Confirming that towering peaks of Himalayas have emerged from the Tethys ocean, noted geologist Dr Ritesh Arya has discovered 20 million years old fossil of palm leaves from fragile rocks of Ladakh. Measuring more than 4ft in length, the fossil is expected to be over 20 million years old when the present-day Himalayas were not formed. Arya has discovered the fossil on a fragile rock surface in southern part of Indus river in Leh district. According to him, the fossil represents the near-coastal environment of Ladakh millions of years back as this species is not found anywhere in the present-day Himalayan regions. He said the fragile fossil needs proper care to protect it from being destroyed. He said the site can become a popular tourist destination of Ladakh where tourists will come to see how this region used to be a coastal area millions of years ago. “The fossil has been found from the Tethyan sediments of Ladakh when I was searching for specimens for geological museum and laboratory that I had established a few days back in a school in Ladakh. Tethys sea was once separating India from Tibet in geological history till 20 million years ago. The presence of fossils of palm from the sediments of Indus molasse in Ladakh clearly shows that Ladakh Himalayas were once below the sea. Probably the area till sediments from where the fossils are found were below the sea. Palm fossils represent near-coastal environment,” he said. Arya added that large size of the actual specimens of fossil shows that conditions at the time of deposition would have been hot and humid similar to equatorial climatic conditions. “These types of floras are found nowhere in the modern-day Himalayas. Fossils of palm leaves have been found in Kasauli, Himachal, by HB Medlicott in 1864.
Confirming that towering peaks of Himalayas have emerged from the Tethys ocean, noted geologist Dr Ritesh Arya has discovered 20 million years old fossil of palm leaves from fragile rocks of Ladakh. Measuring more than 4ft in length, the fossil is expected to be over 20 million years old when the present-day Himalayas were not
Discover Leh Ladakh has achieved another feat by becoming first to reach Zanskar valley of Ladakh using the newly built Manali Shinkula Zanskar road that has decreased the distance between Manali and Zanskar by over 630 KM. The road between Darcha in Lahaul valley of Himachal and Padum in Zanskar is being built above 16,600ft high Shinkula (Shingo-la) pass for nearly 10 years now. Although the road is not safe for general traffic movement and is still under construction, team Discover Leh Ladakh successfully reached Padum, headquarters of Zanskar, in their SUV in just one day. Otherwise, Manali to Zanskar is a four-day-long drive and it is two days drive from Leh. Zanskar is a Buddhist dominated valley in Kargil district of Ladakh. The beautiful valley which is home to a large number of huge glaciers, rivers, towering peaks and vast plateaus, is divided from Suru valley (Kargil) via Pensi-la pass. Kargil to Padum (Zanskar) is about 9 to 10 hours hectic but beautiful journey. Drang-Drung glacier and Nun Kun glaciers that almost touch the road are main attractions of this road trip. Zanskar is home to about 15,000 residents. As their culture, trade relations and religion is similar to residents of Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal, they always wanted to get connected with Himachal. Despite old Kargil-Zanskar road, the residents used to come to Manali and Lahaul after covering large distance on foot via Shinkula pass. The residents of Zanskar valley celebrated coming close to Himachal by over 630km as they welcomed the first vehicle in the valley that arrived via new road after crossing the Shinkula pass on September 3, 2019. Watching a vehicle coming into the valley from Shinkula pass, the three from Discover Leh Ladakh were given warm welcome by happy residents in many villages. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) officials,
Discover Leh Ladakh has achieved another feat by becoming first to reach Zanskar valley of Ladakh using the newly built Manali Shinkula Zanskar road that has decreased the distance between Manali and Zanskar by over 630 KM. The road between Darcha in Lahaul valley of Himachal and Padum in Zanskar is being built above 16,600ft
If you are planning a Leh Ladakh trip from Kolkata, then this is the post for you. Tourists from West Bengal, especially from Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), can be seen visiting all the hill stations of the country, including Ladakh, round the year. Come September and October and the whole Leh-Ladakh is thronged by tourists from West Bengal. Visiting new places every year is in the blood of Bengalis. Be it summer time, monsoon season, spring or winter season, tourists from Kolkata can be seen in everywhere in Ladakh. Bengali tourists are straight forward, honest, they never cheat, can adjust according to the situation and are very friendly. That is why everybody in Ladakh gives them warm welcome. Reaching Ladakh from West Bengal is not simple like visiting Delhi or Mumbai. Unfortunately, there is no rail or direct flight connectivity between Kolkata and Leh (Ladakh). In this post, we shall guide you about all available options to reach Ladakh from Kolkata. Whether you are from Kolkata or Howrah, Durgapur, Asansol, Bardhaman, Darjeeling, Haldia, Barrackpore, Kharagpur, Midnapore, Berhampore, Cooch Behar or any other part of West Bengal, either you have to book connecting flight to Leh Airport or have to book train to Delhi, Chandigarh or Jammu from where you can travel by taxi. Planning a Ladakh trip from Kolkata is very easy. A large number of tourists from Kolkata (Or other cities of West Bengal) love to experience thrilling jeep safari/road journey from Manali to Leh Ladakh or from Srinagar to Leh Ladakh. Some even do a round trip starting from Manali and ending at Srinagar after visiting Ladakh. This trip is possible in the opposite direction as well i.e. Srinagar – Ladakh – Manali. But note that Manali to Leh road remains open from June to mid-October only
If you are planning a Leh Ladakh trip from Kolkata, then this is the post for you. Tourists from West Bengal, especially from Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), can be seen visiting all the hill stations of the country, including Ladakh, round the year. Come September and October and the whole Leh-Ladakh is thronged by
