Early Ladakh: From Maryul to the Tibetan Kings

Ladakh, "the land of high passes", had its own long history, closer to Tibet than to Kashmir.

Early peoples and Buddhism

• The first settlers were Mons and Dards. The Dards (Brokpa people) still live in Dah-Hanu villages.
• Buddhism arrived from Kashmir in the Kushana age (1st to 2nd century CE), and again with Tibetan influence later.
• Kashmiri art and monks shaped Ladakh's early monasteries.
• In the 8th to 9th century, Ladakh was part of the Tibetan Empire.

The first Ladakhi kingdom

• After the Tibetan Empire broke up (mid-9th century), a Tibetan noble named Nyima-gon founded a kingdom in the Indus valley, called Maryul, about 930 CE.
• His son Lhachen Palgyigon is counted as the first king of Ladakh.

Rinchen Zangpo (958 to 1055)

• Rinchen Zangpo, the "Great Translator" (Lotsawa), studied in Kashmir and brought Sanskrit Buddhist texts and artists back.
• He is credited with founding many monasteries. Alchi (Ladakh) is linked to him, famous for its wall paintings in a Kashmiri style.

Islam in Ladakh and Baltistan

• Kashmiri Sufi missionaries, including the disciples of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, spread Islam into Baltistan and Kargil. The Noorbakhshi order is strong there. Leh stayed mainly Buddhist.