LADAKII is called La tag in the Tibetan, Ka - than - pa or Snowland, Mar - yul, Redland or Lowland. Ladakh anciently was called Kie chha by the Chinese, and is still called by them Kha-pa-clian or Kha-chan, Abounding in Snow or Snowland ; the people as Kha-pa-chan-pa or Kha-chan-pa, men of the Snowy Land ; and Kha chan-yul is Snowland. Ladakh is part of one of the three outlying governorships under the maha raja of Kashmir (Cashmere), the other two being Baltistan and Gilgit. It may be described as comprising the valley of the Indus, and also of most of its tributaries, from lat. to 35° N., and from long. 75° 29' to 29' E. The different districts of Central Ladakh, Rupshu, and Nubra, besides the•bleak and almost uninhabited plateaux of the Kouen Lun and Linzhithang plains, together make up the province. The area of Ladakh, in cluding Zanskar and some other districts which do not belong to the maharaja of Kashmir, is about 30,000 square miles. Mr. F. Drew ascer tained the maharaja's population at the census of 1873 as 20,6`21; the 168,000 given by Cunning ham, the 165,000 of Moorcroft (1822), and the estimate of 200.000 furnished by Dr. Bellew in 1873, apply to the more extended area. Ladakh lies at the back of the great central range of the Himalayas, and is one of the loftiest of the in habited regions of the globe. The valleys and plateaux vary 'between 9000 and 17,000 feet, while many of the peaks attain altitudes of 25,000 feet. The chief rivers of Ladakh are the Indus, and its tributaries, the Shayok, Nubra, Chan chengmo, and Zanskar. There are several salt lakes, the more important of which are the Pang Kong and Cho-moriri. The climate is character ized by remarkable extremes, burning heat during the day being succeeded by piercing cold at night.
Tho earliest mention of Ladakh is probably to be found in the description of Kie-chha by the Chinese Pilgrim Fa IIian (A.n. 300). It appears to be referred to again in the Akhassa Reg,io of Pliny, and in the Mo-lo-plio or San-pho-lo of Iliwen Thsang (middle of the 7th century).
In the valley of the Upper Indus, that is in Ladakh and Little Tibet, the prevailing lace is the Bhot subdivision of the great Tartar variety of the human race. Lower down that classical stream, in Gilgit and Chula.% the remains of the old mid secluded Dardu and Dungher races are still to be found ; but both in Iskardo and in Gilgit itself there is some mixture of Turkoman tribes from the wilds of Pamir and Kashgar. The Ladakh people ' arc of a cheerful disposition, and often may be heard humming simple tunes. At Leh itself, and among the wandering Tartar tribes, the women dress with woollen or variegated petticoats, and tanned sheep or goat skins as mantles. Their principal , ornament is a head-band hanging like a long tail, and studded all down with large turquoises ; this is called berak, and often, even with common people, worth Rs. 20 or 30. Nearly all Ladakh is of the Buddhist faith. The valley of Leh or
Ladakh proper, Zanskar, Hembaks or Dras, Suru and Purik, Spiti, Nubra, Janski, Hong, Rupshu, and Hanle are all Buddhist, and is Bhot along the banks of the Chandra and Bhaga, but Hindu after their junction. In Ladakh, the nuns and monks bear a large proportion to the popula tion. To the north of the Ladakh country, the people of Yarkand and Khotan speak Turki. To the west, beyond Balti, the people of Astor, Gilgit, and Hunza Nager speak different dialects of Dardu, while the Kashmiri have their own peculiar language. To the south, the people of Chamba, Kulu, and Bishahar speak a dialect of Hindi, and to the east and south-east, the people of Rudok, Chang Thang, and Gnari speak Tibetan only.
The Dard race, lying along the Indus to the westward of Ladakh, speak three distinct dialects. They use the Persian character in writing Dardu, the three dialects of which are called Shina, Kha juna, and Arniya. The Shina dialect is spoken by the peoples of Astor, Gilgit, and lower down in Chulas, Darel, Kobli, and Pales on both banks of the Indus ; the Khajuna, by the people of Hunza and Nager, and the Arniya in Yasan and Chitral. Astor has an area of 1600 square miles, on the left bank of the Indus. Gilgit, in Tibetan Gyilgyid, has an area of 2500 square miles on the right bank of the Indus. Dard or Durd are sup posed by Vigne to be the Dadiem (,IaZixat) of II ero dotus, and the people who now occupy the country called Dardu.
The richer people of Ladakh have more than one wife, but the prevailing custom is polyandry, and is usually in the form of a community of brothers with their one wife.
Ladakh is agricultural, but enjoys a transit trade, and much labour has been expended in constructing roads through Kashmir, Jummoo, Kulu, Lahoul,—leading to the Panjab, Kabul, Lhassa, Chinese Tartary, Khotan, Yarkaud, Little Tibet, and Balti. All these follow the lines of rivers, cross passes 18,000 feet high, and over rivers by ferries, by inflated skins and suspension bridges. Three varieties of the sheep and three of the goat are domesticated in Ladakh, and sheep and the • c •• esticated yak are used for carrying loads. The Ds• hybrid between the yak and cow, is a beast of ? urden. The great article of trade in Ladakh is 4e shawl-wool from the further pro vinces. The sute to Amritsar via Ladakh is that which brings t • trade of Yarkand and Eastern Turkestan. The - is also a route from Amritsar, Jalandhar, or Lilt hiana, via Nurpur. Mandi, and Kulu, to the same places. At stated times caravans from Yark• d arrive with brick-tea, shawl-wool, China sil. , potties, etc., which are exchanged for grain, glish calicoes,. and the so that Leh is b t a market-place for Kashmir and Yarkand erchants. — Latham's Ethnology; Cunningham's La akh; Adams ; Cleg horn's Reports; Mrs. Hervey' Tartary; Powell; [looker and Thomson ; Imp. Gs •