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Nubra Valley is the geographical backbone, and the historical
heartland of Ladakh.
The common way to access this valley is to travel over the
Khardung La from Leh where one will first encounter the Shyok
Valley. To enter the Nubra valley, one must cross over the Shyok
River via a small bridge and pass through a military checkpoint.
Non-locals require an "Inner Line" permit (easily obtained in
Leh town) to pass. The Sasser Pass and the famous Karakoram Pass
lie to the northwest of the valley which connect Nubra with
Xinjiang. Previously there was much trade passing through the
area with East Turkestan and Central Asia. The Nubra valley
contains the small towns of Sumur and Panamik. Sumur has a
Buddhist gompa or monastery while Panamik is noted for its hot
springs. Most of the people are of mixed Tibetan and Central
Asian origin and speak varieties of the Balti language.
The beautiful village of Baigdandu is located in the valley.
Here one can suddenly find beautiful people boys and girls with
startling blue eyes, auburn hair and ruddy cheeks as against the
typical mongoloid features of the Ladakhis.
Buddhist monasteries flourished in the valley among which the
famous Diskit Gompa. This monastery, over 350 years old, is the
oldest in the Nubra region. It is also one of the largest.The
monastery belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) Sect. The Nubra
valley is accessible from Leh via a number of high passes. One
of them is the Khardong-la, the highest motorable pass at 5600
m.
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