 250 KM long out of which one third is in India and two third is in Tibet.

It’s a visitors delight to visit this lake as a character of present with some change in color in its water body from transparent sky blue to grey and to red also in some time through the day. Its surrounded by multicolor mountains which give it a beautiful backdrop to click picturesque beauty of this lack. This lake is a Sea Water Lake and has Brine Water with no life and vegetation in it. It not only mesmerizes but surprises with its presence that how a sea water lake is formed here.

It is told, some million years agon when continental landscapes were afloat and colliding with each other somehow this water body was trapped in this high altitude while Himalayas were in making. Its more surprising that it still is flooded with sea water and has not turned into a freshwater lake in all these years. Ironically this sea water body freezes in winter. Amazing, isn’t it.

Young boys and girls try their vigor to go across on bikes. That’s altogether a different challenge as its risky and require biking skills. Youth from India and all age foreigners are seen roaming around and going along on these road to reach Leh and Nubra or Pangong Lake. Bikes are made available on a daily rental basis with all possible gears and one can join a leaving group or can go all alone which is risky. Laddakh lures and challenge whichever way you go and requires basic minimum physical fitness to endure across the length and breadth of the state.

If you drop in Leh directly by the aerial route it is required to stay for at least for 1-2 days to accommodate the local environment and get acquainted with high altitude low oxygen pressures. If you opt to go by Roadway, ask your Family Physician to take some essential medicines along with you to accommodate and acclimatize in due course. It is always advisable to opt for Road trip to Leh for proper acclimatization and for eye pleasing scenic beauty. Any ways, you go visiting Laddakh is just an altogether different experience and once done, it will call you again and again.