Leh

A lone horse grazing by the wetlands near the Tsokar lake.

Photo taken at the Thukje village.

The mountains of Chang Chemo range leading to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau.

The mountains of the Chang Chemo range on the far side of the Pangong Lake. The Change Chemo range of mountains lead to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau. The dispute over the control of the Aksai Chin plateau is the reason for the 1962 war between India and China when India discovered that China was building a road through the Aksai Chin plateau to connect its Xinjiang region with Tibet.To learn more about the mountain ranges and geography of Ladakh, check out the following Kettik article. Getting to know the Mountain ranges of Ladakh

Can you see it ? Rainbow over the Tsomoriri lake in Ladakh.

A rainbow was the last thing i expected to see on a sunny October morning in Ladakh. But this magical land is always full of surprises and this was a special one.I arrived at the banks of the Tsomoriri lake late on the previous evening and unable to find the way to the Korzok village, i camped by the lakeside. At 4400m, the night was slightly cold and windy and i had just a packet of biscuits for dinner. You might think that its a tough situation to be in, but i enjoyed every minute of it.The next morning i woke up to a beautiful sunny day and spent the morning basking in the warm sunlight. There was nobody around for miles and i felt that i had the lake all to myself. And if that wasn't enough, i spotted the mountains putting on a small welcome show for me with this beautiful subtle little rainbow.Its days like this that make you feel as if you are the luckiest person alive.

Guiding the flock home. Village scene from Hymia in the Indus valley.

A typical evening scene probably played out at every village in Ladakh everyday. Shepherds guiding their flock home through the fields of their village. This particular photo was taken at the Hymia village along the Indus valley.

A magical sunset scene from the Stok village in Ladakh.

Sunset is always a magical time in Ladakh with the mountain ranges throwing out various hues of yellow and orange light as the shadows slowly creep up their sides. This is a view of one such sunset from the Stok village with the Stok palace in the foreground.Photo Note: This is a perfect scenario for using a GND filter. But even with a GND (3 stop) the range between the lights and shadows was so great that i had to use 'soft' filters in Lightroom to balance the exposure.

Oh those piercing eyes. A Ladakhi portrait in the Indus Valley.

I love the captivating eyes and the warm smiles (you'll see) of the Ladakhi/Tibetan people. This photo was taken at a restaurant in the Hymia village where i camped overnight while cycling along the Indus valley. This kid was so fascinated by me, the he(/she) sat observing me the whole time i was at the restaurant. And, I in turn was captivated as well.

sunset throwing shadows over the mountain ranges near shey village. Leh, Ladakh.

sunset throwing shadows over the mountain ranges near shey village. Leh, Ladakh.

autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.

autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.

autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.

autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.

white chortens outside the shey palace..

white chortens outside the shey palace.. Near Shey village, Leh Ladakh

a view fit for a king.

A monk surveying the plains of the Ladakh's heartland sitting from his vantage point on a hill near the Shey palace.

Giant statue of Sakyamuni at the temple in the Shey palace complex.

There are 2 statues of Sakyamuni in the palace complex. The first one located inside palace is made of gilded copper and is about 3 storeys tall. The other statue is in a temple outside the palace, nearby a group of white chortens. This seated statue of Sakyamuni is about 7.5m tall, made of copper and brass plated with gold and studded with gems and other precious stones.

Rotating prayer wheels outside the Shey palace.

The ruins of the ancient fort at Shey.

Here you can see the ruins of the ancient fort at Shey perched on top of the hill.