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{{Short description|Region administered by India}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{EngvarB|date=
{{Use dmy dates|date=
{{Infobox settlement
| name
| settlement_type
| image_skyline
| photo1a = Rangdum village grazing fields.jpg
| photo2a = Shyok river Ladakh.jpg
|
| photo3a = ▼
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| photo4a = ▼
| spacing =
| position = centre
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| foot_montage = Sheep grazing near [[Rangdum]] village; [[Shyok River]] in northern Ladakh
}}
|
| map_alt
| map_caption1 = Ladakh highlighted in India with disputed claims
| image_map
▲| image_map1 = File:Kashmir region. LOC 2003626427 - showing sub-regions administered by different countries.jpg
▲| map_alt = Map of the disputed Kashmir region showing areas of control by India, Pakistan, and China
▲| map_caption1 = A map of the disputed [[Kashmir]] region with the two Indian-administered areas shaded in [[tan (color)|tan]]<ref name=tertiary-kashmir/>
▲| image_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=300|frame-height=170|frame-align=center|zoom=4|type=point|title=Ladakh|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
▲| map_caption = Interactive map of Ladakh
▲| coordinates = {{Coord|34|09|51|N|77|35|05|E|display=inline,title}}
|
|
▲| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Administering state]]
|
▲| subdivision_type2 =
| established_date
▲| subdivision_name1 =
|
| seat
▲| established_title = [[Union territory]]
▲| established_date = 31 October 2019<ref name="egazette.nic.in">{{cite web |title=The Gazette of India |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2019/210412.pdf |website=egazette.nic.in |access-date=3 January 2021 |archive-date=9 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809153916/http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2019/210412.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|
▲| seat = [[Leh]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2019/10/17/ladakh-gets-civil-secretariat/ |title=Ladakh Gets Civil Secretariat |date=17 October 2019 |access-date=18 October 2019 |archive-date=19 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019123828/https://kashmirobserver.net/2019/10/17/ladakh-gets-civil-secretariat/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Kargil]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/lg-ut-hqrs-head-of-police-to-have-sectts-at-both-leh-kargil-mathur/ |title=LG, UT Hqrs, Head of Police to have Sectts at both Leh, Kargil: Mathur |work=[[Daily Excelsior]] |date=12 November 2019 |access-date=17 December 2019 |archive-date=13 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213231004/https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/lg-ut-hqrs-head-of-police-to-have-sectts-at-both-leh-kargil-mathur/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|
|
| government_type =
▲| p1 = [[List of districts of Ladakh|2]]
| governing_body = [[Administration of Ladakh]]
| leader_title = [[List of lieutenant governors of Ladakh|Lieutenant Governor]]
|
|
| leader_name1 = [[Mohmad Haneefa]] ([[Independent politician|Independent]])
▲| leader_title = [[List of lieutenant governors of Ladakh|Lieutenant Governor]]
|
|
| leader_name3
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes
▲| leader_title3 = Autonomous Hill Development Councils
▲| leader_name3 = [[Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh|LAHDC Leh]]<br>[[Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil|LAHDC Kargil]]
|
| elevation_footnotes =
▲| area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?Id_Pk=306 |title=MHA.nic.in |publisher=MHA.nic.in |access-date=21 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208212815/http://mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?Id_Pk=306 |archive-date=8 December 2008}}</ref>{{efn|Ladakh is a [[disputed territory]] between India, Pakistan and China. Ladakh has {{cvt|59146|km2}} of area controlled by India and {{cvt|72971|km2}} of area controlled by Pakistan under [[Gilgit-Baltistan]], which is claimed by India as part of Ladakh. Additionally, it has {{cvt|5180|km2}} of area controlled by China under [[Trans-Karakoram Tract]] and {{cvt|37555|km2}} of area controlled by China under [[Aksai Chin]], both of which are claimed by India as part of Ladakh.}}
|
|
| elevation_max_point
▲| elevation_max_footnotes =
| elevation_min_m = 2,550
▲| elevation_max_point = [[Saltoro Kangri]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10533 |title=Saltoro Kangri, India/Pakistan |website=peakbagger.com |access-date=9 August 2019 |archive-date=9 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509201854/https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10533 |url-status=live }}</ref>
▲| elevation_max_rank =
| elevation_min_rank =
▲| elevation_min_footnotes =
|
▲| elevation_min_point = [[Indus River]]
|
▲| population_as_of = 2011
▲| population_density_km2 = auto
▲| population_demonym = [[Ladakhis|Ladakhi]]
| demographics1_info1
▲| population_footnotes =
| demographics1_title2 = Regional
▲| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_info2
▲| demographics1_title1 = Official
▲| demographics1_info1 = [[Hindi]] and [[Indian English|English]]<ref name="officiallanguage">{{Cite news |last=Ganai |first=Naseer |date=19 January 2022 |title=Urdu No More Official Language Of Ladakh |work=[[Outlook India]] |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/urdu-is-dogra-legacy-to-j-k-and-ladakh-not-kashmiri-imposition-news-38816 |access-date=8 April 2022 |archive-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407144133/https://www.outlookindia.com/national/urdu-is-dogra-legacy-to-j-k-and-ladakh-not-kashmiri-imposition-news-38816 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|
▲| demographics1_info2 = [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]], [[Urdu language|Urdu]], [[Purgi language|Purgi]], [[Brokskat]] and [[Balti language|Balti]]
▲| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
|
| registration_plate
▲| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-LA]]
▲| postal_code_type = <!-- [[Postal Index Number|PIN]] -->
▲| registration_plate = [[Vehicle registration plates of India|LA]]<ref name="vehicleregistrationinladakh">{{citation |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2019/214357.pdf |title=Part II—Section 3—Sub-section (ii) |work=Gazette of India, Extraordinary |date=25 November 2019 |page=2 |publisher=Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054 |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130021437/http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2019/214357.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
▲| website = {{URL|https://ladakh.nic.in/}}
}}
'''Ladakh''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ə||ˈ|d|ɑː|k}})<ref name=OED-Ladakhi>{{citation |title=Ladakhi, n. |last=OED Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=December 2020 |access-date=6 March 2021 |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/104974 |quote=/ləˈdɑːki/ A native or inhabitant of Ladakh, a district of eastern Kashmir. Attested use: 1911 ''Encycl. Brit. XVI.'' 59/1 It [sc. Ladakh] was, however, conquered and annexed in 1834–1841 by Gulab Singh of Jammu—the unwarlike Ladakhis, even with nature fighting on their side, and against indifferent generalship, being no match for the Dogra troops.}}</ref><!--Please do not change it; a dictionary will not have an entry for "Ladakh," a proper noun, but will for the derived adjective "Ladakhi." However, it points to the English pronunciation for "Ladakh." --> is a region administered by [[India]] as a [[union territory]]<ref name=ladakh-britannica-current>{{citation |chapter=Ladakh |title=Encyclopaedia Britannica |date=1 March 2021 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |chapter-url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ladakh |access-date=2 April 2022 |quote=Ladakh, large area of the northern and eastern Kashmir region, northwestern Indian subcontinent. Administratively, Ladakh is divided between Pakistan (northwest), as part of Gilgit-Baltistan, and India (southeast), as part of Ladakh union territory (until October 31, 2019, part of Jammu and Kashmir state); in addition, China administers portions of northeastern Ladakh. |archive-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407153837/https://www.britannica.com/place/Ladakh |url-status=live }}</ref> and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger [[Kashmir]] region that has been the subject of a [[Kashmir#Kashmir dispute|dispute]] between India and [[Pakistan]] since 1947 and India and [[China]] since 1959.<ref name=tertiary-kashmir>The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of [[Kashmir]] and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the [[WP:TERTIARY|tertiary sources]] (a) through (e), reflecting [[WP:DUE|due weight]] in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicised usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below). <br/>
(a) {{citation|title=Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent|accessdate=15 August 2019|archive-date=17 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617074549/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent|url-status=live}} (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";<br/> (b) {{citation|last1=Pletcher|first1=Kenneth|title=Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksai-Chin|accessdate=16 August 2019|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402090308/https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksai-Chin|url-status=live}} (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state."; <br/> (c) {{citation|chapter=Kashmir|title=Encyclopedia Americana|publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7172-0139-6|page=328|access-date=12 June 2023|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117135716/https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328|url-status=live}} C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947"; <br/> (d) {{citation|last1=Osmańczyk|first1=Edmund Jan|title=Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSIMXHMdfkkC&pg=PA1191|year=2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93922-5|pages=1191–|access-date=12 August 2019|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117140437/https://books.google.com/books?id=fSIMXHMdfkkC&pg=PA1191|url-status=live}} Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China." <br/>(e) {{citation|last=Talbot|first=Ian|title=A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eNg_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2016|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-19694-8|pages=28–29}} Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir."; <br/> (f) {{citation|last=Skutsch|first=Carl|editor-last=Ciment|editor-first=James|title=Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II|edition=2nd|year=2015|orig-year=2007|isbn=978-0-7656-8005-1|chapter=China: Border War with India, 1962|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|page=573|quote=The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule. Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged. Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible. Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959. In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.}}<br/> (g) {{citation|last=Clary|first=Christopher|year=2022|title=The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia|publisher=Oxford University Press|location = Oxford and New York|isbn=9780197638408|page=109|quote=Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen. In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin. ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.}} <br/> (h) {{citation|last=Bose|first=Sumantra|title=Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ACMe9WBdNAC&pg=PA294|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-02855-5|pages=294, 291, 293}} Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control." <br/> (i) {{citation|last=Fisher|first=Michael H.|title=An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZVuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA166|year=2018|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-11162-2|page=166}} Quote: "Kashmir's identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised "Line of Control" still separating Pakistani-held Azad ("Free") Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir."; <br/> (j) {{citation|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5amKCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-1-84904-621-3|page=10}} Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."</ref> Ladakh is bordered by the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] to the east, the Indian state of [[Himachal Pradesh]] to the south, both the Indian-administered union territory of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and the Pakistan-administered [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] to the west, and the southwest corner of [[Xinjiang]] across the [[Karakoram Pass]] in the far north. It extends from the [[Siachen Glacier]] in the [[Karakoram]] range to the north to the main Great [[Himalaya]]s to the south.<ref>{{harvp|Jina, Ladakh|1996}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/south_asia/2002/kashmir_flashpoint/default.stm |title=In Depth – Kashmir Flashpoint |chapter-url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/south_asia/03/kashmir_future/html/default.stm |chapter=Kashmir options. Maps showing the options and pitfalls of possible solutions. The Future of Kashmir? |work=[[BBC News]] |date=19 May 2011 |access-date=16 April 2013 |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129190211/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/south_asia/2002/kashmir_flashpoint/default.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited [[Aksai Chin]] plains, is claimed by the Indian Government as part of Ladakh,
In the past, Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes,<ref name="TransHimalayan">{{cite book |last=Rizvi |first=Janet |year=2001 |title=Trans-Himalayan Caravans – Merchant Princes and Peasant Traders in Ladakh |publisher=Oxford India Paperbacks}}</ref> but as Chinese authorities closed the borders between Tibet Autonomous Region and Ladakh in the 1960s, international trade dwindled. Since 1974, the [[Government of India]] has successfully encouraged [[tourism in Ladakh]]. As Ladakh is strategically important, the [[Indian military]] maintains a strong presence in the region.
Line 110 ⟶ 107:
Medieval Islamic scholars called Ladakh the "Great Tibet" (derived from Turko-Arabic ''Ti-bat'', meaning "highland"); [[Baltistan]] and other trans-Himalayan states in Kashmir's vicinity were referred to as "Little Tibets".<ref>{{citation |last=Petech |first=Luciano |author-link=Luciano Petech |title=The Kingdom of Ladakh, c. 950–1842 A.D. |publisher=Instituto Italiano Per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente |year=1977 |url=https://www.academia.edu/download/48901732/1977_Kingdom_of_Ladakh_c_950-1842_AD_by_Petech_s.pdf |via=academia.edu |page=22}}{{dead link|date=July 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{citation |first1=H. S. |last1=Pirumshoev |first2=Ahmad Hasan |last2=Dani |author-link2=Ahmad Hasan Dani |chapter=The Pamirs, Badakhshan and the Trans-Pamir States |editor1=Chahryar Adle |editor2=Irfan Habib |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. V — Development in contrast: From the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century |chapter-url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001302/130205e.pdf |date=2003 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=978-92-3-103876-1 |pages=238–239 |access-date=9 November 2020 |archive-date=10 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810224733/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001302/130205e.pdf |url-status=live }}: "Under Aurangzeb (1659–1707), Mughal suzerainty was also acknowledged by Ladakh ('Great Tibet') in 1665, though it was contested in 1681–3 by the Oirat or Kalmuk (Qalmaq) rulers of Tibet."</ref>{{efn|The extension of the term "Tibet" to the modern day [[Tibet]] is due to the Europeans in India in the 18th century.<ref>{{citation |last1=Bogle |first1=George |last2=Manning |first2=Thomas |title=Narratives of the Mission of George Bogle to Tibet: And of the Journey of Thomas Manning to Lhasa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Y7slbgVL4AC&pg=PR26 |year=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-02255-2 |page=26}}</ref>}}
It has also been called Ma-Lo-Pho (by Hiuen Tsang) or Lal Bhumi. Names in the local language include Kanchapa (''Land of snow'') and Ripul (''Country of mountains'').<ref name="Mann 2002 p. 15">{{
== History ==
Line 123 ⟶ 120:
"While the whole of Ladakh and adjacent regions were originally populated by speakers of Eastern Iranian (Scythian), Lower Ladakh (as well as Baltistan) was also subject to several immigration waves of Indoaryan (Dardic) speakers and other groups from Central Asia. Upper Ladakh and the neighbouring regions to the east, by contrast, seem to have been populated additionally by speakers of a non-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman language, namely West Himalayan (Old Zhangzhung;...)."</ref> The penultimate king of Zhangzhung is said to have been from Ladakh.<ref>{{citation |last=Bellezza |first=John Vincent |title=The Dawn of Tibet: The Ancient Civilization on the Roof of the World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZFuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA101 |year=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-1-4422-3462-8 |page=101}}</ref>
From around 660 CE, the [[Tang dynasty]] and the [[Tibetan Empire]] started contesting the "four garrisons" of the [[Tarim Basin]] (present day [[Xinjiang]]), a struggle that lasted three centuries. Zhangzhung fell victim to Tibet's ambitions in {{circa|634}} and disappeared.
=== Early medieval history ===
Line 149 ⟶ 146:
[[File:Leh Palace and Jama Masjid minarets.jpg|thumb|right|Jama Masjid of Leh next to the Leh Palace]]
Between the 1380s and early 1510s, many Islamic missionaries propagated [[Islam]] and proselytised the Ladakhi people. [[Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani|Sayyid Ali Hamadani]], [[Shah Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani|Sayyid Muhammad Nur Baksh]] and [[Mir Shamsuddin Iraqi]] were three important Sufi missionaries who propagated Islam to the locals. Mir Sayyid Ali was the first one to make Muslim converts in Ladakh and is often described as the founder of Islam in Ladakh. Several mosques were built in Ladakh during this period, including in Mulbhe, [[Padum]] and [[Shey]], the capital of Ladakh.<ref name="Howard">{{citation |first=Neil |last=Howard |chapter=History of Ladakh |title=Recent Research on Ladakh 6 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |page=122 |isbn=9788120814325 |year=1997 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jX552GiSmYC&pg=PA122}}</ref><ref name="Sheikh">{{citation |first=Abdul Ghani |last=Sheikh |chapter=A Brief History of Muslims in Ladakh |title=Recent Research on Ladakh 4 & 5 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |page=189 |isbn=9788120814042 |year=1995 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mCy2mBVNqSoC&pg=PA189}}</ref> His principal disciple, Sayyid Muhammad Nur Baksh also propagated Islam to Ladakhis and the [[Balti people]] rapidly converted to Islam. [[Noorbakshia Islam]] is named after him and his followers are only found in Baltistan and Ladakh. During his youth,
[[File:Ladakh Monastery.jpg|thumb|left|[[Thikse Monastery]], Ladakh]]
Line 184 ⟶ 181:
At the time of the [[partition of India]] in 1947, the Dogra ruler [[Maharaja]] [[Hari Singh]] chose to remain independent of India or Pakistan. Pakistani soldiers from [[Gilgit Agency|Gilgit]] invaded in October and had reached Ladakh. To get defence assistance from India, Singh was told by Nehru to sign the [[Instrument of Accession (Jammu and Kashmir)|Instrument of Accession]] to India, and military operations were initiated to counter the invasion. The wartime conversion of the pony trail from [[Sonamarg]] to [[Zoji La]] by army engineers permitted tanks to move up and successfully capture the pass. The advance continued. [[Dras]], Kargil and Leh were liberated and Ladakh cleared of the infiltrators.<ref name="Madras_Sappers">Menon, P.M & Proudfoot, C.L., ''The [[Madras Sappers]], 1947–1980'', 1989, Thomson Press, Faridabad, India.</ref>
In 1949, China closed the border between [[Nubra Valley|Nubra]] and [[Xinjiang]], blocking old trade routes. In 1955 China began to build roads connecting Xinjiang and Tibet through the [[Aksai Chin]] area. The Indian effort to
[[File:Srinagar Leh National Highway No 1.jpg|thumb|left|National Highway No 1]]
The [[Kargil War]] of 1999, codenamed "Operation Vijay" by the [[Indian Army]], saw infiltration by Pakistani troops into parts of Western Ladakh, namely Kargil, Dras, [[Mushkoh Valley|Mushkoh]], Batalik and Chorbatla, overlooking key locations on the [[National Highway 1 (India)|Srinagar-Leh highway]]. Extensive operations were launched in high altitudes by the Indian Army with considerable artillery and air force support. Pakistani troops were evicted from the Indian side of the [[Line of Control]] which the Indian government ordered was to be respected and which was not crossed by Indian troops. The Indian government was criticised by the Indian public because India respected geographical co-ordinates more than India's opponents: Pakistan and China.<ref name="Bammi">Bammi, Y.M., ''Kargil 1999 – the impregnable conquered.'' (2002) Natraj Publishers, Dehradun.</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2018}}
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{{Main|Wildlife of Ladakh}}
[[File:Black-necked Crane Tso Kar Ladakh Jammu and Kashmir India Asia 12.08.2013.png|thumb|225px|The [[black-necked crane]] comes to India every year for breeding. Photograph taken at [[Tso Kar]], Ladakh.]]
Vegetation is extremely sparse in Ladakh except along streambeds and wetlands, on high slopes, and irrigated places. About 1250 plant species, including crops, were reported from Ladakh.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A field guide to the flora of Ladakh |last=Dvorský |first=Miroslav |publisher=Academia |year=2018 |isbn=978-80-200-2826-6 |location=Prague}}</ref> The plant ''
The [[bharal]] (or blue sheep) is the most abundant mountain [[ungulate]] in the Ladakh region, although it is not found in some parts of Zangskar and Sham areas. The bharal is one of the preferred choices of prey of the rare [[snow leopard]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Namgail |first1=T. |last2=Fox |first2=J.L. |last3=Bhatnagar |first3=Y.V. |year=2004 |title=Habitat segregation between sympatric Tibetan argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni and blue sheep Pseudois nayaur in the Indian Trans-Himalaya |work=Journal of Zoology |location=London |chapter=262 |pages=57–63 |chapter-url=http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/69530/NamgailetalJZool.pdf |publisher=reg.wur.nl |access-date=16 January 2009 |archive-date=4 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304210939/http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/69530/NamgailetalJZool.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Asiatic ibex]] is a mountain goat that is distributed in the western part of Ladakh. It is the second-most abundant mountain ungulate in the region, with a population of about 6,000 individuals. It is adapted to rugged areas where it easily climbs near-vertical rock faces when threatened.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Namgail |first1=T |year=2006 |title=Winter Habitat Partitioning between Asiatic Ibex and Blue Sheep in Ladakh, Northern India |url=http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/69532/NamgailIbexBlusSheep.pdf |journal=Journal of Mountain Ecology |volume=8 |pages=7–13 |access-date=16 January 2009 |archive-date=26 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326085000/http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/69532/NamgailIbexBlusSheep.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Ladakhi [[urial]] is another unique mountain sheep that inhabits the mountains of Ladakh. The population is declining, however, and there are not more than 3,000 individuals left in Ladakh.<ref>Namgail, T. (2006). Trans-Himalayan large herbivores: status, conservation, and niche relationships. Report submitted to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo, New York.</ref> The urial is endemic to Ladakh, where it is distributed only along two major river valleys, namely the Indus and Shayok. The animal is often persecuted by farmers, whose crops are allegedly damaged by flocks of urial. Its population declined dramatically in the late twentieth century, due to indiscriminate shooting by hunters along the Leh-Srinagar Highway.
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== Economy ==
[[File:
[[File:Preparing apricots. Alchi Monastery, Ladakh.jpg|thumb|left|Preparing apricots. [[Alchi Monastery]].]]
The land is irrigated by a system of channels which funnel water from the ice and snow of the mountains. The principal crops are [[barley]] and wheat. Rice was previously a luxury in the Ladakhi diet, but, subsidised by the government, has now become a cheap staple.<ref name="Crossroads" />
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|caption = Languages of Ladakh (2011 census)<ref name="census2011-C16"/>
|label1 = [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] |value1 = 37.78 |color1 = purple
|label2 = [[Purgi language|
|label3 = [[Hindi]] |value3 = 8.94 |color3 = orange
|label4 = [[Shina language|Shina]] |value4 = 5.06 |color4 = deeppink
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}}
The predominant mother-tongue in Leh district is [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] (also called Bauti), a [[Tibetic languages|Tibetic language]].<ref name="census2011-C16">{{cite report |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0100.XLSX |title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=18 July 2020 |archive-date=12 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112015559/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0100.XLSX |url-status=live }}</ref> <!--See Talk:Tibetan languages--> [[Purgi language|
== Culture ==
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