Ladakh Architecture Analysis
1.01 Introduction
Ladakh, (meaning ‘land of the passes’) is a cold desert in the northernmost part of India was lying quietly in the north of the Himalayas. People from wester society heard about it as a hub of intact and natural beauty and their way of living were giving them a fascinating resonance to experience and appreciate. In this process what have been affected was their culture and architecture. Western mono-culture that had spread across the world touched the heart of Ladakh so dramatically that they forgetting their own roots slowly. Ladakh, synonym to an ongoing struggle between man and nature where in finally man found a harmony with it. As therefore, the people have had to recognize that nature has limits and they accept whatever …show more content…
140).
The study of the architecture of Ladakh go through countless stands of success and failure with construction, empirical application of materials and crude juxtaposition of forms. Although there is hardly any document to prove that. Only by looking at the existing architecture carefully one could realize it. All such experiments are done simply for protecting against vagaries of nature. The most interesting aspect for me is how they manage to achieve a sense of comfort and aesthetics along with all difficulties. Years of stubborn experimentation and continuous intuitive trial and error led to the juxtaposition of simple form to complex architectural settlements which is now spread and dot the entire arid landscape of Ladakh. Then the dilemma is what could be the reason for the locals to lean toward modern amenities? According to ‘Ladakh Vision 2025’ survey, changing micro-climate, geographical condition of the area, and failure of material due to aging and most unfortunately, due to lack of empathy towards old traditional building. By addressing above mentioned aspect it’s possible to preserve Ladakhi cultural heritage. By raising awareness among locale’s and consider all this limitations up most, it’s possible to change their tendencies of neglecting their valuable
Ladakh, (meaning ‘land of the passes’) is a cold desert in the northernmost part of India was lying quietly in the north of the Himalayas. People from wester society heard about it as a hub of intact and natural beauty and their way of living were giving them a fascinating resonance to experience and appreciate. In this process what have been affected was their culture and architecture. Western mono-culture that had spread across the world touched the heart of Ladakh so dramatically that they forgetting their own roots slowly. Ladakh, synonym to an ongoing struggle between man and nature where in finally man found a harmony with it. As therefore, the people have had to recognize that nature has limits and they accept whatever …show more content…
140).
The study of the architecture of Ladakh go through countless stands of success and failure with construction, empirical application of materials and crude juxtaposition of forms. Although there is hardly any document to prove that. Only by looking at the existing architecture carefully one could realize it. All such experiments are done simply for protecting against vagaries of nature. The most interesting aspect for me is how they manage to achieve a sense of comfort and aesthetics along with all difficulties. Years of stubborn experimentation and continuous intuitive trial and error led to the juxtaposition of simple form to complex architectural settlements which is now spread and dot the entire arid landscape of Ladakh. Then the dilemma is what could be the reason for the locals to lean toward modern amenities? According to ‘Ladakh Vision 2025’ survey, changing micro-climate, geographical condition of the area, and failure of material due to aging and most unfortunately, due to lack of empathy towards old traditional building. By addressing above mentioned aspect it’s possible to preserve Ladakhi cultural heritage. By raising awareness among locale’s and consider all this limitations up most, it’s possible to change their tendencies of neglecting their valuable