Sumanapal Bhikkhu
Ladakh, which is situated in the
Himalayas on the borders of Tibet, Sinkiang and Kashmir, is a remote land. The
territory of Ladakh is one of the most elevated regions in the Trance Himalayan
region. ‘La’ means mountain passes and ‘Dak’ indicates country. So the word
Ladakh means ‘country of the mountain passes’. Ladakh is the remotest, highest
and largest district of Jammu and Kashmir state. A Ladakhi saying is “The land
is so barren and the passes so high that only the best friends or fiercest
enemies would want to visit us. Ladakh is said to be one of the last living
jewels of the ancient and previous Tibetan cultural heritage”.
Buddhism is the prevailing religion of
Ladakh. During 241 B.C. Asoka the Great, the famous Maurya ruler Thera
Majjantiko was sent to Kashmir and Afghanistan in order to propagate the
religion of the Buddha. In 400 A. D. the great Chinese traveller Fa-hien found
Buddhism in a very flourishing condition in Ladakh. In those days the Buddhists
of Ladakh used to carry the prayer cylinders with them and such cylinders can
be found even today in the hands of many lamas and Ladakhis. In the 2nd
century A. D. The famous Kusana King Kanishka ruled over some portions of lower
Ladakh and Zauskar. He was a devout Buddhist and during his rule Buddhism
flourished in this area.
For many centuries there were trade
relations between Khatan, Yarkhand and Ladakh. Fa-hien entered Ladakh or its
north – west in about 400 A. D.. His objective was to secure authentic copies
of the Vinaya Pitaka. He came to Ladakh from Khatan. At that time a meeting was
arranged by the ruler of the place. On such occasions the sramanas from all
quarters were invited by the king.
In Ladakh Fa-hien came across two relics
of the Buddha namely his tooth and his arms bowl. A stupa over the tooth relic
was made by the people. According to Fa-hien there were more than a thousand
monks and their disciples in Ladakh and all of them followed the Himayana.
But very little is known about the
condition of Buddhism before the 8th century A. D.. From the 6th
century onwards Ladakh was ruled by Tibeton Kings. Lalitaditya, the king of
Kashmir suppressed and defeated the Tibetans and made Ladakh a part of his
kingdom. But he could not stay in Ladak due to its adverse geographical
conditions. As a result of this Ladakh could retain its independence for a
brief period of time.
When in the year 822 A. D. The Tibetan
King Lang Darma was killed, the two princes Tashi Tsegspal and Skyid – 1 De-Nyima-Gon
left Tibet. Later it was Tashi Tsegepal who established the first dynasty of
Ladakh. His kingdom extended upto Baltistan and Lahul – Spiti was included
within it. Perhaps during the same period Skyid – 1 De-Nyima-Gon together with
the Mongols established himself on the upper portion of Ladakh. Under the
patronage of the Mongols Mahayana Buddhism arrived in Ladakh from Tibet. This form
of Buddhism was patronized by the Ladakhi Kings and it flourished here. From
the twelfth century onwards Tibet established itself as the spiritual and
cultural guide of Ladakh. The role of Tibet became so important in the cultural
and religious fields of Ladakh that it came to be known as ‘Indian Tibet’ or
‘Little Tibet’. Ladakh is a repository of Tibetan religious practice and
culture. Towards the end of the Tenth century A.D. many people from Tibet began
to settle in Ladakh and in the process they played a very remarkable role in
the lives of the people of Ladakh.
Islam was introduced in Ladakh by the
Muslim ruler of Kashmir during the 14th century A.D.. Under their
patronage Islam began to flourish in Ladakh. They sent many expeditions to the
region. Sultan Sahibab – ud –din (1350 A.D. – 1375 A. D.) of Shah Miri Dynasty
captured Ladakh and Baltistan and added these regions in his Kingdom. Zaimul –
Abidin of Kashmir attacked Ladakh in 1451 A. D. And 1470 A.D. Mirza Haider
dughlta was sent with an army by Sultan Sayed of Kashmir in order to attack
Ladakh from the north in the year 1532. The citizens of Ladakh were forced to
accept Islam. The temples and monsasteries were burnt, the images of Buddha
were destroyed. The Mongels also had a great contribution in popularizing Islam
in Ladakh. The king Jamyang Namgyal was compelled to introduce Islam in Ladakh.
Then many Muslim Baltis came and settled in the region.
King Jamyang Namgyal married one of the
daughters of Ali Mir. In an attempt to atone for the description of the gompas
by the Baltis he restored some of the temples and images of the Buddha. He also
received some copies of the sacred books from Tibet.
The next ruler Singye Namgyal (1610 –
1645) was a devout Buddhist though his mother was a Muslim. He was a strong
ruler who defeated Ahmed Khan the chief of Balti when the latter tried to
attack Ladakh with the help of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. He had a long reign
which began from 1620 and lasted until 1670. He restored many Buddhist images
and shrines. A nine storied high palace in Leh was built by him.
Singge Namgyal was succeeded by his son
Deldan Namgyal. He was also a devout Buddhist like his father. He constructed
several Buddhist temples and two sacred images of Chamba and Chanrazik that
corresponded to Maitreya and Analokiteswara respectively. He also appointed
several priests for their daily worship. Deldan defeated the chiefs of Karchu
and Balti and made them tributary of Ladakh.
Deldan’s son Delak ws the ruler from
1705 A. D. to 1740 A. D. Tsepal Namgyal (C 1790 – 1834, 1840 – 42) was the last
independent ruler of Ladakh. Being a weak ruler he failed to maintain the
sovereignty and integrity of Ladakh. He was very much disturbed by the invasion
of the enemies. Besides, he was not an able administrator also. At that time a
new power appeared in Ladakh. Kashmir was occupied by the famous Sikh ruler
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He appointed Gulab Singh, a Dogras as the Governor of
Jammu. He made a plan to invade Ladakh. He had two ambitions in mind – first,
he wanted to control the Pashmina trade in Ladakh and to encircle the Kashmir
valley. But before embarking on his proposed invasion he received the green
signal of the British Government.
The force of Gulab singh was led by his
brave and able Governor Wazir Zorawar Singh. The force was compassed of
soldiers drawn from Kishtwar, Jammu and other surrounding areas. Some of the
soldiers professed the Muslim faith. They were better trained that the Ladakhi
soldiers and also possessed superior weapons. The Ladakhis were defeated in the
battle and a settlement was reached by which the Kind of Ladakh agreed to pay
annual tribute as well as was indemnity to the King of Kashmir. But the Wazir
left Leh without building a fort or stationing any troops there. This
encouraged the Ladahis to stop the payment annual tribute and harass Munshi
Daya Ram the representative of Gulab Singh at Leh.
When the news of these developments
reached the Wazir he again attacked Leh via Zanskar which was a direct but
difficult route. He made a sudden and dramatic appearance and the Ladakhis were
not at all prepared for the invasion. They requested British for assistance but
it was turned down. The Ladakhi King was deposed and Marup Stanzin of Leh, a
relative of the deposed king was selected as the titular head of Ladakh. This signified the end of the royal dynasty
of independent Ladakh. It was decided that the new ruler would pay a sum of
Rs.18000/- as annual tribute. As a precautionary step to check the new ruler’s
conduct his son was taken as hostage by the Wazir. A delegation with a tribute
of Rs.50000/- was also sent to Ranjit Singh and by this the Dogra conquest of
Ladakh was officially recognized by the new ruler.
In 1846 the British defeated the Sikhs
in a war in which Gulab Singh did not help the latter. As a result, the British
made him the ruler of the newly created state of Jammu and Kashmir as a reward.
From that time the ruler of Ladakh became a vassal king under the Maharaja of
Kashmir. For the next hundred years Ladakh remained under the Dogra rule. In
1947, at the time of the independence of India the Maharaja of Kashmir decided
to join the Indian Union. By this decision Ladakh’s political future became
closely ‘linked to Indian’s.
The Dogra rule of Ladakh which lasted
about a century was by and large sympathetic though the administrative
officials were engaged in oppression and exploitation to some extent. The
Dogras did not interfere in the religious life of the people which used to be
controlled by the directions of Lhasa. The Dogras created the past of
administrative head known as ‘Thanedar’ who enjoyed both civil and military
powers.
The first Thanedar of Ladakh was Magna
Thanedar who took steps for the rehabilitation of Ladakhi people. He built a
fort and an impressing building at Leh and a garden at the outskirts of the
town. The next Thanedar Mehta Basti Ram established goat and sheep farms and as
a result the revenue of the State increased. He built the present bazaar of
Leh. The third, Thanedar of Ladakh Mehta Mangal was the most popular and
outstanding among the Thanedars. His must noteworthy contribution was in the
field of land revenue collation system. He renovated and improved the old fort
built by Magna Thanedar and improved its security by building a high strong
wall and a ditch around it. He set up new settlements for landless and homeless
people and supplied them with agricultural seeds and implements and exempted
them from land revenue for some time.
During the early years of Dogra rule in
Ladakh, Baltistan was also governed by military commanders. While in those days
Ladakh comprised a separate political unity the territories of Skardu and
Kargil formed a distinctly separate political unit. When Ladakh and Gilgit were
later on separated administratively, the Tehsils of Skardu and Kargil continued
as parts of the district of Baltistan. Subsequently, the whole of Ladakh and
Baltistan existed as a single district under one Wazir with summer and winter
headquarters at Leh and Skardu respectively. Winter headquarters at Leh and
Skardu respectively. This arrangement continued till Pakistan raided the state
in 1947 and grabbed a part of its territory despite Maharaja Hari Singh’s
accession to India on October 27, 1947. The Ladhakis due to their religious and
cultural ties with India decided to continue to stay as a part of the state in
the larger interests of India and their own.
In July 1949, the Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru himself visited Ladakh accompanied by Sheikh Mohammed
Abdullah, the then chief Minister of Kashmir. Pandit Nehru said on July 7,
‘Ladakh is no longer far away we are all children of India and we shall face
all our problems together’? He further said, ‘Buddhism is the prevailing
religion here and so Buddhist religion and learning must be encouraged and
helped. You know that Buddhism came from India; rest assured that Buddhism and
Buddhist institutions here will receive every possible opportunity for
development. It has long been my cherished desire that we should study your
ancient manuscripts and other works with the help of your wise and learned men
to our and to your advantage.’
Despite the assurances given by Pandit
Nehru, the indifferent attitude of the State Government of Jammu and Kashmir
created a great problem for the people of Ladakh. A number of delegations were sent
to the Central Government to redress their grievance. Some of these delegations
were led by Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, the head monk of Ladakh. The Rinpoche
played an important role in the building of modern Ladakh. He was elected as a
Minister of State in the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. In a devastating
speech on May 20, 1952, Kushok Bakula exposed the apathetic and negative
attitude of the state Government towards Ladakh. He criticized the Budget
speech of the Government and said, ‘read the statement from one end to the
other, you will not find Ladakh mentioned even once much less will you find a
reference to its economic and other needs which are urgent and pressing and by
for urgent attention and fulfilment.’
The appointment of Bakshi Ghulam
Mohammad as the successor of Sheikh Abdullah as the Chief Minister of Kashmir
was welcomed by the Ladakhis. The new chief Minister took some positive steps
about Ladakh and inducted Kushok Bakula as Deputy Minister In-charge of Ladakh
affairs into his Council of Ministers. But the portfolio did not clearly define
the dimensions of functions of the Minister. So Kushok Bakula met the Chief
Minister and sought clarification from him. But in response he got evasive
reply and what was more he was blatantly denied of his prerogative in a
democratic set up. Afterwards, Kushok Bakula directly discussed the pressing
problems of Ladakh with the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was succeeded by
Shams-ud-Din who did not last long and the next Prime Minister of Jammu and
Kashmir was G. M. Sadiq. As the Government was disturbed by the situation in
Ladakh it decided to introduce there and administrative set up based on the
Philosophy and experience of North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). It meant the
posting of the Indian Administrative Service Personnel to the region increase
administrative agency and curb corruption Pandit Nehru himself was in favour of
this step but it met with stern opposition from the state Government. The state
Government has adopted a divided and rule policy in an attempt to create a
friction in the Buddhist Community in Ladakh. It tried to do away with the
influence of the lamas and to give the leadership to the younger generation. As
a result there was a bitter clash between orthodox and modernity and between
spiritual and temporal elements. The situation was very disturbing for the
peace having citizens of Ladakh and that ultimately led to the people’s demand
of Union Territory status.
The successive State Government of Jammu
and Kashmir made the error of taking Ladakhis for granted and the
dissatisfaction of them finally resulted in the infamous communal riot in
Ladakh which paved the way for the formation of Hill Council in the region in
the year 1993.
The people of Ladakh profess three
religions namely Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. The Leh district is
predominantly Buddhist and the Kargil district is predominantly Muslim. The
third constituent of the population namely the Christians account for some of
the elites of the Ladakhi population because of their education and social
standing.
There is a visible Tibetan contribution
on the delicate cultural music of Ladakh comprising its rich art, architecture,
painting, sculpture, language, etc. Until 1962, Ladakh was completely dependent
on Tibet in its cultural and religious affairs. As a result of this a dialect
of Western Tibet became the language of Ladakh. The close religious and
cultural this between Tibet and Ladakh suffered drastically in the wake of 1962
Sino-Indian war. The closure of India’s border with Tibet resulted in the end
of the centuries – old system of contacts between the gompas of Tibet and
Ladakh. But even now this Holiness the Dalai Lama continues to be the spiritual
leader of the Ladakhis. There was a time when crime was unheard of in Ladakh
and even today there is virtually no crime and usual disputes are rare. However, the impact of consumerism is
penetrating in the society of Ladakah. Concern and sympathy for relatives and
neighbours is rapidly dwindling and a wealthy person has become the centre of
attraction. The interaction of te youth with the foreign tourists is generating
in them a new vision and dream. In this way the life and culture of the people
of Ladakh is being influenced by modernisation. But fortunately, many
youngsters in the Ladakhi Society feel concerned about the deterioration in social
behaviour and the need for taking remedial steps. The most effective measure is
to understand the true nature of the society and civilization in Ladakh and
once this is achieved the rest will take care of itself. Therefore, we should
keep faith on the new generation of Ladakh and hope that they will be able to
find a balance between tradition and modernism.
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