Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley
The impressive ruins of this 8th-century Sun Temple built by King Lalitaditya sit in peaceful, well-tended gardens on a hill above Mattan. The site feels…
Must-see attractions in Kashmir & Ladakh
Srinagar
Looking like the movie set for an imagined Central Asian castle, this mighty 1672 mosque (built on an earlier 1394 construction) forms a quadrangle around…
Ladakh
The greatest attraction in Shey's palace complex is the royal temple, with its splendid 17th-century Buddha statue. The highly revered 7.5m-tall gilded…
Srinagar
Backing onto Dal Lake north of the Old City, this large, white-domed 20th-century mosque enshrines Kashmir’s holiest Islamic relic, the Moi-e-Muqqadas,…
Ladakh
Small but visually impressive, the 1618 Stakna (Tiger's Nose) Gompa crowns a rocky outcrop that rises abruptly from the Indus Valley floor. The heart of…
Kashmir & Ladakh
The Dukhang Yokma, Karsha Gompa's main prayer hall, was demolished in 2009 due to irreparable structural damage. In so doing, an astonishing discovery was…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Rising on a cliff almost directly above the Chenab River is the powerful red-brick ruin of one of the Dogras' most important 19th-century fortresses…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Zanskar’s oldest gompa comprises a small, two-storey prayer hall ringed by a curious tunnelled cloister. The stupa out back dates back to Kushan King…
Kashmir & Ladakh
While secondary to the main Chandi Mata temple in Machail, the Gulabgarh version is nonetheless a classic example of Paddar-Pangi religious architecture…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Celebrating Kargil's pre-1947 role as a Silk Route trading centre, this small, intriguing private museum illustrates the caravan trade to Central Asia…
Ladakh
The orchard town of Saspol is backed by a conglomerate promontory topped with the ruins of Toyos Khar fortress-palace. Somehow still surviving in the…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Karsha's Konchod Drubling Nunnery is only a few decades old, but it occupies the site of a far older settlement containing the upper ruins of a fortress,…
Srinagar
Looking more Byzantine than Kashmiri, the multidomed 15th-century brick tomb of King Zeinalabdin’s mother was built on the plinth of a much older former…
Kashmir & Ladakh
This ancient Buddha carving is an impressive sight and all the more appealing for being unknown to most visitors. It's hardly a five-minute walk off the…
Ladakh
Over 200 years old, this beautifully preserved traditional house has been in the same family for six generations. Used until 2001, it remains almost fully…
Kashmir & Ladakh
The oldest section of Padum is a chaos of rocks, abandoned old buildings, shrines and large assorted kani (tunnel-stupas) climbing a modest hillock. The…
Nubra Valley
At the centre of charming Tegar village is the ancient little Manekhang Gompa from which a mani wall and a line of chortens leads down a sloping lane to…
Ladakh
Originally King Dragpa-Bum's 15th-century fortress, Timishgan's three-storey palace site has an obvious defensive strength commanding the confluence of…
Leh
For a charming wander, follow canal streams in the captivating yet relatively accessible area around little Sankar Gompa and the one-room geological…
Ladakh
Mulbekh is overlooked by the impregnable site of King Tashi Namgyal’s 18th-century castle, high above the road. Burnt during an 1835 raid, the castle has…
Leh
The timeless two-storey Sankar Gompa is Upper Leh's modest main monastery. It's a calming, meditative place, and the walk to reach it from Sankar Lane…
Kashmir & Ladakh
The large, 19th-century Raghunath Mandir marks the heart of older Jammu and features several pavilions containing thousands of what look like grey pebbles…
Kashmir & Ladakh
A spectacular 2½-hour walk from Cha is amply rewarded by the sight of this 15th-century monastery, hanging miraculously on a cliff face beneath a gaping…
Leh
Ladakh's largest stupa is unlike anything else in the region – a giant, bulky mud-brick structure that looks like a half-built ziggurat (stepped pyramid).
Kashmir & Ladakh
Highlights at this interesting local museum include Pahari-style miniature paintings from Basholi, murals from Reasi Fort, and 5th-century terracotta…
Srinagar
In the maze of channels at the edge of Dal Lake, the dawn vegetable market is a photogenic sight, even if vendors flogging souvenirs and saffron can…
Ladakh
Though founded in 1065, this monastery’s current incarnation as a Gelukpa monastery originated in the 15th century. The main prayer hall to the right on…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Dominating Bhaderwah from a flat-topped hill above town is the recently reconstructed remnant of a 1733 fort, used till recently as a prison. Views are…
Ladakh
Along the top of Shey's ridge, a series of fortress ruins bracket the three-storey, 17th-century Royal Palace, which has enjoyed a wholesale…
Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley
Amarnath's natural stone lingam becomes opalescently encrusted with ice and is believed to wax and wane with the phases of the moon. Seen as symbolising…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Around 2km northeast of the main market, Pibiting has the most authentic feel of Padum's surrounding villages. It's easy to spot thanks to a hilltop Guru…
Srinagar
It's worth visiting this richly endowed historical museum for its fine 7th-century Buddhist statues, Mughal paper mache work, 4th-century tiles from the…
Ladakh
Hemis National Park covers the roadless villages of Rumbak and Yurutse, the whole Markha Valley, and the passes and access trails to Stok trekking point…
Ladakh
The region’s only Nyingmapa monastery, Takthog's name means ‘stone roof’, referring to a small but highly revered cave shrine where the great 8th-century…
Srinagar
For guests, the first-row houseboats can prove noisy and lacking in privacy. However, as an attraction they collectively form Srinagar's signature image.
Leh
This large 9th-century whitewashed stupa rises in concentric serrated layers flanked by numerous chortens. The charming, shady setting retains a…
Ladakh
Tso Moriri is a giant high-altitude lake whose crystal-clear waters reflect majestic cloudscapes and snow-topped peaks. The views are best seen from a…
Leh
Two rooms of this extensive, well-presented museum look at Ladakhi history and culture. But mostly it commemorates the Indian Army's role in Ladakh, from…
Srinagar
Built for Nur Jahan by her husband, Jehangir, Shalimar Bagh is the most famous of Srinagar's Mughal gardens, but it can get very busy. It's 10km beyond…
Leh
In the heart of Leh's market area, the first mosque on this site was built in 1666–67, sealing a political agreement between Ladakh's then ruler Deldan…
