Customer Reviews

Ladakh: Crossroads of High Asia

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I can think of no other book which serves as a better general introduction to Ladakh. It is mostly a historical review revising Franke's turn-of-the-century work, The Kingdom of Western Tibet. However, it is of limited use as an overall historical or cultural reference for those more advanced in studying this region. It does not go into much detail and fails to be adequately comprehensive. But these drawbacks are easily forgiven if it is understood as an introductory book. Compared with Helena Norberg-Hodge's book, Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh - a much more popular work - Rizvi's book is a much more well-balanced, objective account, grounding Ladakh in its historical and regional context. This should be the first book to read for a serious beginner in Ladakh studies, and is accessible enough for a casual reader.

This is an excellent book on Ladakh, the author writes well and her research is accurate and thorough. She adopts an interdisciplinary approach, and her subjects range from the nature of the imposing Himalayan mountains to the convoluted history of Ladakh to the even more complicated present.

In the first section of the book we read about the nature and the geology of Ladakh, where water, or the lack thereof, has played a crucial role for centuries.

In the second section we learn how history shaped the region.

And in the third and most important part we read about the local traditions and how they impact on the present multicultural reality, with Buddhists, Muslims and Christians (and few Hindus) mixing and matching their heritage to find (most of the time) an exemplary modus vivendi not easily found these days in this part of Asia. Polo and polyandry, the living heritage of the gonpa, the role of Jesuits are just some of the topics covered here in a captivating prose.