Secrets of Ladakh That Locals Keep To Themselves

Every land holds its secrets in its hidden corners. The most stunning stories from Ladakh are still unheard secrets. Its culture is still an unsolved enigma for many. Here are 15 deepest secrets of the Himalayan wonderland that the locals would rather keep to themselves.

Cover Image Credits: Roberto Santini

1. In 1971, the war with Pakistan was paused to celebrate Losar

Colonel Chewang Rinchen captured Turtok and suddenly decided to pause the war with Pakistan, keeping in mind local sentiments on Losar. Colonel Rinchen also received the Mahavir Chakra at the age of 17 and the army renamed Corps lecture Hall after him in 2006 as Rinchen Auditorium near Leh Airport.

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2. Kung Fu nuns of Ladakh

Every morning at the Drukpa nunnery in Ladakh the nuns dress up in pyjamas and yellow sashes and the voice of their hee-yaas echo across the serene hills. The kung fu nuns are figures of a new age in the 800 year old Drukpa buddhist sect.

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3. Shrine of OP baba

At the Siachen Basecamp, the shrine of OP Baba is a sacred corner to celebrate the well-being of the soldiers. Named after soldier OM Prakash who single-handedly fought the attack on Malaun, the shrine is a place where the soldiers pledge to give up alcohol and tobacco during their posting in Saichen.

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4. Magnetic Hill

If you turn off your car engine at the Magnetic Hill, it will still keep moving. 30km from Leh on the Kargil Highway, you can see the unbelievable happen for real.

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5. Rocks of Viagra

The magic drug which oozes out of the rocks in Ladakh is gold for your body if you know what Shilajit is. It burns fat, increases bone strength and is most importantly used for treating infertile couples.

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6. Entombed bodies of Mongols in temple foundation

The abode of the royal family of Ladakh, the Leh Palace, was built by Sengge Namgyal in 1600AD. It is believed that he entombed the bodies of Mongol invaders in the temple's foundation to ward off future attacks.

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7. Druk White Lotus School

Around 200 pupils travel by bus to this school everyday and receive the best in class education maintaining rich cultural traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. With passive solar heating, gravity feed water system and seismic design and safety, the school passes all test of sustainability and has received international acclaim for its design.

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8. Lovers fleeing to Leh

In this silent corner of India, a religious conflict would be the last thing you would expect but often when a Buddhist falls in love with a Muslim, the two communities don't take it well. There are numerous stories of couples from villages fleeing to Leh to find their love haven.

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9. Indian army training people to build homestays

To promote rural entrepreneurship in Ladakh, the Indian Army is promoting the efforts of the locals to build comfortable homestays. To help the local economy, the army also sources their fruits and vegetables from the local farmers.

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10. Find a Marmot to cuddle

Do you wish to find a pet midst this calm landscape? Around Khardung La and Tso Moriri you can trace Himalayan marmots from the road. These tiny things love to cuddle and are quite friendly.

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11. The myth of Tso Kar

The locals believe that millions of years back a devil drank up from the overflowing Tso Kar. And when he drank more than he could, he spluttered the water all over and thus formed Regul Tso and Starspapukh.

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12. Road across Khardungla

18 men lost their lives in building the highest motorable road at Khardung La. The construction of Bailey Bridge on this glaciated patch is unique in the sense that its ends rest on hard ice and it is also the highest bridge in the world.

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13. The tradition of the order

It's a Ladakhi tradition to send the youngest child of the family to join the monastery. Though with dwindling tradition the practice is no longer common but teenagers voluntarily join the order.

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14. Blow a conch to call 120 lamas for lunch at Karsha Monastery

Finding no other way to round them up, the lamas assemble at the sound of the conch during lunch and dinners. There can be no other way to signal the call to 120 resident lama in the 30 buildings spread all over the hill slope.

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15. Where the snake king slept

Buddhists believe that the snake king Jokpo slept at the Likir Gompa. The word Likir is derived from lukhgil which means coiled snake. It is one of the richest and most influential gompas in Ladakh.