Ladakh ("land of high passes") is a region in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir that currently extends from the Kunlun mountain range to the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir and its culture and history are closely related to that of Tibet.
Ladakh is the highest plateau of state of Kashmir with much of it being over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It extends from the Himalayan to the Kunlun Ranges and includes the upper Indus River valley. Historically, the region included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys (now mostly in Pakistani Kashmir), the entire upper Indus Valley, the remote Zanskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, much of Ngari including the Rudok region and Guge in the east, Aksai Chin in the northeast, and the Nubra Valley to the north over Khardong La in the Ladakh Range. Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti regions to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. The historic but imprecise divide between Ladakh and the Tibetan Plateau commences in the north in the intricate maze of ridges east of Rudok including Aling Kangri and Mavang Kangri, and continues southeastward toward northwestern Nepal. Before partition, Baltistan, now under Pakistani control, was a district in Ladakh. Skardo was the winter capital of Ladakh while Leh was the summer capital. The mountain ranges in this region were formed over 45 million years by the folding of the Indian plate into the more stationary Eurasian Plate. The drift continues, causing frequent earthquakes in the Himalayan region. The peaks in the Ladakh Range are at a medium altitude close to the Zoji-la (5,000–5,500 m or 16,000–18,050 ft) and increase toward southeast, culminating in the twin summits of Nun-Kun (7000 m or 23,000 ft).
Hamta Pass lies at an altitude of 4270 m (14009 ft) on the Pir Panjal range in the Himalayas. It is a small corridor between Lahaul and Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh, India. Hamta village is located below Sethan village and from there it got its name Hamta Pass. This pass is frequently used by shepherds of lower Himalayan region, seeking for high altitude grassland in the dry cold desert of Lahaul during summer time. Numbers of wild flowers and herbs grow at the altitude between 3000 to 3800 m. Vertical rock walls, water falls, hanging glaciers, tiny lakes, peaks rising above 6000 m are main characteristics of this trek. People need a proper guide to cross certain glaciers. From Hamta pass one can extend their journey towards the beautiful Chandrataal.
The trip to Hamta Pass is a relatively easy trek as it starts at the Hamta Dam, which is 2730m Mean Sea Level, this trek is conducted by Kailash Rath and YHAI. The terrain is mostly rocky and trekking amidst a large sized boulders is common, the trek from the Kullu District to the Lahaul and Spiti District, takes one from the Windward side to the Leeward side (Windward and leeward). The terrain changes for a green paradise to a rocky cold desert in just a few meters across the pass. It is also known to be the road to heaven, as it was the route taken by Yudhishthira on his accent to heaven, The Hamta Pass is also named after the Rishi that meditated there named Hamta Maharishi.
Der Deo Tibba ist ein Berg im West himalaya im indischen Bundesstaat Himachal Pradesh. Der 6001 m hohe Deo Tibba liegt 2,37 km südsüdwestlich des Indrasan, dem höchsten Berg der Pir Panjal-Bergkette. Der Berg liegt im äußersten Osten der Bergkette im Kullu-Distrikt. Der Deo Tibba befindet sich knapp 20 km östlich der Stadt Manali. Der Berg ist von einer großen Eiskappe bedeckt. Es befinden sich mehrere Hängegletscher an seinen Flanken. Die Nordwest- und Südwestflanke des Deo Tibba werden zum Beas entwässert. Der Teo Tibba ist zwischen Mitte Mai und Oktober ein beliebtes Ziel von Trekking-Touristen. Der Deo Tibba wurde im Jahr 1952 von J. de V. Graaf, seiner Frau und K.E. Berrill erstbestiegen. Die Aufstiegsroute führte über den Indrasan Col und den Nordwestgrat.
Sandakphu or Sandakfu or Sandakpur (3636 m; 11,941 ft) is the highest peak in the state of Ilam, Mechi, Nepal and West Bengal, India. It is the highest point of the Singalila Ridge in Darjeeling district on the West Bengal-Nepal border. The peak is located at the edge of the Singalila National Park and has a small village on the summit with a few hostels. Four of the five highest peaks in the world, Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu can be seen from its summit.
The Sleeping Buddha: From Sandakphu, the best view of the mountain Kangchenjunga is possible, which is known as the Sleeping Buddha or the Sleeping Shiva. The Sleeping Buddha is the group of mountains formed the Kanchenjunga family of mountains. It starts from the peak of Kumbhakarna and then is followed by Kanchendzonga and Simvo on the backmost line. Below Kanchendzonga, there are several peaks and the named ones from the left are Koktang, Rathong, Frey, South Kabru, North Kabru, Kabru Forked, Goecha and then the ridgeline of Pandim just ahead of Simvo. All these peaks when seen from Sandakphu, Phalut and some other parts of Sikkim makes it appear like a huge man sleeping with spaced legs.
The Silk Road or Silk Route was an ancient network of trade routes that for centuries were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the East and West from China to the Mediterranean Sea.
While the term is of modern coinage, the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in Chinese silk carried out along its length, beginning during the Han dynasty (207 BCE – 220 CE). The Han dynasty expanded Central Asian sections of the trade routes around 114 BCE, largely through missions and explorations of the Chinese imperial envoy, Zhang Qian. The Chinese took great interest in the safety of their trade products and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route.
Trade on the Silk Road played a significant role in the development of the civilizations of China, the Subcontinent, Persia, Europe, the Horn of Africa and Arabia, opening long-distance political and economic relations between the civilizations. Though silk was certainly the major trade item exported from China, many other goods were traded, and religions, syncretic philosophies, and various technologies, as well as diseases, most notably plague, also spread along the Silk Routes. In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road was a route for cultural trade among the civilizations along its network.