Ladakh Through the Travellers’ Lens
1847 to 1947

Located at the crossroads of High Asia, Ladakh has always attracted the adventurous and intrepid traveller. They generally chose one of two routes to Ladakh, coming up from Srinagar and over the Zoji La Pass at a height of 11,575 feet or from Punjab in the east, over the Rothang La at 13,058 feet. Other routes into Ladakh – from Central Asia across the Depsang plains and into the Nubra Valley, and Tibet through the Changthang – were more frequented by traders and pilgrims.

These individuals often photographed, painted and filmed the region alongside recording their visits in textual form. Their images form part of an important visual documentation of the history of Ladakh that speaks of its landscape, culture and the people who inhabited it. This exhibition covers a hundred years of visual imagery of Ladakh, from the time when the first known photographs of the region were taken to when it was closed to visitors in 1947. Curated from images from LAMO’s Visual Archive, they present many diverse aspects of the region from built heritage to craft, monastic festivals and rituals, trade and technology, amongst a multitude of other facets and practices.

These images are a glimpse into our past and invoke nostalgic memories of how life in Ladakh has changed over time. Together they take us on a journey through this vast and varied land, reminiscing on the past but also recognising its value for future generations.