our culture

Just as everywhere in India the English, German and other Europeans arrived in Ladakh too during the 19th century. Sir Alexander Cunningham complied the chronicles of ancient Ladakh in his magnum opus ‘Ladakhs Gyalrabs’.

He was followed by A.H Francke a German Moravian missionary who wrote several books on Ladakh but the most popular being the ‘History of Western Tibet’.

Alexander Soma De Keros of Hungary who traveled in search of his ancestors the ‘Uyghurs’ came to Ladakh in the 18th century and learnt Tibetan language after finding a suitable teacher in the zangla royal family of Zanskar.

One could today visit his study in the old castle of Zangla initiated by a core group of architects from Hungary. A tribute to one of the first western scholar of Tibetan study who determined to come thus far and learnt one of the most sophisticated language of the world. Later he is said to visit Tibet and translated the catalogue of Kagyur (Basic) teachings of the Buddha also the Tangyur (commentaries) and many other great and relevant Tibetan treaties.

Until recent times Buddhism remain unknown in the land of its Birth, India. It is said that it, was Anagarika Dharmapala of Sri Lanka who campaigned to restore the ‘Maha Bodhi temple at Bodhgaya , a contemporary of Swami Vivekananda having met while taking part in the ‘World Religious Conference’ in Chicago in the U.S.A during late 19th century.

Thanks to the efforts of the lovers of culture and ethics such as Cunningham and Francke the modern generation can study their history and contribute to the further enrichment of their Traditional yet modernizing society.

It is not only the foreigners who contributed to Ladakh’s history.

Fortunately we have our own local historians too. For instance, we have the biography of H H Tsultrim Nyima of Ridzong monastery available in Tibetan (Bhoti) script throwing light on the events of 19th century after the invasion of Ladakh by General Zorawar Singh.

There is the history of Wazir Hashmatullah in Urdu script who came as the Governor of Ladakh region during the rule of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.

There is the ‘Gyalrabs Chimet Ster’ written by S.S Gergan an earliest Moravian Christian initiated by his father Joseph Gergan in two volumes.

Of recent my father has written the history of Ladakh titled,’ Maryul Ladakhs kyi Ngonrabs Konsel Melong Zjhes Chawa Juks So’ (History of Maryul Ladakh called the mirror that illuminates All), first published in the year 1984. Its English translation rendered by me with his help was published and released in the year Sept 2018 title, ‘History of Maryul Ladakh’.