Ladakh is a northern region of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Unlike the (predominantly) Muslim people of the Vale of Kashmir, Ladakhi people are closely related to Tibetans and revere the exiled Dalai Lama as the head of their Buddhist faith. The Dalai Lama flew into Leh an hour after me, where I joined the throng awaiting his motorcade (after all, most of Leh had shut down for the occasion.) Some days later, he presided over the dedication of a new temple at Choglamsar. Never did I catch more than a brief glimpse of the visitor himself, secure in his official vehicle, but the local people turned out in force, dressed in their best, for these joyous occasions. Read more on my blog.

These images were taken with Nikon D300 using RAW format in July 2012, and are available for licensing.