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| Zanskar and Suru Valley – The Land of White Copper |
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The Suru and Zanskar Valleys form a massive trough at the foot of the heavily glaciated Northern flank of the Great Himalaya, while opposite rise the mountains of the Zanskar Range. The Suru River, indeed, forms the Western as well as the Northern boundary of the Zanskar Range. The headwaters of the Suru River rise high in the mountains of the Zanskar Range and the Great Himalaya, where they emerge from the Glaciers East of Nun – Kun; they come together to form the main stream on the plain of Rangdum. From the Rangdum the valley rises to 4400 meters at the Pensi – La, the gateway into Zanskar. Zanskar has a distinct geographical character of its own. It consists of the troughs of Two Rivers, the Stode and the Lungnak. The name Lungnak indeed means’ dark Gorge’ the name itself tells its journey through the Great Zanskar Gorge.
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Zanskar - Its centuries of isolation with outside World and inaccessibility is reflected in its own introversive and unique culture. Southern Zanskar is still out of the reach of roads. The old medieval system, “back of ponies” is the only medium of transportation.
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Zanskar, which means “white Copper” in the native language, is unlike anywhere else - Mysterious whistle of the wind, fluttering prayer flags on the gompa roofs, buzzing sound of the prayers from monasteries. The frighteningly beautiful landscape dominated by numerous shades of brown and red of the majestic high Mountain desert, mesmerizes all travelers by its unique Himalayan aura. Dotting the entire expansive landscape are, the tiny villages surrounded by the paddy fields, inhabited by courteous and friendly people. Unlike Suru Valley, which has Shia Muslim population, Zanskar valley is predominantly Buddhist. Monasteries of Phuktal, Karsha, Zonkhal, Sani and Zangla are unmatched in their unique architectural beauty and wealth of old thankas and paintings. These monasteries are the nucleus of social, spiritual, cultural, political and economical life of Zanskari folks.
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| Important Town |
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| Padum |
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Perched in the middle of Zanskar Valley Padum is the most important town of Zanskar as it is connected with the road from Kargil and can be reached after 10 days trek from Darcha (Lahaul side) . It has all important govt. Offices and is connected with phone.
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| The Rivers of the Zanskar and the famous Chader Route |
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The Lungnak’s main affluents rises to the east in Rupshu and later joins Lingti River at north of Baralacha Pass and than takes its course through the mountains and gorges and after getting past Phuktal Gompa eventually joins the Kargiak river descending from the Shingola, the gateway between Zanskar & Lahaul. The Stode River, carries the melt water of great Drang-drung glacier below the Pensila, flows down the valley and meets the Tsarap River in the wide central plain below Padum. As the Zanskar River, it further flows northwards by a gorge they have cut for themselves through the Zanskar Range, to join the Indus at Nyemo. In winter as the passes are blocked by snow and Zanskar is isolated from rest of the civilization, the frozen waters of the Zanskar River locally known as the ‘Chader Route’ (Blanket Route), forms the Zanskaris only link with the outside world. As they walk on the frozen Zanskar River to get to Leh. In the recent years this adventure is getting very popular among the Adventure loving people around the World.
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| Famous Monasteries of Zanskar |
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| Phuktal Monastery – The imposing and honeycomb monastery of Phuktal is a rare sight and is unmatched in its sublime grandeur. The monastery has been etched out of a composite mountain and has a massive cave. Yellow-capped monks, who are hospitable, dominate the monastery and visitors are welcome. Inside the cave there is water whole, whose water remains constantly at the same level. One should not forget to take torch to view magnificent old paintings and thankas in the dark rooms of the Monastery.
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Karsha Monastery - The largest and most important monastery in the Zanskar region, it lies North to Padum towards Yalang and can be reached after crossing the Doda river (Stode river). The monastery that is picturesquely built on a rock high Above the Doda River can be seen from a distance. The monastery houses more than 150 yellow capped monks who are headed by younger brother of Dalai Lama. The monastery was built in 15th century and contains beautiful statues of Buddha, Shakiyamuni, Tsongkhapa and Avolokeshwara. The wall paintings are very attractive and depict the life of Buddha and his disciples and number of Buddhisatavas. It also contains a big library. There is also a nunnery in the Monastery. On the way to monastery one passes the Chamba Lin temple. Which dates back to 11th century. During the prayer ceremony, the atmosphere is very mesmerizing, as all the senior monks
perform the prayer, completely involved in the mantras (holy texts). Of all the monasteries in Zanskar, this monastery is more organized and disciplined.
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Sani , Zonkal , Bardan , Rangdum , Zangla are the other well known monasteries of Zanskar. And can be reached easily from Padum. |
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