14 Vintage Pictures of Ladakh Before Tourism Ruined It

Before entering the visual experience these images are going to bring, it's essential and mandatory to credit the photographer. Satya Rao Kommana clicked these pictures from a film reel camera when he dared to enter the Land of Gods in 1994. It is evident from the pictures that it takes a true admirer and adventurer to take leap of faith that he did. 

The pictures were initially shared by The Footloose Nomad and he eloquently writes in his blog,

"In a time when tourism has exploded across the region, and more and more tourists and travellers arrive in droves to this region, the feeling, the charm, and nostalgia of the place seems to be missing. You will hear old travellers talk with much fondness of their times in Ladakh when it was calm, quiet, and not over run by anyone and everyone looking to take a few days off to visit the usual tourist attractions. But, gone are those days…."

Given the concrete jungle the heaven has been transformed into, one can only imagine through this pictures the sanctity it once beheld.

Traversing the ‘notorious’ Zoji La just outside Sonamarg and enroute to Drass/Kargil!

Exiting Drass! Regretfully photographs of Drass town were NOT allowed during the times of the J&K violence!

Deep inside the Kargil-Padum route in the lesser traveled Zanskar valley!

Flowery welcome to the ‘faithful’ Yamaha into the heart of Zanskar!

That’s Amit the ‘Shepherd’ and the ONLY soul I ever met ‘on the road’ on this 300-Kms run towards Padum -an act that regretfully culminated at the Rangdum Monastery as the terrain and the RD ‘guzzled’ gallons of gas. The 10-Lts that I hauled off Kargil just would NOT suffice to reach Padum and revert to Kargil! And those days Padum had NO stocks of petrol!

Rangdum Monastery in the background where I spent the night courtesy the Humble Lamas!

The swiftly flowing river(!) across the road near Rangdum Monastery where the RD ‘drifted’ with the current of that ice-melt and in the melee ALL my gear, camera, film, sleeping bag et all got soaked forcing me to spend the night at Rangdum before beating the retreat -back to Kargil with whatever gas I had with me! Barely reaching Kargil!

The swiftly flowing river(!) across the road near Rangdum Monastery where the RD ‘drifted’ with the current of that ice-melt and in the melee ALL my gear, camera, film, sleeping bag et all got soaked forcing me to spend the night at Rangdum before beating the retreat -back to Kargil with whatever gas I had with me! Barely reaching Kargil!

The transit town of Kargil during those days! Today its a different story though!

The Gata-Loops!

Lamayuru Monastery!

One of the Frescoes inside Lamayuru Monastery!

A bikers paradise but a a truckies nightmare! The Hangro-Loops a.k.a the ‘Jilebi-Mode’* with 20 odd reverse bends in as many kilometers!

Time for a breather!

The climb upto Khardung La!

The bone-shaking 45-kms stretch from Leh to Khardung was like THIS until BRO & GREF bulldozed more of the mountains and have now laid a 24 x 7 x 365 ALL weather ‘tarmac’ route! Traveling time thus reducing from 5-hours to mere 1.5 hours!

The ‘then’ Chai-Shop run by the TF/RCC dishing out ‘free’ steaming cups of tea and biscuits too to the weary travelers with a request to ‘please’ have the same! Now-a-days YOU got to pay for everything though!

The then ‘India-Gate’ passage and the road to/from the K-Top!

The very ‘summit’ of Bara-Lacha La @ 16,040 Ft!

Is your mind blown yet?

If not check out rest of the images at The Footloose Nomad.

Again, all image and caption credits are to Satya Rao Kommana.