Monastic Architecture in Ladakh

Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India, located at 34°10′12′′N 77°34′48′′E. Historically, it included the Baltistan valleys, the entire upper Indus Valley, Zanskar, Lahaul and Spiti, parts of Ngari including the Rudok region and Guge, Aksai Chin, the Nubra Valley and Khardong La in the Ladakh Range. (Drew,1877) The history of the region is obscure and had not caught the interest of historians or scholars until the later half of the nineteenth century, when its culture began to be studied with reference to the religion.(Shakspo, 2014) Also major chunk of regional information has been lost or destroyed in the incessant wars that dogged the early settlers, thus resulting in fictional and mythological reconstructions of historical accounts of Ladakh. This paper attempts to piece together the available information and study the architecture of three main palatial complexes of the area, namely, the Ancient Palace of Leh, the Palace of Shey and the Stok Palace, which, other than being royal households, are also monastic centres and places of pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhists.