ZANGLA PALACE & VILLAGE

ZANGLA village is a tiny picturesque hamlet located at one end of the Tri-Armed Zanskar Valley. ZANGLA village is at a distance of 35 kms from PADUM & is accessible by road. Till the very recent past, Zangla was ruled by a King who now resides in the village with his family. During ancient times, ZANGLA was known to be the second capital of the Zanskar Valley. There is an ancient fortress on the top of a hill a little before the village believed to be constructed in the 11^th century. An uphill motorable road goes right up to the base of the ZANGLA palace which is now in ruins. A brief flight of rocky steps would take you to the top of the Zangla Palace. There are chortens everywhere enroute and you can get the most astounding view from the top. The view oversees the vegetation rich green ZANGLA village, the Nunnery & the vast endless valleys on the either sides of the palace. From the top, the Zangla village looks like an oasis, full of greenery in the midst of the barren surroundings.

 The nunnery which is located at the end of the Zangla village has some Boddhisattvas and antique statues which are possibly over 300 years old. It would be worthwhile to make a brief visit to see the life of the nuns. I had been to the nunnery once and the nuns extended their courtesy by offering a cup of tea & some snacks. There are about 3-4 homestays in Zangla & if one wishes, it would be a good experience to have a stay there to experience the rich culture & heritage of the Zanskar Valley. At a certain point, just before ZANGLA, the ZANSKAR river takes a complete “U” turn

You can visit the small Gompa at Tsazar Village located 7 kms from Zangla between STONGDEY Monastery & ZANGLA palace. It has some magnificent wall paintings and a visit would be worth remembering.

Zangla is also an important point in Zanskar for treks like the CHADAR trek, Padum-Strondey-Zangla-Karsha-Padum trek, Padum-Markha valley and Padum-Lamayuru trek.