Mountain

Research
andDevelopment,
Vol. 3, No. 1, 1983, pp. 1-11

THE PALACEOF LEH IN LADAKH:AN EXAMPLEOF HIMALAYAN

ARCHITECTURE IN NEED OF PRESERVATION

CORNEILLE JEST' AND JOHN SANDAY2

ABSTRACTThe magnificent palace ofLeh, builtat thebeginningoftheseventeenth ceasedto be a royalresidencein 1834.

century,
It has sincedeteriorated
intoa stateoftotalneglectand near collapse.This paper examinesin detailthearchitectureofthepalace
and describesitsformeruse. The purposeis to highlight the importanceof thismonumentby placingit in itsenvironmental and
historiccontext.Tourismand modernization are nowbeingintroducedintoT.adakhand theauthorsmakea plea foractionto repair
and renovatethisunique historicmonumentbeforeit fallsintototalruin.

RtSUMk Le palaisde Leh au Ladakh,un exampled'architecture

himalayenneenperil.Le palais de Leh, construitau debutdu XVIIeme
siecle,a cessed'etreresidenceroyaleen 1834. Non entretenuil esttombedansun etatd'abandonet menaceruine.Cet articlepresente
l'architecturedu batimentet ses anciennesfonctions.Le tourismeet une modernisation se developpentau Ladakh et les auteurs
suggerent qu'uneintervention rapideaitlieupourreparer,renoverce monument historiquetouten lui donnontune nouvellefonction.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDer Palastin Leh/Ladakh: Ein Beispielhimalayischer diees zu erhalten

Architektur, Palast in Leh,
gilt.Der priichtige
im 17.Jahrhundert erbaut,warbis zumJahre1834konigliche Residenz.Seitdemister grobvernachlassigt und dem Einsturznahe.
Diese VeroffentlichunguntersuchtEinzelheiten
derArchitektur des Palastesund beschreibt Bedeutung.Ein volles
seinegeschichtliche
Verstandnis des geschichtlichen
HintergrundesderBevolkerung indentibetischen Hochebenenunddersieumgebenden Bergeerfordert
eine Wiirdigungder bedeutenderen architektonischenUberreste,die einenEinblickin die Anpassungder regionalenKulturenan
die auierst widrigeUmweltdes Hochgebirgeserlauben.TLadakh wirddem Tourismusund der Modernisierung ge6ffnet,und die
AutorenpladierenfurReparaturund Renovierungdieses stattlichen, Monuments,bevores v6lligverfillt.
historischen

INTRODUCTION

The remnantofa magnificent palace stilltowersabove severeenvironments. It is postulatedthat no complete

the settlementof Leh, capitalof the formerkingdomof
Ladakh. It was builtat thebeginningof the seventeenth
centuryduringthatperiodwhenthekingof Ladakh was
a powerfulruler,and it is an outstanding exampleofthe
styleofmonumental architecture represented bythebetter
knownPotala ofLhasa, in Tibet,whichwas builtbetween
1645 and 1695 by the FifthDalai Lama.
Whilethesize ofthePalace of Leh may appear some-
what diminishedby the surroundingmountains,on a
humanscaleitis mostimpressive. The mainfacadeis some
60 metresin length,and 58 metreshigh;it risesabove all
nearbystructures, both as a colossal fortress and as an
architectural
masterpiece. Today, it standsin a tragicstage
ofdecayand no photograph can reflectthetruegrandeur
of itsformerposition.One can onlyreferto descriptions
by earliertravellersto T.adakhwhichare quoted later.
Monumentalbuildings,suchas thePalace of Leh, are
fewin number,but theirimportanceis considerable,for
theyprovidecriticalinsightsintothehighmountaincul-
tureswhichforcenturieshave adapted to exceptionally
understanding of thehistoryof theTibetan Plateau and
its borderingmountainregionscan be attainedwithout
appreciationoftheroleand "raisond'etre"oftheprincipal
remains;norcan properinsights
architectural intotherela-
tionshipbetweenthe local culturesand theirmountain
environment be derived.
It is withinthisgeneralcontextthatthehistory,struc-
ture,and presentconditionof the Palace of Leh are de-
scribedhere,and the argumentput forwardforimmed-
iate measurestowardsits restoration and preservation.
LEH, CAPITAL OF LADAKH
The cityofLeh lies on theterraceofthePuchu River,
a tributaryoftheIndus (latitude34008'North,longitude
77033'East) (Figure1). Although thearea is arid,thesmall
due to thealluvialsoiland theintro-
valleyis quitefertile
ductionofirrigation.The cityitselfdevelopedon a branch
ofthe"SilkRoute"linkingCentralAsia withthetrading
centresof Kashmirand northernIndia.
The wallsofthecityextendedbelowthepalace and en-

'Maitre de Recherche,CentreNationalde la RechercheScientifique(CNRS), Paris, France.

2Associateof the Royal Instituteof BritishArchitects.

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2 / MOUNTAIN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~;~ ~ ~
erw.e = _ _
~~ikfa _
;··

~, .. . . '.:. z,,. · ........

>''X'\;,? .....
i·l

..........

FIGURE 1. The cityof Leh.

cosed housesofmerchants, mostlyMuslims,and ofBudd- In September1974T.adakhwas openedtotourism.This

histfarmers,and bothcommunities lived as neighbours was the final stage of developmentfor the previously
in goodharmony. The cityexpandedat theendofthenine- isolatedcommunity.As a resultof the openingup of a
teenthcenturywhena bazaar was builtoutsidethewalls. hithertounknowndestinationthe need fordevelopment
The politicaleventsin Tibetin 1951and theSino-Indian was intenseand therewas no adequate infrastructure to
war of 1962 broughtan end to the semi-isolation of the accommodateit. One of the obvious touristattractions
Ladakhicommunities whichnumberedabout88,000peo- shouldhavebeenthePalace ofLeh but,unfortunately, the
ple. The firsteventdisruptedthereligiousand commer- development and curio-shops
ofhotels,guest-houses, over-
cial contactswithTibet and Sinkiang,and the second shadowedtheurgencyof renovationand preservation of
emphasizedthe strategicimportanceof T.adakhforthe the palace itself.No one consideredthe importanceof
defenceofIndia. These circumstances initiateda process culturalidentity.People turnedtheirbacks on tradition
ofsocialand technicalchange.Leh, thecapitalofthedis- andblindlysoughttherapidfinancial returnsofmoderniza-
trict,becamean important militarycentre,and a network tion.
ofroads,new buildings,and an airfieldwereconstructed The authorsof thispaper carriedout themain survey
in thissectionof the Indus valley.Withthe presenceof of thepalace in 1975 and moredetailedinformation has
the armythe local populationbecame a minority;the is written
been collectedsince.This description primarily
economy,mainlybasedon thebartersystem, was radically to helpdrawworldattention tothedeplorablepresentstate
modified.With thisrapid and perturbing development, of thisunique building.
suchas energyand watersuppliesand bet-
new facilities,
tercommunications, were introduced.

HISTORY OF THE PALACE

Leh (Gle), thecapitalofTadakh(La-dwags)was first

the A.D. 1500to 1532.The nearbyvillagesofChubiwerealso
capital of King Dragpa Bumde (Grags-pa'bum-lde),who foundedbv thisking.
ruledthe area of T6 (sTod),the"Westernpart"of which The palace, knownas Lechen Palkar (Gle-chen dPal-
includedLeh, fromA.D. 1400 to 1440. mkhar) was builtaround 1600 by the greatestofIT.dakhi
Abovethepalace is thetempleofNamgyalTsemo,built kings,SengeNamgyal(Sen-ge rNam-rgal,A.D. 1570-1642).
duringthelifetimeofKingTashiNamgyal,whoruledfrom Accordingto local traditionthe fatherof King Senge
lThe Tibetan namesand termsin thispaperare givenin a phonetic
Namgyaldecidedto put a palace above Leh; however,it
was Senge Namgyalhimselfwho chosetheexact site,on
form;certainwordsofhistorical, religious,or technicalnaturehavebeen
givenin theircorrectspellingin parenthesis forthepurposeofcompara- a granitespurwhichhad theshapeofan elephant'shead.
tivestudies. At thebottomofthisridgethereis an ancientpoplartree

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 C. JEST AND J. SANDAY / 3

whose main trunklies horizontal while an off-shootgrows
vertically,like an elephant's tusk; near this tree lives the
goddess Tsugtor Lhamo (gCug-torLha-mo). King Senge
Namgyal gave ordersforan importantbuilding to be con-
structedby the local craftsmen,for his family,the four
"Kalon" ministers,and the sixty"rGanmi," elders; it had
to overlookthe race trackextendingeast-west.It took only
three years to build. The chief mason was so skilled that
the kingcommanded that his righthand be cut offto pre-
vent the building of another such palace.
The firstwesternersto describe the palace were William
Moorcroftand George Trebeck who lived in TLadakhbe-
tween 1820 and 1822 (See Frontispiece).They writein their
book Travelsin Hindustan:
The mostconsiderablebuildingin Leh is the Palace of
theRaja, whichhas a frontof twohundredand fifty feet,
and is of severalstoriesin height,forminga conspicuous
objecton theapproachtothecity.This as wellas thehouses
in general,diminishesin extentas it rises,and thewhole
townat a distancehas muchtheappearanceofa clusterof
housesof cards . . .
During the Dogra war (1834), the palace was besieged
and the southwesternchortenpartlydestroyed.As a result,
the royal familymoved to Stok, south of Leh and on the
left bank of the Indus. The Palace of Leh thus lost its
functionand was never again used as the royal residence.
A shortdescriptionof the palace (1846) has been given
by Alexander Cunningham in his book, Ladakh:

FIGURE2. The Palace of Leh showing

of the
its location and identification
buildings:
1. Palace fortof Tashi Namgyal
2. TempleoftheGuardianDivinities
3. Templeof Maitreya
4. Ruin of watchtower
5. Palace
6. Chorten
7. Templededicatedto Padmasamb-
hava
8. Royal stables
9. Gompa Soma, a new monastery
10. Templededicatedto Maitreya
11. Temple dedicatedto Avalokites-
vara.

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4 / MOUNTAIN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

approxscale in metres

01 5 10

FIGURE 3. Floor plans of Levels 3, 4, and 5.

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 C. JEST AND J. SANDAY / 5

_ .- . z; .

6
5
4
317

FIGURE 4. The Palace of Leh. This photowas takenby Dainelli in 1930. The nine levelsare identified
in the sketchdiagram.

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6 / MOUNTAIN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The Royal Palace ofLeh is a largefinelookingbuilding
thattowersin loftypre-eminence overthewholecity.It is
250 feetinlengthand sevenstoriesinheight.The outerwalls
have a considerableslope as theirthicknessdiminishes
rapidlywiththeirincreaseofheight.The upperstoriesare
furnished withlongopenbalconiestothesouthand thewalls
are piercedwitha considerablenumberof windows.The
beams oftheroofare supportedon carvedwoodenpillars,
and coveredwithplankspaintedin variouspatternson the
outside.The buildingis substantialand plain; but itssize
and heightgive it a veryimposingappearance. . .
In formertimes, when the magnificenceof royal occa-
sions intermingledwiththe solemnityof the religiouscere-
monies, the pageantry and colour one associates with
royaltyand Tibetan Buddhism must have reached itspeak
in thismonumental setting.But the war of 1834 disrupted
the social fabricand the royal Government, togetherwith
the palace and its splendours,was reduced to near collapse;
the social and religious activities celebrated there almost
totallydisappeared. Only the festivalof "Dosmoche" sur-
vived, and this New Year festival was observed in the
palace. Helena Norberg-Hodge describedthisfestival(per-
sonal communication):
In former
daysthe"Dosmoche"ceremonies startedon the
28thof the 12thmonth(Tibetan calendar). Lamas from
variousmonasterieswouldcome to Leh. The lamas from
Trak-thok(Brag-Thog)monastery erecteda largethread-
THE PALACE AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
The Palace of Leh is partof an ensembleof structures
whichcrowntheridgeofNamgyalTsemo. The ridgeex-
tendsseveralkilometresin lengthand bears a seriesof
buildingsin differingconditionsand stagesofdecay.These
are shownin Figure2: (1) thepalace-fort(builtabout1520
by Tashi Namgyal); (2) the G6n-khang(mGon-Khang)
templeof the Guardian Divinities(also built by Tashi
Namgyal);(3) a red-coloured templethatcontainsan image
ofthesix-armed Mahakala.Lowerdownis thetemplededi-
cated to Maitreya. Ruins of a round watch-tower (4),
datingfrombeforethetimeofTashiNamgyal,can be seen
on the ridge.On the southernside of the ridge,a large
ch6rten(6) is locatedclosetothepalace,and directly
below
thisch6rtenis a templededicatedto Padmasambhava(7).
Along the same contour,set into the rockbeneaththe
palace, are thestables(8) and theGompa Soma (dGon-pa
THE PALACE, A MODEL
The palace undoubtedly exemplifies thefinestoftradi-
tionalbuildingtechnology and craftsmanship in Ladakh.
Its layout,structure,
materials,and decorationscomprise
whatcan bestbe describedas Tibetanarchitecture. Other
thanitssize, itsmoststrikingaspectis the"battered"
wall
construction.
Accordingto traditionin Tibetan buildingsthereare
alwaysnine specificlevels(Figures3 and 4). Nine is an
auspicious number for many Asiatic peoples and the
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cross(mDos-mo chen-mo).Lamas ofFiang and Mato would
organizesacred dances (cham)on alternateyears in the
Gompa Soma courtyard.People fromremote villages
broughtsalt, apricots,nuts,wool, butterand animalsto
tradein the bazaar. During the"Dosmoche"celebrations
thenobilitywouldcome to see theking.The kingwould
givea partyfortheskutak in thepalace. Takshusma(women
ofmedium-rank, upperclass) wouldperform courtdances
in thepalace courtyard.Courtbedawouldplaymusic.The
kingin fullregaliawouldrideon horsebackwiththeskutak
fromthe palace gate to the end of the maneringmo. The
processionwouldbe ledbyKharmon on horseback andwould
thebazaarand backtothepalace.Therewould
passthrough
alsobe horseracesin Leh bazaarled byone lardak(a layman
who was priestof thepalace God) worshipping thepalace
God. On "Dosmoche"thelardakwouldwear specialdress.
The last one to race was cham-jukpa,who represented the
managerofHemisGompa. This ceremonial continued until
1947. Worshipis stillconductedin Leh in Gompa Soma.
Now the palace serves as a mere backdrop to these
annual ceremonies, which take place around the 28-29th
day of the twelfthlunar monthof the Tibetan calendar (in
January-February),when monks of differentmonasteries
in turnare invitedto performthe ritualswhich insureboth
health and prosperity. This is still the great social and
religiousevent of the year, and is attendedby both the offi-
cials and the people of T.adakh.
so-ma),(9), a new monasterydedicatedto Sakyamuni,
whichis a two-storeyed buildingwitha largecourtyard in
front.
At thesoutheastern end aretwomorelargetemples:one
dedicatedto Maitreya(10), the otherto Avalokitesvara
(11). The formerdates fromthe earlyfifteenth century.
Behindthepalace, closeto a groupofhousesknownas
Chubi, are the springand reservoir whichformerly sup-
plied waterto the palace.
Below the palace, and originallycontainedwithinthe
walls of theold cityof Leh, are severaladditionalinter-
estingbuildingsin a varietyoflocalstylesofthetraditional
architecture.Today, the cityhas burstits seams; it now
extendswellbeyondtheconfines oftheoldwallsoccupying
whatused to be farmland.
OF TIBETAN ARCHITECTURE
Heaven was thought ofas havingninestages,thesupreme
one beingon the top; and one sees an analogywiththe
nine-stageMount Meru oftheIndian mythology. Many
templesand palaces, includingthePotala in Lhasa, also
have ninelevels.In thepalace ofLeh, a further
twosub-
levelshave been added to compensateforthesitecondi-
tions(Figure 5). The totalheightof the structureis 58
metresmeasuredfromthebase ofthewallson thesouth-
ernelevationto thesummitoftheninthlevel.In keeping

FIGURE 5. The south facade of the
palace showingthe two sub-levels.
Photo byJ. Sanday.
withtradition,theuppersectionis givenoverto uses by
the nobles:royalapartments, staterooms,throneroom,
receptionhalls, two temples,and religiousrooms. The
lowersectionsare forstaff,storagesilos,and stables.In
the middleof thebuilding,at the fourthlevel,themain
courtyard(Katogchenmo), openingtowardthe south,is
about 40 metresabove the ground.Here was the centre
ofthesocialand culturalactivitiesoftheroyalfamilyand
the government.
Actualconstruction of the palace was governedby its
sitingon a saddle
granite (Figures5 and 8). Nevertheless,
traditionaltechniquesformassivemasonryconstruction
were used, withbothfoundations and crosswalls giving
buttressedsupportto the externalsouth wall and the
internalspinewall. The heavilybatteredwallsare at least
1.75 m thickat thebase and diminishto approximately
0.5 m wherethe stoneworkgivesover to brick.
The foundations are setdirectlyontotherockand fol-
low thecontoursofthegranitesaddle. The upperlevels,
whereloadsarelighter, are constructedofsun-bakedbrick
work,as was traditional withlocal domesticarchitecture.
Floorsareofunhewntimberswhichspaneitherthestand-
ard structuralmoduleformedby thewallsor, in thecase
ofthelargerrooms,thebeamsand pillarson thesouthern
side. A meshofscantlings, or twigs,laid overthebeams,
carriestheclay floorbase whichvariesin thickness.
'P. Le Fort,CentreNationalde la RechercheScientifique, reports(per-
sonal communication):The palace is built on a ridge made up of
rock,mainlygranodioritic in composition with
heterogeneous granitoid
numerousdarkinclusions.The granitoidhas a mediumgrainsize in
general;finegrainlensesand zones fromsome tensto some hundreds
ofmetresoccur.Theselensesfollowthegeneralfoliation ofthegranitoid
dippingstrongly tothenorth.Different kindsofdykesalsooccurincluding
lightcolouredaplitesand pegmatitesthatcut the granitoidand display
preferential The palace itselfis builton a littlealteredpart
alterations.
of the granitoidthatis of rathergood quality.
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C. JEST AND J. SANDAY / 7
As a room's importance is usually denoted by its size,
so the number of pillars, the size of the windows, and the
quality of the carving and decoration are also indicative.
In some cases, rooms of considerablesize, used as assem-
bly halls, require a grid of 16 pillars to maintain the struc-
ture. As the materials available locally are very limited,
local stone, in this case granite fromPhyang, and wood,
poplar (Populus euphratica)and juniper, which is now no
longer available, were most commonly used. To augment
these natural materials, the Ladakhi commonly use sun-
baked clay blocks in domestic buildings. As in most archi-
tectural styles, various elements of structurethat are no
longer used are retained in a decorative form. For exam-
ple, oftenas decoration over the windows, lintels of a cir-
cular line motifare cut out into a board to representbeam
ends. Above thisa compact layer oftwigsset into the para-
pet wall representsthe practiceof stackingfirewoodaround
the terracedroofs.Externallythe only intricatedecoration
is found in the carved trelliswork of the windows and in
the simple carvings on the lintels over the windows. An
interestingexternalfeatureof the main south-facingfacade
is the slightprojectionof the centralsectionof the building
(Figure 5). This is said to representthe pleats or folds in
the Lamas' robes-no doubt an effortto relatethismassive
structureto the human scale.
A typicalfeaturein thisarid zone are the flatroofswhich
give littleconcession to the rains. These roofsformimpor-
tant terracedareas which can be used fordifferentdomes-
tic activities. Their constructionis similar to that of the
floor, but with a greater thickness of clay. Around the
perimeterof these terraces there are parapet walls which
serve not only as barriers, but also are intended to give
some protection to the structurebeneath.
To furtherappreciate the traditional Ladakhi architec-
ture, it is worthwhilenoting how the local materials and
8 / MOUNTAINRESEARCHAND DEVELOPMENT

importanceand to expresstheirfunction,the"noble"rooms
have large projecting balcony-typewindows.
Externallyit appears that the building was at one time
plastered, as is traditional in Tibetan architecture. In-
ternally,the walls have been plastered with mud mixed
with the chaffof barley while the more importantrooms
are finishedwithfineclay plaster.The noble chambershave
been decorated with water-based colouring, usually light
yellow. The most importantrooms are embellished with
murals.
From Level 1, on the south side, thereis a seriesofvoids
which drop down a furthertwo sub-levelsto formthe foun-
dation. Externally,these sub-levelsare expressed by a few
small openings not necessarilyconformingto specificfloor
levels (Figure 5).
The main entrance to the palace is located under an
elaborate porch at Level 2, on the eastern side. Although
this porch must have been built at the same time as the
palace, its styleand presence are not in keeping with the
rest of the building (Figures 7 and 8). The carved head
of a lion, emblem of the king (Senge-lion, Namgyal-

FIGURE6. Detail of wall construction.

skills were used here to theirbest advantage. One of the

most strikingfeatures of the palace building is the high
quality ofthe stoneworkand the finessethatmarksthe con-
structionof the externalwalls (Figure 6). The batterof the
walls demanded that each stone not only required careful
gridding,but also had to be shaped to followthe gradient,
coursing, and bonding. Introductionof the bonding tim-
bers (Juniperus)at approximately three-metreintervalsin
the lower levels re-establishesthe coursingof the stonework
throughoutthe height of the walls.
Rising fromthe base of the building is a series of cross
walls, or buttresses,in granite,forminga caisson-likegrid
which supports the vast area of external walling. In the
upper levels the walls are built of traditionalcompact clay
blocks (Ja-bag), but they do not follow a specificpattern.
Bedded in clay mortar, they are constructedin this way
to lightenthe directload on the walls below, and theyare
often mixed with random stonework.
The architecturaldisposition of the windows, theirpro-
portionsand size are very characteristicof Tibetan archi-
tecture.The window openings followa systematicpattern
on the facades: those at near-groundlevel are narrow slits,
for both structuralreasons and for fortificationand also
because the lower rooms are generally used for storage.
The rooms on the upper levels are of greater importance FIGURE7. The mainentranceporchon theeasternside showing
as state rooms and residentialquarters, and lightis essen- theunusualcanopyand elaboratelycarvedtimber;probablyof
tial. The size of the openings is increased accordingly, Kashmiriinfluence,it depictsthe Snow Lion whichwas the
almost reciprocatingthe batterof the walls. To denote their emblemof the builder.

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FIGURE8. The eastfacadeshowingthemainentranceporch.Note thepresentconditionofcollapsecomparedto Figure3, thephoto
takenin 1930; mostof the collapsedsectionsare in sun-bakedbricks.
victory)whobuiltthepalace,was placedcentrally overthe
door. The entrancecorridor,cut intotherock,by-passes
thisleveland,whilegivingaccessto Level3, leadsprimar-
ily to thecourtyardat Level 4.
At Level 3, thefoundationgridis established.Here is
a seriesof silo openingscut intothe graniterocksaddle
alongthelongitudinal axis ofthebuildingapproximately
2.6 m in depth.
At Level 4 is themain courtyard, Katog-chenmo,as well
as thetempleDuk-kar Lhakhang.
Level 5 is particularly important.The main assembly
hall, or hall of audience, Tak-chen,is 10.45 m wide and
17.45 m long,and is locatedat thesoutheastcorner.This
hall was originally reachedby a staircasedirectlyoffthe
main courtyard.
The first levelwheretheformofthetotallayoutofthe
palacebecomesapparentis Level6. The mainlivingquar-
tersoftheroyalfamilyweresituatedon thislevel. They
consistedofbothreceptionand retiring rooms,mostlyin
thesoutheastern portion.The centralsectionwas proba-
bly occupiedby the kitchens(sol-thab) and storerooms
(shrol)with additionallivingquartersin theeasternsection.
Level 7 is theofficialceremoniallevel.Here werethree
separatesections:the throne-room (Jungrasimjung), the
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C. JEST AND J. SANDAY / 9
temple (SangyelingLhakhang), and the east-facing royal
chamber (Shar-gisimjung).The large terracesto the south-
east served as assembly areas during officialgatherings.
At Level 8, the accommodation is reduced to a fewancil-
lary rooms in the northeasterncorner.
Following tradition,the summitof the palace is reached
in the north-
at Level 9. It consistsof one room (tse-simjung)
east corner designed for worship to the "Gurlha" (mGur-
lha) divinitieswhose special functionis to protectthe royal
line.
Although therewere probably over one hundred rooms
in this palace, thereare only a fewthat can stillbe identi-
fiedand which are of considerable importance. The major
rooms are as follows: At Level 4, the main temple, Duk-
kar Lhakhang (sDugs-dkar Lha-khang) (10.35 m by 10.05 m),
also called the mThil-giLha-khang,is situated in the north-
west corner on solid rock. The temple is basically free-
standingwithinits own area, and its individual ground or
floor-levelis established approximately one metre above
the main courtyard. Access to the temple is by way of a
porch at the southeastcornerand througha doorway. The
main entrance to the chapel is at a rightangle to this axis.
The chapel is square in plan; the roofstructureis supported
by a grid of 16 equally-spaced pillars that carries a series
10 / MOUNTAIN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
9. Thealtarofthemaintemple,
FIGURE Duk-kar with
Lhakhang,
theimageofSakyamuni.
THE PALACE TODAY
AftertheDogra war,theroyalfamilyleftLeh to reside
in a palace at Stok.The Palace ofStokwas builtby King
Tsepal Dandrup Namgyalabout A.D. 1820 and is still
occupiedby the descendantsof the royalfamily.
The Palace ofLeh is totallyabandoned,exceptfora sin-
gle caretakerwho stillperforms thedailyworshipin the
temple. Following its abandonment and lack of mainte-
nance, the structurebecame progressivelyimpaired until
today the western facade is in danger of collapse (Figure
8). The probable reasons are that the palace lacks a solid
rock base, and the fact that the walls were built on a far
steepergradientthanthe restof thepalace. However,it
appears that the builders had anticipated such problems
and designed the walls to give an externalbuttressingeffect
to this weaker structure.
Extensivevandalism in several areas has accelerated the
deteriorationand has caused major portions of the struc-
ture to become totally unsafe and hazardous to visitors.
Unless immediate action can be taken to repair and con-
solidate thislandmark, it will soon fall into a state of total
ruin.
The people of Leh are at present seeking support to
enable a comprehensivesurveyofthe buildingand its struc-
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ofbeamsandjoists.Placed centrally in theceilingis a lan-
ternconstructed out oftimber,panelled,and open to the
east. Internallyon the southwall standsa stuccoimage
of Ushnishasittatapatra whichis Tibetan for
(sDug-dkar)
"The Lady with the White Parasol" (equivalentto the
1,000-armedformof Tara). On the leftis a statue of
Sakyamuni(Figure9). On bothsidesarestatuesofPadma-
sambhava,and racksforthe 103 volumesof the Kanjur
(Tibetansacredbooks).Thereare no muralsexceptthose
in thelantern,whichdepictminiaturescenesofthelifeof
Sakyamuni.The treasuresofthistempleare said to have
beentakento thepalaceofStok.The templeis lookedafter
at presentbythemonksofHemis,oftheDrug-paKa-gyii-
pa order,and one monkresidesat the palace.
At Level 7 anothertemple,Sangyeling(Sang-rgyas gling)
(8.50 by 7 m), was located.It was theking'schapel,con-
tainingimagesof Sakyamuniand Drolma.
The hall of audience"Tak-chen"(10.45 by 17.45 m),
occupiesthesoutheastcornerofLevel 5. On thenorthern
side ofthisspacioushall was a partiallyenclosedthrone.
There is an opening,or atrium,centrallyplaced in the
ceilingof the hall. Its roof is supportedby a grid of
bracketed,decoratedpillars. This was the hall where
ministersand membersof the government met.
Level 7, the officialceremoniallevel, containedthe
throne-room "Jungrasimjung"(12.66 by 7.30 m) which
overlooksthemaincourtyard. This roomofgreatpropor-
tionshas a ceilingsupportedby a rowofcarvedand dec-
oratedpillars.The throneitselfis set on a slightlyraised
dais; it was in thisstateroomthatthekingused to meet
thedelegatesfromTibetand thelargeterraceon thesouth-
west served as an assembly area during officialgatherings.
tureto be made and to initiatean emergency"firstaid"
programme to be carriedoutto preventfurther deteriora-
tionof the structure and fabricof the palace. Such pro-
posals will also considerits futureuse so as to make the
renovationprojectviablein thepresenttimeofeconomic
stress,forit is essentialto establishsomerevenue-earning
areas in thepalace. For example,thelowersectioncould
serveas an ethnographic museumforthe displayof the
waysoflifeoftheregion,and forexhibitsand sales ofthe
local artsand crafts.The middlesection,includingstate
roomsand themaincourtyard, couldserveas a finesetting
fora culturaland historical museumofT.adakh,wherethe
development ofBuddhismin thisarea couldbe traced,and
thefunction ofTLadakh in relationtotheancientSilkRoute
and tradeacrossCentralAsia could be displayed.Upper
levelsofthepalace, whenrepairedand restored,could be
used foroffices.
Proposalsforinfusing new lifeintothishistoricmonu-
mentwould surelyadd to theculturaland touristattrac-
tionsofLeh wherethereis littleto offerto visitorsbesides
thepalace. Ifsuchproposalsare implemented, theywould
ensurethefutureof thisunique exampleof culturaland
architectural heritage.
 C. JEST AND J. SANDAY / 11

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 MOUNTAINRESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Leh, theCapitalofLadakh,fromTravels intheHimalayanProvinces

ofHindustan
byW. Moorcroft
and G. Trebeck,publishedin 1820.
The Palace of Leh is now in need of restoration
(see pages 1-11).

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