People and Lifestyle of Leh Ladakh
The faces and physique of the Ladakhis, and the clothes they wear, are more akin to those ofTibetand Central Asia than ofIndia. The people of Ladakh are predominantly Buddhist and practice Mahayana Buddhism influenced with the old Bon animistic faith and Tantric Hinduism. Bon religion and Tantrism involved rituals to fulfill the wishes and so they were very popular before Mahayana Buddhism dominated. The people of Ladakh are very hardy and tough like the rugged mountains and also very soft and plain. With round faces, short noses, and chinki eyes they resemble more to the people ofTibetand centralAsia. The original population is believed to have been that of Dards, an Indo-Aryan race from down theIndus.But over years, a huge influx fromTibetoverwhelmed the culture of the Dards and obliterated their racial characteristics. In eastern and central Ladakh, there are Tibetans. Further west, in and around Kargil, there is much in the people’s appearance that suggests a mixed origin. The exception to this generalization is the “Arghon”, a community of Muslims in Leh, the descendants of marriages between local women and Kashmiri or Central Asian merchants. There are four main groups of people. TheMonswho are of Aryan stock are usually professional entertainers, often musicians. The Dards are found along theIndusvalley, many converted to Islam, though some remained Buddhist. Tibetans form the bulk of the population in Central andEastern Ladakh, though they have assumed the Ladakhi identity over generations. The Baltis who are thought to have originated inCentral Asia, mostly live in the Kargil region. The Ladakhis are cheerful and live close to nature. The Ladakhis wore the goncha which is a loose woollen robe tied at the waist with a wide coloured band. Buddhists usually wear dark red while Muslims and nomadic tribes often use undyed material.
Influence of Buddhism in Ladakh
Buddhism reached Tibetfrom Indiavia Ladakh, and there are ancient Buddhist frock engravings all over the region, even in areas like Drass and the lower Suru valley which today are inhabited by an exclusively Muslim population.
The approach to aBuddhistVillage is invariably marked by ‘Mani’ walls, which are ling chest-high structures faced with engraved stones bearing the Mantra “Om Mane Padme Hum” and by ‘Chorten’, commemorativecairns, like stone pepper-posts. Many villages are crowned with a ‘Gompa’ or monastery, which may be anything from an imposing complex of temples, prayer halls and monks’ dwellings, to a tiny hermitage housing a single image and home to a solitary Lama.
The Muslim Inhabitants
Islam too came from the west. A peaceful penetration of the ‘Shia’ sect spearheaded by missionaries, its success was guaranteed by the early conversion of the Sub-rulers of Drass, Kargil and theSuruValley. In these areas, ‘Mani’ walls and Chorten are replaced by mosques often-small unpretentious buildings, or ‘Imambaras’ imposing structures in the Islamic style, surmounted by domes of sheet metal that gleam cheerfully in the sun.
Women of Ladakh
Islam too came from the west. A peaceful penetration of the ‘Shia’ sect spearheaded by missionaries, its success was guaranteed by the early conversion of the Sub-rulers of Drass, Kargil and theSuruValley. In these areas, ‘Mani’ walls and Chorten are replaced by mosques often-small unpretentious buildings, or ‘Imambaras’ imposing structures in the Islamic style, surmounted by domes of sheet metal that gleam cheerfully in the sun.
Traditional Rituals
The ladakhis are predominantly an agricultural people. This, and the religion they practice, Buddhism, has deeply impacted their customs and traditions. Their family and social organizations reflect the values of a people dependent on the land and scarce land at that for their sustenance and for all their resources. The practice of inheritance by primogeniture, ‘fraternal polyandry’ and the withdrawal of the older members of the family as soon as the eldest son is mature enough and ready to take on the family responsibilities, are all examples of the same. The custom of inheritance by primogeniture, in which the eldest son inherits the fathers property also ensures that the land is not carved up in ever decreasing portions, making it unprofitable to cultivate. The younger sons have to accept the suzerainty of the eldest if they continue to live with him. They also share the wife of the eldest brother so that the number of progeny is limited. Any brother who wishes to marry on his own must set up a separate establishment and he has no share in the ancestral property. Today these are only practiced in remote villages deep interior.
The ladakhis also have a very strong sense of community. Sowing and reaping for instance are community activities in which all members of a village will participate irrespective of whose field is being ploughed.
Ladakhi culture is similar to Tibetan culture. Ladakhi food has much in common with Tibetan food, the most prominent foods being Thukpa, noodle soup; and Tsumpa, known in Ladakhi as Ngampe, roasted barley flour, eatable without cooking it makes useful, if dull trekking food. A dish that is strictly Ladakhi is skyu, a heavy pasta dish with root vegetables. As Ladakh moves toward a less sustainable, cash based economy, foods from the plains of India are becoming more common.
Like in other parts ofCentral Asia, tea in Ladakh is traditionally made with strong black tea, butter, and salt, it is mixed in a large churn and known as gurgur cha, due to the sound of mixing it. Sweet tea (cha ngarmo) is common now, made Indian style with milk and sugar. Chang, an alcoholic beverage, is made from barley, and has a yeasty taste slightly similar to sake.
Ladakh Ceremonies
Ceremonial and public events are accompanied by the characteristic music of ‘Surna’ and ‘Daman’ (Oboe and drum), originally introduced into Ladakh from Muslim Baltistan, but now played only by Buddhist musicians known as “Mons”.
The first year of childbirth is marked by celebrations at different intervals of time, Beginning with a function held after 15 days, then after one month, and then again at the end of year. All relatives, neighbors and friends are invited and served with ‘Tsampa’, butter and sugar, along with tea by the family in which the child is born.
Wedding Process of Ladakh
There is a mix of music and dance, joy and laughter, in the air whenever a marriage is held. The first day is spent in feasting at the bride’s house, the second at the groom’s place. The bride goes to live in the house of bridegroom after marriage. Boys are usually married or promised for marriage at about 16, girls at about 12. To make a proposal a relative of the boy goes to the house of the girl and gives a ring together with presents of butter, tea and ‘Chang’. If the gifts are accepted then the marriage follows some months later. The boy offers a necklace and clothes to the girl. The parents of the girl give the couple clothes, animals and land if they are rich. These gifts are known as a “Raqtqaq” or dowry.