Forts, Palaces, and Mansions of Ladakh

Text and Photographs by Mr. Sachin Vaidya Stok Palace was built by ousted king of Ladakh - Tsespal Tondup Namgyal in 1825. After defeat by General Zorawar Singh, the former king's status was reduced to a 'jagirdar' (a nobleman) in the court of Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.  Tsespal Tondup Namgyal had to leave Leh Palace and settle down at Stok village. Stok village is around sixteen kilometers from Leh. I visited the Palace during May 2010; at that time, it was private residence and a museum. A few years ago, a section of it had been converted into a heritage hotel. Side view of the Palace depicted its grandeur. As the Palace also housed a Buddhist temple, a prayer flag was seen in the courtyard. Street view from the Palace entrance was typical Ladakhi landscape. Following was the Palace Museum entrance: Snow capped mountains were visible after climbing the stairs. Photography inside the Palace was not permitted. Entry to the Palace Museum was shot from the courtyard. The ...

 Text and Photographs by Mr. Sachin Vaidya Shey Palace is world famous for its Sakyamuni Buddha statue (seated) - the height being 7.5 metres! The statue is totally indoors. It is a copper and brass statue plated with gold, silver studded with gems and precious stones. The statue was reportedly built by Nepalese craftsmen. Shey Palace was built by King Deldan Namgyal around 1650. A board put by Archaeological Survey of India depicts brief history of the Palace. In addition to Leh Palace (separate post exists in the same blog 'Forts, Palaces, and Mansions of Ladakh'),  Shey Palace was used as royal residence. However after defeated by Dogra Rule, the royal family was reduced to a noble family and had to vacate both the palaces; the family built and shifted to Stok Palace (separate post exists in the same blog 'Forts, Palaces, and Mansions of Ladakh') in 1834. Due to its proximity to Leh (15 km south),  Shey Palace is popular among tourists. Shey Palace is much sm...