Leh place In Leh
Leh is the capital of Ladakh and a place of scenic beauty but human efforts have further added charm to it by adorning this landscape with magnificent monuments. Among such monuments, Leh Palace in Leh holds a significant place. Leh Palace has always been a source of major attraction for the tourists of Leh. The Palace overlooking the town of Leh is enveloped in a kind of mystery. To add to it, the Palace is made more attractive and exotic by the area that surrounds it.
Location Of Leh Palace
Leh Palace nestles on the edge of Namgyal hill and overlooks the town of Leh.
Architecture Of Leh Palace
The Leh palace excellently exhibits the Tibetan Architecture of medieval period. This is a nine storeyed palace that has the gloomy Dukhar temple on the fourth story. The temple houses a thousand armed images of its deity-Goddess Tara with some musical instruments, weapons and superb and typical masks; that were at a time used as props to convoy the occasional recitals and religious ceremonies. These were organized in the courtyard of the palace. The Palace features protruding wooden balconies and huge inclined buttressed walls. You have to be very careful as you walk through the ruins of the palace. Keep an eye for the dark staircases and huge gaps in the floors. Its roof offers a panoramic view of the Leh town and the surrounding areas. The palace suffers from massive deterioration as it is at the place to receive the Kashmiri cannons. There are cracking murals that ask for the attention of the visitors and displays its erstwhile beauty that was before the palace was ruined. This splendid palace took three years to be completed.
History Of Leh Palace
The Leh palace was built as the abode for the king Sengge Namgyal in the 17th century. It was built by Dharma raja Sengge Namgyal. It looks like a replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. The Palace was deserted when the royal family in the third decade of the 19th century moved to the Stok Palace because the Dogra forces took control of Ladakh. Leh Palace is now abandoned and on its last legs. Above the Palace the Victory Tower was built in order to commemorate the success of the valiant Ladakhi soldiers over the invading armies of Balti Kashmiris in the early part of the 16th century. At present, Leh Palace is an office of the Indian Government's archaeological conservation organization.
The architectural ruins of Leh palace are the most charismatic one. Leh Palace is also known as Lhachen Palkhar. It has a museum that displays some beautiful paintings and delicate thangkas. Above the Leh Palace there is Namgyal Tsemo Gompa. This Gompa or monastery holds some Buddhist scriptures, idols, a colossal statue of the Maitreya Buddha and some wonderful frescoes. Leh palace in Leh is on the way to get back its glory that it enjoyed the bygone days. The government has made the Kashmiri craftsmen to work on it so that its beauty and majesty will come back to it.