2022-02-28 Mon

The Persian term ‘Ladakh’ is transliterated from the Tibetan word ‘La-dvags’ which means Land of high passes. It has been called by different names in different periods for its beautiful landscape and exquisite culture such as ‘The Mysterious Land of the Mystic Lamas’, ‘The Broken Moonland’ or ‘The Last Shangri-La’. It is stretched from the Kunlun mountain range to the Himalayas in the south. Ladakh is comprised of Baltistan valley, upper Indus valley, Zanskar, Lahaul, Spiti, Ngari, Rudok, Guge, Aksai Chin, and Nubra Valley.

A Neolithic rock carving depicted that Ladakh has been inhabited from ancient times. According to Herodotus, Nearchus, Megasthenes, Pliny, Ptolemy, and Puranas, Ladakh was inhabited by Indo-Aryans of Mons and Dards. During the 1st century AD, Ladakh was under Kushan rule. In the 2nd century, Buddhism was widespread in the eastern part of Ladakh while the western part was dominated by the Bon religion.

Herewith image is of the silver Ja’u coin which was issued by the ruler Tshe Pal Namgyal of Ladakh princely state. The coin possesses Bhutan and Tibet legends but does not carry any date on it.

Image Courtesy: Mintage World