Sights Ladakh, India

His second name - Little Tibet, Ladakh was due to its similarity to the culture and the nature of Tibet. Tibet himself, hitting a 50-ies under the expansion of China and survived along with him a cultural revolution, has lost most of the unique monuments of Buddhist culture. Today it is Ladakh became the second homeland of Lamaism, a way of Buddhism. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual Buddhist leader, was granted political asylum in India. Currently, he is actively promoting the preservation and development of Buddhism in Ladakh.

Culture of the region primarily associated with the architecture, which has influence on the architecture of Tibet and India. There are many monasteries located in the most unfathomable of places - on the ledges of high mountains, on the edges of ravines. Ladakhsky monastery called Gompa, which means "lonely, lonely place." Gompa is the center of every village, and the number of monks in each monastery is replenished from the local tradition of the villagers to send one of his sons to the monks.

In addition to the architecture of Ladakh is known for its religious festivals. Hemis monastery is the center of the annual festival of masked dances. The ongoing, depending on the calculations of the monks, in June or July, timed to the birthday of Guru Padmasambhava. This religious holiday grandly celebrated every 12 years in the year of the Monkey on the eastern calendar.