Ladakh

Ladakh reaches the most northerly point of India. Residing in the state of Kashmir, it borders with Tibet in the East and spans across the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges.

The Chantang area of Ladakh is home to the famous Pashmina Goat (the Lena Rama), highly sought after for its soft, fine and yet incredibly warm hair which is hand-spun and woven by the skilled craftsmen and women in the Vale of Kashmir.

You will find a selection of pure pashmina shawls in our shop pages.

Ladakh is both barren and remote and the scenery very different from the lush green valleys of Kashmir. At an altitude of 3,000m plus, it is cut off from the rest of India between the months of November and May, at which time it is only accessible by plane into Leh. Temperatures range from -35 degrees in winter to 35 degrees in summer. Not surprisingly the people of Ladakh, are both resilient and resourceful.

 

There are two motorable roads in to Ladakh, originating at Manali and Srinagar. Our journey in search of the Real Pashmina took a couple of days travelling from Srinagar with an overnight stop in Kargil and gave us the opportunity to meet with Pashmina Goat herders in Chantang and Yak herders on route. As the air thins and the landscape becomes more arrid, one can truely appreciate how difficult life is here for both people and animals. Infact, during the harsh winter of 2008 air supplies of fodder were flown in by the Indian Army

Monastry

Travelling into the Nubra Valley from Leh, takes you over the highest motorable road in the world, with a peak at Khardungla Top 18,380ft above sea level, where you are be advised to stay for no longer than 20 minutes due to the reduced oxygen in the air. As you descend into the high altitude desert camels can be seen, a reminder from the days of the silk road.

Beautiful, vibrant and colourful Buddhist monastries and monuments are testimony to the predominence of Tibetan Buddhism in the region.

See a beautiful selection of fine Real Pashmina shawls and stoles in our shop.