38-668: Ladakhis , Ladakhi people , or Ladakspa are an ethnic group and first-language speakers of the Ladakhi language living in the Ladakh region in the northernmost part of Jammu and Kashmir and Tibet in China . A small number of Ladakhis are also found in Baltistan , Pakistan. This article about an Indian ethnicity or social group is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ladakhi language The Ladakhi language
76-490: A collection of rare scriptures, pieces of art, and wall paintings - Thankas, and Stucco. There is a modern guest house with a dining hall and amenities. Kardang Monastery: Kardang Monastery , is located at an elevation of 3,500 meters across the river, about 8 km from Keylong . Kardang is well connected by the road via the Tandi bridge which is about 14 km from Keylong. Built-in the 12th century, this monastery houses
114-562: A decrease in food supplies have led to a large reduction in the population of the Tibetan antelope , argali , kiangs , musk deer, and snow leopards in these regions, reducing them to the status of endangered species. The locals of Spiti do not hunt these wild animals due to their religious beliefs. Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh. It is situated at an altitude of 3600m to 6700m, on
152-587: A large library of Buddhist literature including the main Kangyur and Tangyur scriptures. Tnagyud Gompa : Built during the early decade of 14th century, Tnagyud Gompa is of historical importance and belongs to the Sa-kya-pa sect. Kungri Gompa : This is the second oldest monastery of Spiti, and is located in Pin valley. The natural scenery and numerous Buddhist monasteries are the main tourist attractions of
190-726: Is a Tibetic language spoken in the Indian union territory of Ladakh . It is the predominant language in the Buddhist -dominated district of Leh , and a minority language in the district of Kargil . Though a member of the Tibetic family, Ladakhi is not mutually intelligible with Standard Tibetan . Ladakhis and Tibetans usually communicate with each other in Hindi or English as they do not understand each other's languages clearly. Ladakhi has several dialects: Lehskat, named after Leh where it
228-521: Is a popular activity with tourists in Spiti. Yak Safari: Yak rides are used to see the flora and fauna of the trans-Himalayan desert. From Baralacha La to the confluence at Tandi, Lahaul. From the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers at Tandi to Chamba district border downstream of Udaipur, Lahaul From the confluence at Tandi to Kunzum La separating Lahaul and Spiti From Kunzum La to
266-588: Is accepted in a few isolated regions. Divorces are accomplished by a simple ceremony performed in the presence of village elders. Divorce can be sought by either partner. The husband has to pay compensation to his ex-wife if she does not remarry. However, this is uncommon among the Lahaulis. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood. Potato farming is common. Occupations include animal husbandry, working in government programs and services, and other businesses and crafts that include weaving. Houses are constructed in
304-462: Is customary to add the suffix 'le' at the end of sentences as a sign of respect towards the individual being spoken to. This linguistic convention is a way to express politeness and honor towards the listener, emphasizing the cultural values of respect and courtesy. Written Ladakhi is most often romanised using modified Wylie transliteration , with th denoting an aspirated dental t , for example. Lahaul The Lahaul and Spiti district in
342-599: Is dotted by numerous Buddhist Monasteries or Gompas. These are some of the important monasteries in the Lahul and Spiti valleys. Kye Monastery: Kye Monastery is one of the main learning centers of Buddhist studies in Spiti. The monastery is home to some 100-odd monks who receive their education here. It is the oldest and biggest monastery in Spiti. It houses rare paintings and scriptures of Buddha and other gods and goddesses. There are also rare 'Thangka' paintings and ancient musical instruments 'like trumpets, cymbals, and drums in
380-590: Is popular with trekkers due to the challenging nature of its treks. These treks take people to remote areas including rural villages and old Gompas, as well as wildlife trails. High-altitude treks allow travelers to cross passes such as Parangla Pass (connecting Ladakh with Spiti Valley), Pin Parvati Pass, Baba Pass, Hamta Pass trek, and Spiti Left Bank Trek. Popular trekking routes in the area include Kaza-Langza-Hikim-Komic-Kaza, Kaza-Ki-Kibber-Gete-Kaza, Kaza-Losar-Kunzum La, and Kaza-Tabo-Sumdo-Nako. Skiing: Skiing
418-455: Is rural. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 7.08% and 81.44% of the population respectively. Languages of Lahaul and Spiti district (2011) 41% of the population speaks Kinnauri , 27% Pattani , 3.0% Bhotia , 2.9% Hindi , 2.8% Nepali and 2.6% Tibetan as their first language. The language, culture, and populations of Lahaul and Spiti are closely related. Generally, the Lahaulis are of Tibetan and Indo-Aryan descent, while
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#1732771724230456-775: Is spoken, Shamskat , spoken northwest of Leh, Stotskat, spoken in the Indus valley and which unlike the others is tonal, Nubra, spoken north of Leh, the Changthang language , spoken in the Changtang region by the Changpa people, and the Zangskari language , spoken in the Zanskar region of Ladakh. The Ladakhi language ( Tibetan : ལ་དྭགས་སྐད་ , Wylie : La-dwags skad ) is also referred to as Bhoti or Bodhi . Supporters of
494-644: Is spoken. 2: Shamskat, spoken northwest of Leh in the sham region of ladakh. 3 :Stotskat, spoken in the upper Indus valley of ladakh and which unlike the others is tonal. 4 :Nubraskat , spoken north of Leh in the nubra region of Ladakh. 5 :The Changthang language, spoken in the Changtang region by the Changpa people . 6: The Zangskari language, spoken in the Zanskar region of Ladakh. Nicolas Tournadre considers Ladakhi, Balti , and Purgi to be distinct languages on
532-515: Is the entrance pass to the Spiti Valley from Lahaul. It is 21 km (13 miles) from Chandra Tal . To the south, Spiti ends 24 km (15 miles) from Tabo , at the Sumdo where the road enters Kinnaur and joins National Highway 5 . Spiti is barren and difficult to cross, with an average elevation of the valley floor of 4,270 m (14,010 ft). It is surrounded by lofty ranges, with
570-539: The 2011 census , the Lahaul and Spiti district has a population of 31,564. This gives it a ranking of 638th in India (out of a total of 640 ). The district has a population density of 2 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.2/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -5%. Lahul and Spiti has a sex ratio of 903 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 76.81%. The entire population
608-544: The Arabic script by Muslim and Christian Ladakhis. Ladakhi has a regular five vowel system, but with [a] being replaced with [ə] , making it unusual, as most languages have [a] . Ladakhi is usually written using Tibetan script , and the pronunciation of Ladakhi is much closer to written Classical Tibetan than that of most other Tibetic languages . Ladakhis pronounce many of the prefix, suffix and head letters that are silent in many other Tibetic languages, in particular
646-629: The Central Tibetan . This tendency is more pronounced to the west of Leh, and on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control , in Baltistan . For example, a Tibetan would pronounce sta ('axe') as [tá], but a Lehpa would say [sta], and a Purgi would pronounce [stare]. While a Tibetan would pronounce འབྲས་ ’bras ('rice') as [ɳʈɛ́ʔ], Lehpa say [ɖas], and the Purgi pronounce it as [bras]. Although
684-484: The Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahaul ( Tibetan : གར་ཞ་ , Wylie : gar zha ) and Spiti ( Tibetan : སྤི་ཏི་ , Wylie : spi ti ; or Tibetan : སྤྱི་ཏི , Wylie : spyi ti ). The present administrative center is Kyelang in Lahaul. Before the two districts were merged, Kardang was the capital of Lahaul, and Dhankar the capital of Spiti. The district
722-641: The Spiti River rushing out of a gorge in the southeast to meet the Sutlej River . It is a typical mountain desert area with an average annual rainfall of only 170 mm (6.7 in). The district has close cultural links with Ngari Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region . The harsh conditions of Lahaul permit only scattered tufts of hardy grasses and shrubs to grow, even below 4 km (13,000 ft). Glacier lines are usually found at 5 km (16,000 ft). Due to changes in climate, people in
760-729: The Bhoti name hold a "lumper" view of the language: they use the term "Bhoti" to refer to Classical Tibetan and treat as the one, proper form of Tibetic languages across the Himalayas. This section of Ladakhi society has demanded inclusion Bhoti to the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution . They say that Bhoti is spoken by Ladakhis, Baltis, Tibetans, and throughout the Himalayas from Baltistan to Arunachal Pradesh . No other Tibetic-speaking group in India has agreed to
798-560: The Lahaul valley are able to grow some vegetables like cabbages, potatoes, green peas, radishes, tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables. The main cash crops are potatoes, cabbages, and green peas. Some of the most common species of flora found in the Valley of Spiti include Cousinia thomsonii , Seseli trilobum , Crepis flexuosa , Caragana brevifolia and Krascheninnikovia ceratoides . There are over 62 species of medicinal plants found there as well. Several species of juniper grow in
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#1732771724230836-585: The Lahauli and Spiti Bhots is Bhoti , a Tibetic language of the Western Innovative subgroup . They are very similar to the Ladakh and Tibetans culturally, as they had been placed under the rule of the Guge and Ladakh kingdoms at occasional intervals. Among the Lahaulis, the family acts as the basic unit of kinship. The extended family system is common and evolved from the polyandric system of
874-631: The Lung Pe Chhoi religion can be seen in the behavior of the Lamas , who are believed to possess certain supernatural powers. The Losar festival (also known as Halda in Lahauli) is celebrated between the months of January and February. The date of the celebration is decided by the Lamas . It has the same significance as the Diwali festival of Hinduism , but is celebrated in a Tibetan fashion. At
912-685: The Spiti Bhot is closer to the Tibetans, owing to their proximity to Tibet. The district has a Himachal Pradesh state legislative law in place to curb antique looting by travelers, given past incidents. In the pre-independence era, the ethnic tribal belt was divided into the British Lahaul and the Chamba Lahaul, which was merged with Punjab post-1947. This is the second-largest district in the Indian union. The language spoken by both
950-743: The Tibetan architectural style, as the land in Lahul and Spiti is mountainous and quite prone to earthquakes. Most of the Lahaulis follow a combination of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism of the Drukpa Kagyu order, while the Spiti Bhotia follow Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa order. Within Lahaul, the Todh-Gahr (upper region of Lahaul towards Ladakh) region had the strongest Buddhist influence, owing to its close proximity to Spiti. Before
988-470: The Tibetan script. Most Buddhist Ladakhis can sound out the Tibetan script but do not understand Classical Tibetan, yet many Ladakhi Buddhist scholars insist that Ladakhi must be written only in a form of Classical Tibetan, seeing the vernacular-based orthography only as deviation from the "proper" language. A limited number of books and magazines have been published in colloquial Ladakhi, one example being Ladags Melong from SECMOL . In Ladakhi language, it
1026-422: The basis of mutual intelligibility (Zangskari is not as distinct). As a group they are termed Ladakhi–Balti or Western Archaic Tibetan . Zangskari is a dialect of Ladakhi spoken in Zanskar and also spoken by Buddhists in the upper reaches of Lahaul ( Himachal Pradesh ) and Paddar (Paldar). It has four subdialects, Stod, Zhung, Sham, and Lungna. It is written using the Tibetan script by Buddhists and
1064-586: The classification, instead adopting their own names for their languages for legal recognition: Bhutia , Lepcha and Limboo . In addition, an 2008–2009 survey by Central Institute of Indian Languages found only a negligable number of Leh families calling their mother tongue "Bhoti". The name Bhoti or Bodhi has connotations with Tibetan Buddhism, a major religion in the area. Many Ladakhi people contest this classification as there are also Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh speakers of Ladakhi. Ladakhi has several dialects: 1 :Lehskat, named after Leh where it
1102-571: The eldest son will inherit the family property, while the eldest daughter inherits the mother's jewelry, and the younger siblings inherit nothing. Men usually fall back on the social security system of the Trans-Himalayan Gompas. The lifestyles of the Lahauli and Spiti Bhot are similar, owing to their proximity. Polyandry was widely practised by the Lahaulis in the past, although this practice has been dying out. The Spiti Bhot does not generally practice polyandry anymore, although it
1140-483: The left bank of the Spiti River in the district of Lahaul and Spiti. It is sprawled over an area of 2220.12sq km. This cold desert area sanctuary was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1992. The fauna of Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary includes ibex , snow leopard, blue sheep , and birds such as snow cock, griffons, and bearded eagle. The flora consists of Monkshood, Somlata, Pink Arnebia, Orchid, and Gentian. According to
1178-440: The monastery. Tabo Monastery : Perched at an altitude of 3050 meters, Tabo Monastery is often referred to as the 'Ajanta of the Himalayas'. It is located 45 km from Kaza, Himachal Pradesh , the capital of the Spiti region. This monastery garnered interest when it celebrated its thousandth year of existence in 1996. The Tabo Monastery was founded by scholar Richen Zangpo. The monastery houses more than 60 lamas and contains
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1216-506: The past. The family is headed by a senior male member, known as the Yunda, while his wife, known as the Yundamo, attains authority by being the oldest member of the generation. The clan system, also known as Rhus, plays another major role in the Lahauli society. The Spiti Bhot community has an inheritance system that is otherwise unique to the Tibetans. Upon the death of both parents, only
1254-518: The pronunciation is relatively conservative, the Ladakhi language has accumulated significant grammatical differences from the classical, written language. The question of whether to write colloquial Ladakhi ( phalskat ) in the Tibetan script or to write an only slightly Ladakhified version of Classical Tibetan ( choskat ) is controversial in Ladakh. Muslim Ladakhis speak Ladakhi but most do not read
1292-471: The region. The dangerous weather in Lahaul and Spiti permits visitors only between the months of June to October when the roads and villages are free of snow and the high passes (Rothang La and Kunzum La) are open. It is possible to access Spiti from Kinnaur (along the Sutlej) all through the year, although the road is sometimes temporarily closed by landslides or avalanches. To-do-Trails: The Spiti Valley
1330-476: The spread of Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism , the people were adherents of the religion 'Lung Pe Chhoi', an animistic religion that had some affinities with the Bön the religion of Tibet . While the religion flourished, animal and human sacrifices were regularly offered up to the 'Iha', a term that refers to evil spirits residing in the natural world, notably in the old pencil-cedar trees, rocks, and caves. Vestiges of
1368-474: The start of the festival, two or three persons from every household will walk in the procession holding burning incense. The burning sticks are then piled into a bonfire. The people will then pray to Shiskar Apa, the goddess of wealth (another name Vasudhara ) in the Buddhist religion. Spiti is one of the important centers of Buddhism in Himachal Pradesh. It is popularly known as the 'land of lamas'. The valley
1406-605: The valley, noted for their adaptation to the cold desert climate conditions. They are used by local people for religious purposes and for subsistence. The juniper forests are threatened by overuse and habitat degradation. The valley is inhabited by snow leopards , foxes , ibex , Himalayan brown bear , musk deer , and Himalayan blue sheep. Snow leopards are protected within the Pin Valley National Park and Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary. The Lingti plains are home to animals such as yaks and dzos . Over-hunting and
1444-636: Was formed in 1960 and is the fourth least populous district in India (out of 640 ). It is the least densely populated district of India, according to the Census of India 2011. Geologically located in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau , Lahaul and Spiti district is connected to Manali through the Rohtang Pass . Kunzum la or the Kunzum Pass (altitude 4,551 m (14,931 ft))
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