Leh Palace is one of main places that tourists in Leh go to. It’s quite proximal to both the Old Leh and the New Leh area but if you’re not intending to walk, you can just hire a taxi that could take you all the way to the monastery above the palace.
The entrance to Leh Palace cost just 100 Rupees and the best time to go would be in the afternoon to see the sunset and a great view of Leh. There’s nothing much to see in the palace itself since it’s still under renovation when we went there (June 2012) but the Buddhist artworks on the walls of one of the rooms and the photo exhibit was really really nice.
Leh Palace is said to have been modelled on the Potala Palace of Lhasa, Tibet and was built in the 17th century. It’s quite in ruins now but the Archaeological Society of India is in the process of restoring the whole palace to it’s (hopefully) former glory.
Here are some pictures of Leh Palace that I took:
View of Leh Palace from the Old Town
Old Stupa below Leh Palace
Entrance to the Palace and the Ticket Office
Cool wooden sculpture above the entrance
Inside the Temple
Buddhist Artworks
Photo Exhibit
View of Leh from the palace’s windows
View of Old Leh from the palace’s balcony
View of New Leh from the palace’s balcony
Safe Travels!
The renovation work seems to be going on forever. They were working on it as early as 2008, when I first visited the place.
Great experience. In terms of architecture, it reminds me of the Potala Palace located in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Don’t you think?
it seems like it, though i haven’t been to lhasa though but based on what i have seen in pics they look a bit similar.
This place looks so nice. I had never heard of it until now. Great photos!