Kashmir & Ladakh

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Thikse Gompa or Thikse Monastery (also transliterated from Ladakhi as Tikse, Tiksey or Thiksey) - Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect. Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India; Shutterstock ID 744715432; your: Brian Healy; gl: 65050; netsuite: Lonely Planet Online Editorial; full: Best places in India

© Dmitry Rukhlenko / Shutterstock

Overview

The state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) brings together three incredibly different worlds. Jammu and Katra, in the south, are the state's rail hubs and a major draw for domestic pilgrims. Kashmir Valley is India's Switzerland, attracting local tourists seeking cool summer air, alpine scenery and Srinagar’s romantic houseboat accommodation. And then there's the Himalayan land of Ladakh, which for most foreigners is J&K’s greatest attraction. Its ethnolinguistically Tibetan people are predominantly Buddhist; their timeless monasteries are set between arid canyons and soaring peaks, while emerald-green villages nestle photogenically in highland deserts.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Leh palace with nice mountain range

    Leh Palace

    Leh

    Bearing a passing similarity to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet), this nine-storey dun-coloured edifice is Leh's dominant structure and architectural…

  • Morning view of Dal Lake

    Dal Lake

    Srinagar

    Over 15km around, Dal Lake is Srinagar's jewel, a vast sheet of water reflecting the carved wooden balconies of the houseboats and the misty peaks of the…

  • SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, JAMMU & KASHMIR, INDIA - 2013/06/01: The Shah Hamdan Mosque, or Shrine, is situated on the right bank of the Jhelum River, is dedicated to the memory of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, a Muslim saint from Hamadan, Persia. It is an excellent example of indigenous wooden architecture that draws influence from Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic architecture. Constructed by San Sikandar and dedicated to the memory of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, a Muslim saint from Hamadan, Persia, this mosque also serves as a khanqah. (Photo by Jeremy Horner/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan

    Srinagar

    This distinctively spired 1730s Muslim pilgrim hall is Srinagar’s most beautiful mosque. It was constructed without any nails, and both frontage and…

  • Hundarman Broq

    Hundarman Broq

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    Set in a sharp mountain gully 11km northeast of Kargil, the tumbledown ghost village of Hundarman is a remarkable sight. Rocky crags tower above, a…

  • Thiksey Gompa

    Thiksey Gompa

    Ladakh

    Glorious Thiksey Gompa is one of Ladakh’s biggest and most recognisable monasteries, photogenically cascading down a raised rocky promontory. At its heart…

  • Wanla Gompa

    Wanla Gompa

    Ladakh

    Above Wanla village, tiny medieval Wanla Gompa is dramatically perched on a towering knife-edge ridge flanked by two shattered tower remnants of a now…

  • Choskhor Temple Complex

    Choskhor Temple Complex

    Ladakh

    The original murals and statues within these four outwardly modest 11th-century temples are considered the crowning glory of Ladakh’s Indo-Tibetan art…

  • Nishat Bagh

    Nishat Bagh

    Srinagar

    Of all Srinagar's Mughal gardens, Nishat Bagh is arguably the most appealing, with beautiful water features that frame a lovely lake panorama. It's on…

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