Ladakh Places of Interest Drass
Drass (3230 m), 60 km west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar, is a small township
lying in the centre of the valley of the same name. It has become famous as the
second coldest inhabited place in the world by virtue of the intense cold that
descends upon the valley along with repeated snowfalls during winters. Winter
temperature is sometimes known to plummet to less than minus 40 degrees.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phugthal
By far the most spectacularly located monastic establishment anywhere in Ladakh,
The Phugthal complex spills out of the mouth of a huge cave high up in the sheer
mountain face of a lateral gorge through which a major tributary of the southern
Lungnak (Lingti-Tsarap) River flows.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rangdum
The farthest and the most isolated part of the Suru Valley, Rangdum is an elliptical
expanded plateau surrounded by colourful hills on the one side and glacier encrusted
rocky mountains on the other. Situated 130 kms South- east of Kargil, it falls
midway between Kargil and Padum.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sani
This picturesque village is 6 kms west of Padum, on the road to Kargil. The chief
attraction here is the castle like monastery which, unlike other monasteries of
the region, is built on level ground. By legend its initial foundation is associated
with Kanishka on account of the Kanika Stupa which stands in the backyard of the
walled complex.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sankoo
A picturesque expanse surrounded by colorful rocky mountains, sankoo is an upcoming
township with a small bazaar (42 kms south of Kargil) and numerous villages around.
Dense plantations of poplers, willows, myricarea and wild roses fill the bowl
shaped valley, giving it the ambience of a man-made forest tucked within the mountain
ramparts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suru Valley
One of the most beautiful regions of Ladakh , the Suru Valley forms the mainstay
of Kargil district. Lying nestled along the north-eastern foothills of the great
Himalayan Wall, it extends from Kargil town, first southward for a length of about
75 Kms Upto the expanse around Panikhar, thence eastward for another stretch of
nearly 65 kms upto the foot of the Penzila watershed where the Suru valley rises.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zongkhul
The other spectcular cave monastery of Zanskar, Zongkhul falls on the Padum-Kishtwar
trekking trail, just before the ascent of Omasi-la Pass begins. Situated like
a Swallow’s nest on the rock face of the Ating George, the monastery is associated
by legend with the famous Indian Yogi, Naropa, who lectured in the Nalanda and
Vikramsila Universities. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
