Gastronomy
Ladakhi
food has much in common with Tibetan food, the most prominent foods being thukpa (noodle
soup) and tsampa,
known in Ladakhi as ngampe (roasted barley flour). Edible without
cooking, tsampa makes useful trekking food. A dish that is strictly
Ladakhi is skyu, a heavy pasta dish with root vegetables. As Ladakh
moves toward a cash-based economy, foods from the plains of India are becoming
more common. As in other parts of Central Asia, tea in Ladakh is traditionally
made with strong green tea, butter, and salt. It is mixed in a large churn and
known as gurgur cha,
after the sound it makes when mixed. Sweet tea (cha ngarmo) is common
now, made in the Indian style with milk and sugar. Most of the surplus barley
that is produced is fermented into chang, an alcoholic beverage drunk
especially on festive occasions.
Architecture
The
architecture of Ladakh contains Tibetan and Indian influences and monastic
architecture reflects a deeply Buddhist approach. The Buddhist wheel, along
with two dragons, is a common feature on every gompa, including the
likes of Lamayuru,
Likir, Thikse, Hemis, Alchi and Ridzong Gompas.
Many houses and monasteries are built on elevated, sunny sites facing south,
and in the past were made of rocks, earth and wood but are now more often
concrete frames filled in with stones or adobes.
Music and dance
Traditional
music includes the instruments surna and daman (shenai and drum). The music of
Ladakhi Buddhist monastic festivals, like Tibetan music,
often involves religious chanting in Tibetan
or Sanskrit
as an integral part of the religion. These chants are complex, often
recitations of sacred texts or in celebration of various festivals. Yang
chanting, performed without metrical timing, is accompanied by resonant drums
and low, sustained syllables. Religious mask dances are an important part of
Ladakh's cultural life. Hemis monastery, a leading centre of the Drukpa
tradition of Buddhism, holds an annual masked dance festival, as do all major
Ladakhi monasteries. The dances typically narrate a story of the fight between
good and evil, ending with the eventual victory of the former. Weaving is an
important part of traditional life in eastern Ladakh. Both women and men weave,
on different looms. Typical costumes include gonchas of velvet,
elaborately embroidered waistcoats and boots and hats. The Ladakh Festival is
held every year from September 1 to 15. Performers adorned with gold and silver
ornaments and turquoise headgear throng the streets. Monks wear colourful masks
and dance to the rhythm of cymbals, flutes and trumpets. The yak, lion and Tashispa
dances depict the many legends and fables of Ladakh. Buddhist monasteries
sporting prayer flags, display of thankas, archery
competitions, a mock marriage and horse-polo are the some highlights of this
festival.
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