Stranded from the world, high above the clouds, the barren mountains of Ladakh rise and fall, like sentinels of an ancient landscape, standing tall and heavy with the mystery of a quiet spectator who knows one too many secrets. Tucked away into the folds of their Trans-Himalayan terrain are clusters of villages, offering a simple perspective into a parallel world. 

Life-sized paintings, etched into the canvas of yawning valleys are punctured by rustic hamlets, medieval monasteries and roaring rivers. The unforgiving temperament of the terrain has no bearing on the kind, resilient and warm locals that inhabit each village, matching the other in their zeal for living against the odds and finding happiness in the little things, amidst all the adversities of a high-altitude, cold desert. 

A Balti Village 

Mosques alongside monasteries, trees heavy with apricots and the muezzins call to prayer echoing in the distance… You have reached the part of Gilgit Baltistan that lies in India and shares a border with Pakistan.

Where the road ends, the village begins. High up in the fractures of towering mountains, a bridge leads to a curving pathway, interrupted by stone houses and faces of notorious children with flawless features. It is home to a race that has thrived in isolation from the world, cloaked in a vibrant Islamic culture. 

Each village has stories of its own, with the history of the Balti Dynasty looming over them, giving them direction. Sit in the jharoka of the old king’s palace and hear the history from one of the living descendants of the dynasty. Visit the local bronze smith, immaculately engraving age old traditions into his work. Trek up to the old mosque and waterfall, hidden in the mighty troughs of the village, Ferol. 

On a clear night, watch the sky come alive with constellations, giving way to day, silently drenched in an otherworldly sense of being wholly departed from the chaos of the world. 

A Buddhist Village 

Himalayan hues behind shape-shifting clouds, white-washed chortens and mud-brick homes strewn across barley fields, while a winding road leads up to a medieval monastery, adorned by fluttering prayer flags wielded in the wind, carrying good-will and peace to all sentient beings… 

Life in a Buddhist village is bursting with the vibrant colours of seasonal activity, creating an oasis of contrast amidst stark, barren terrain. Here, it truly takes a village to raise a child… while shared fraternal values tie the people together in a snug, communal knot.

Attend the local festivals, where monks in masks and multicoloured robes perform chaam or a series of traditional dances, just as the sun rises behind the mountains and the whirling smoke of juniper incense drifts through the air. 

Sit cross-legged in the Chang-sa or communal room of a Ladakhi home and let the warmth of Ladakhi hospitality, exalted by endless cups of butter-tea, engulf you entirely. 

Partake in the seasonal farming activities like apricot picking and the making of Chang or rice-wine. Try your hand at archery, the local sport. When winter comes, get a lesson in ice-hockey or go ice-sledging with the local children.  

From the season of apricot blossom, announcing the arrival of spring, right to the bone-numbing winter, there is no time when the courtyards of a Ladakhi home are not animated with life. 

An Aryan Village

With a history as interwoven as their grapevines, the Aryans are descendants of the Dards. A great migration from Afghanistan, Gilgit and West Pakistan led them to settle in the secluded, idyllic villages ribboning through the mountains, Northwest of Leh. The Aryans are a distinct people, with animistic traditions embellished in ornamental dresses and head-wear. However, their way of life, heart and soul is that of a simple agricultural race.

Visit their villages, where you can trek with a local family to their fields and spend the day working amidst their cultivated crops. Collect baskets brimming with fresh peach and apricot, plucked right from the trees. Get acquainted with the grape-wine making process of the Aryans, renowned as some of the best in the region. Spend your morning picking a variety of vegetables from the yard of an Aryan home and try your hand at cooking an impromptu Aryan meal in their kitchen. 

From a glimpse into the stories of their past to the emblematic traditions of their present, visiting the Aryan Villages is bound to propel you into the journey of a lifetime.

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