Ladakh: Crossroads of High Asia

by Janet Rizvi

This authoritatively written book is the first to study Ladakh, the celebrated last outpost of Tibetan civilization. Janet Rizvi shows how Buddhism and Islam met at this high-altitude crossroads to form a unique culture, and discusses the region's history, rich oral tradition, economy, literature, and artifacts.

Genres: Travel, India, History

265 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

Reviews

[Vikas Kumar]

very very good book on history and geography of ladakh

[Diarmid]

One of the few books about Ladakh, written by a British writer with a connection to the region. The first half covers the landscape and wildlife, then moves on to a history of Ladakh. The second half covers the present of Ladakh and it's potential future, and ends with a description of the most notable gopmas, or Buddhist monasteries. There's a map in the endpapers, though it's not very detailed and includes a footnote saying the "the boundaries shown on this map are neither authentic nor correct". The writer has an obvious fondness for the region and it's people, and the book is good introduction for readers unfamiliar with Ladakh.

[Sai Chand]

The book provides detailed account of Ladakh - History, Geography, Culture, Religion and monasteries. By the time one finishes the book, one is sure to remember some names of the kings, the sects of Budhism, monasteries, some places and the routes etc.

The map provided at the starting and ending pages proves very useful, when reading about Geography. One needs to refer to these on a frequent basis.

The only boring part is about the Flora and Fauna (for a non bird/animal watcher like me). Some lines seem to be borrowed from other sources.

[Pradeep]

Except for a good chapter on religious and political history of Ladakh, the book is filled with dry facts(flora, fauna, monasteries, landscapes,surrounding places etc).

[Abhishek Achal]

A great book on Ladhak

[Rigzin]

The one an only complete book about in itself.