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There are many tourist attractions in Leh. Leh tourist attractions are various. If sightseeing is synonymous with tourism in Leh, the capital of India's Ladakh region, then there is certainly no shortage of sights to see there.
The eight-storey Leh Palace built by King Sengye Namygal in the sixteenth century and resembling the famous Potala of Lhasa which was built at around the same time, overlooks the town from the slope on the southwest side of the Tseo hill.
The Ladakhi royal family (although no longer entitled to use their titles) lives in the palace at Stok but they still own this palace as well as another one at Shey. Unfortunately, the Kashmiri invasions of the last century caused some damage and one side of Leh Palace is open to the elements. There are many tourist attractions in Leh. Leh tourist attractions attract a number of tourists every year. |
High above the palace, the Leh Gompa, also known as the Red Gompa and the Namgyal Tsemo Gompa was founded in the fifteenth century by King Tashi Namgyal. From this high vantage point, the ruins of an old fort can be seen and the vistas of Leh town are spectacular. Like other combinations of monastery and seat of learning, this Gompa has a very fine seated figure of the Buddha Maitreya, known as the Future Buddha and also as the Laughing Buddha and the Buddha of Compassion.
This particular rendition is a three-storey-high image made of solid gold. There are also some ancient manuscripts and sumptuous wall paintings in front of which a monk from the Sankar Gompa comes to tend the butter lamps when the temples open up in the mornings and evenings. There are numerous tourist attractions in Leh.
Leh’s existing fort, built by Zorawar Singh, contains three temples but cannot be visited by sightseers as it is within a military zone. Those who are interested in modern technology may be interested in visiting Leh’s Ecology Center, about five minutes’ walk from the town’s bazaar, heading northwards.
Solar energy and organic farming techniques are amongst the subjects covered there. Speaking of the bazaar, if your idea of tourism is shopping abroad, you’ll love Leh’s bazaar with the wonderful handcrafted items ranging from rugs and shawls to fascinating Tibetan-style jewelry made with silver, turquoise and other local materials of the Ladakh region in India’s ‘Land of the High Passes’ where tourism is such a pleasure.
Since the early 1980's it has been possible to visit the Shanti Stupa, or Peace Pagoda, inaugurated by the Dalai Lama and the sides of which are covered with gilded panels depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha, one of several monuments of its kind erected around India by a Japanese peace sect. About three kilometers to the west of the bazaar in Leh, tourism capital of India’s Ladakh region, this is yet another of the very many interesting sights to be seen and experiences to be savored. |
