Ladakhis A considerable proportion of the population of Ladakh consists of Buddhists. They are the main inhabitants of this region. The Buddhists may further be divided into different subcommunities depending on their culture and sect.

Ladakhi Woman Credit: Karamjeet Singh

The people of Ladakh are unique. Ladakhis have long had the reputation of being the friendliest and most hospitable of mountain people. This may have something to do with the fact that if you lived in these barren and inhospitable surroundings, any new face, even that of a stranger, is more than welcome. So devoid is the landscape of any apparent life that one even feels kindly disposed towards the occasional lizard one sights. This aspect of their make-up, combined with their Buddhist religion, makes the Ladakhis a very tolerant, inoffensive and non-violent people, not to mention extremely hospitable.

Although traditionally the people are very hospitable, gradually strangers are becoming unwelcome and the main reason for this is that with the advent of modern communications, the visitors have little or nothing to offer. The current price of wool or meat in distant markets is already known and news of distant relatives comes by post. Radio and television now satisfy the curiosity of the people and the traveler is sometimes seen as a possible menace or, alternatively, simply a source of money.

Till the war of 1962 Ladakh played a major role in trade between India and Tibet. Since India's independence in 1947, many Ladakhis have gained employment with the government. Very often they supplement their income by taking up employment in government schemes, for example as laborers in road construction projects.

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