On our first evening, our driver took us to a couple of places around the town. Unfortunately, none of them were at ground level. All included a steep climb through the mountains. Our first stop was the Shanti Stupa. It is a Buddhist white domed stupa which holds the relics of Gautam Buddha. The Stupa is situated on a hill top roughly 14,000 ft above sea level. Trust me, it gets reeeaally windy! I had to struggle to keep my foot on the ground (Yeah, yeah not so much, but still)
Shanti Stupa
Shanti means Peace. As the name suggests, the Stupa is very peaceful place. According to Buddhism, the most important peace is your inner peace. The Stupa has an aura to itself. All one could hear was the wind blowing.
The location provides excellent panoramic view of Leh town and the Himalayas. We had a 10 minute photo session here! 😉
The view from the Stupa
Our driver Nurbu, then took us to Ancient Palace also known as Leh Palace. Situated on a hilltop it can be seen from the Shanti Stupa and in between lies the town of LehThe Palace is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The history of Leh Palace
The Leh Palace. Can you believe it is a 9 storey building?!?
-Nupur
*All pictures are mine unless otherwise mentioned
Tugging My Luggage 