Karsha This is another large settlement across the river from Padam, at a distance of about 10 km from the latter. It has a small market, school, dispensary and post and telegraph facilities. There is also a monastery at Karsha which is revered by the population living in the surrounding region.

Lichens on the nearly bare mountain slopes are yellow-green and bright orange. In these deep valleys the sun rises late and sets early; the passes into the valley open late and close early.The dominant facts of life here are the altitude and the lack of moisture. Credit: Luke Powell

Karsha is the largest Gelugpa monastery in Zanskar, its foundation attributed to the great translator Rinchen Zangpo. The Gelugpa are the orthodox sect of Tibetan Buddhism, owing allegiance to the Dalai Lama.

Karsha boasts some of the best examples of mural art in Zanskar. Housed in a large structure called Labrang, access to which is through the roof, they represent five different manifestations of Buddha.