Our Leh Heritage walk is a day tour visit to Leh Old Town. In a day we will be completing total 28 heritage sites, there is so much to learn, see and capture in a day. It will start from Lala’s Art Cafe which was saved from demolition in 2006, now it is successfully transformed into gallery cum café serving the old town and offering Ladakhi and international artists and photographers a small platform to exhibit their work.
The tour will start at 10 in the morning and you will be visiting the antique yet the well preserved site one by one as follow
1. Namgyal Tsemo Tower and Chapel, built by King Tashi Namgyal
2. Tsemo Lhamo Goenkhang (protector temple), built by King Tashi Namgyal after visiting over an invading army from Yarkand in 1532.
3. Tsemo Chamba Lhakhang (Maitreya Temple), built by Tragspa Bumde (r.ca. 1400-1440)
4. Leh Palace, Leh-chen Pel-Khar, built by King Senge Namgyal) (r.ca, 1616-1642), since the overthrow of the dynasty in the mid-19th century vacated, currently owned by the Indian government, restored by the Archeological survey of India.
5. Namgyal Choerten, Buddhist Stupa to protect the palace.
6. Guru Lhakhang, a Buddhist Shrine built in the early 17th century and operated by 44 Buddhist families of Leh, restored 2004-2005 by THF/L.O.T.
7. Lonpo House, formerly the residence of one of the king’s ministers, presently owned by Chemrey monastery.
8. Gonpa Soma built in 1840 by Lama Tashi Tenpal above the old royal stables.
9. Gonpa Soma’s chamra courtyard; here the Ladakhi group LASOL perform traditional songs and dances.
10. Red Chamba Lhakhang; the red temple of Maitreya was built by king Tragspa Bumde (ca. 1400-1440); it was restored in the 19th century after a Dogra invasion, and again in the 1950’s when it was partly rebuilt. In 2005 THF/L.O.T.I. discovered underneath whitewash remains of the original 15th century wall paintings. These were brought back and conversed by a group of Romanian, German, Belgian and Ladakhi restorers and restoration students.
11. Chenrezi Lhakhang (temple of Avalokiteshvara), built in the 17th century as main monastic assembly hall of Leh.
12. :akruk house, one of the best-preserved old leh mansion houses, currently the office of THF/L.O.T.I.
13. Stupa gate.
14. Stalam (horse road) leading up to the palace.
15. Munshi house, formarly home to a royal secretary, under conversion into an art center by the Mumbai based group Lamo.
16. White Champa Lhakhang, the white Maitreya temple, also credited to king Tragspa Bumde in the 15th century.
17. Manikhang, a group of Stupas close to the now demolished main entrance gate to old Leh town.
18. Sankar house formerly the home of the keeper of the white Maitreya temple, now a gallery cum café operated by THF/L.O.T.I; in the groundfloor is a chapel room with stone carvings =, and upstairs are exhibitions about the history of Leh and art by Ladakhi artists.
19. Jama Masjid, Sunni mosque, founded around 1666/7
20. Stupa gate to old town
21. Chutayrangtak street, where bread is freshly baked
22. Tsas Soma Masjid Sharif (Sunni0
23. Shi’a Masjid-e-Sharif
24. Leh Jokhang, the new main Buddhist temple for Leh built in 1957-1962 by the Ladakh Buddhist association
25. Stupa gate
26. Old carved gateway to the former Tehsildar office
27. Stagopilog stupagate, THF/L.O.T.I. paved the alley with slate stone and built a drain, and restored the historic Sofi and Hor Yarkandi houses
28. Mani Wall
The tour ends…