Ladakh
It lies in the eastern half of Jammu & Kashmir State
in the far noth of India. It shares its north-western
border with Pakistan and to the north lies the Chinese
province and to the east, Tibet (China). Ladakh is divided
into several geographic regions :
* Central Ladakh, Nubra, The Rupshu, Zanskar and Western
Ladakh.
Religion: Tibetan Buddhism is wide spread in Ladakh
and they practice branch of Mahayana Buddhism which
some times also called lamaism.
Lamas: It is usual for most families to have at least
one son who is a lama (monk). At an early age he will
be sent to the gompa (monastery) to which his village
is attached where he will be educated in the religious
teachings. Monks are highly respected in the community
and spend a lot of their time away from the gompa performing
religious ceremonies in the villages.
The lamas of Tibetan Buddhism are divided into four
main sects. The oldest is the Nyingmapa (the Ancient
Order or red hat sect) founded by Padmasambhava in the
8 century. The next is Sakyapa sect and the third is
Kagyupa. The fourth and the recent order is the Gelukpa,
more commonly known as the Yellow Hat sect. All of these
sects are represented in Ladakh, but most common are
the Kagyupa and Gelukpa.
Sikkim
Along the eastern frontier of Nepal is Sikkim, a Himalayan
fairyland of hidden valleys, lofty mountains and rich
coverage of alpine vegetation, sheltered within which
are some most interesting destination and unique trekking
trails.
A former Kingdom, now a part of India, Sikkim still
retains its stately personality in its architecture,
interactive culture and hospitality. During winter,
Sikkim remains widely snow covered and cold. The most
attractive season for visiting Sikkim is September-December
and March-May. Sikkim has some very elegant and colorful
festival during this time. An entirely mountainous country,
most of the habitated area are accessible by road, while
Gangtok, the state capital is also accessible by helicopter
fights.
Darjeeling
Darjeeling lies to the south of the state of Sikkim
and is the renowned hill station in the state of West
Bengal.
Known as the Queen of the Hills in India, the hill
town was the favorite summer retreat for the earstwhiled
Colonial rulers in India. The place still retains largely
its British flavour.
The surrrounding areas also offer spectacular location
worth visits as well as for trekking.
