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In June, ThePrint was invited to participate in the very first ‘Volkswagen Experiences India’. During the media leg of this epic road trip, ThePrint’s Contributing Editor Kushan Mitra travelled to Leh, Ladakh and onward to the Nubra Valley and even to the source of the Nubra River, the legendary Siachen Glacier, in the first-ever media drive event to Siachen. At the Base Camp for ‘The World’s Highest Battlefield’, the sombre reality of the 40-year-old conflict became apparent at the Siachen War Memorial to almost 1,000 Indian Army Soldiers who have laid down their lives defending our borders, many of them due to the extreme conditions of ‘Indira Col’ at Siachen Glacier.
At the confluence of the Nubra and Shyok rivers that flow off the high mountains, is the Diskit Monastery. This old Buddhist Gompa, established in 1433, holds a gory secret. At the top of the monastery, reached after a 15-minute climb, lies the ‘Mahakaal’ (Protector) temple. Inside, the idol of Mahakaal - the similarities between Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism are evident here - holds in his hands the skull and arm of a 16th century Mongol warrior. A legend and myth surrounds how he acquired these gory items that are extremely well preserved thanks to the arid, dry conditions of the area. Watch the video to understand the story.
Driving through towering snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas and Karakoram ranges, ThePrint’s Kushan Mitra travelled through some of the world’s highest motorable roads such as Khardungla Top, colloquially known as ‘K-Top’, at 17,982 feet high. Even in mid-June, the heights were coated in snow, and the roads through such passes brought out a renewed admiration for the work of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). This isn’t only in Leh but also through the Gata Loops that lead to Lahaul and Spiti and all the way to the newly-built Atal Tunnel under Rohtang Pass.
Alongside videographer Danishmand Khan, Kushan also travelled to the amazing Hanle ‘Dark Sky’ Reserve in southern Ladakh, where he got a celestial surprise with the Milky Way clearly visible. On the way back, we admired the amazing high-altitude desert landscape of the area while driving back through what seemed like the middle of the Shara, although we were 12,000 feet up above sea level and driving beside rapids on the Indus River. Along the way we also passed through Tsokar, the amazing salt-water lake on the Rupshu Plateau.
All of this was made possible thanks to Volkswagen India and Volkswagen Experiences Ladakh. We would like to thank Volkswagen India for supporting ThePrint on this epic endeavour and of course the trusty and reliable Volkswagen Virtus 1.0 TSI sedan that we used.
@kushanmitra @volkswagen_india
#Volkswagen #VolkswagenIndia #VolkswagenExperiences #VolkswagenExperiencesLadakh #Siachen #SiachenGlacier #BorderRoadsOrganisation #RoadTrip #Khardungla #Leh #Nubra #NubraValley #Shyok #IndusRiver #IndianArmy #Mountains #Himalayas #Himalayan #Karakoram #Snowcapped #MountainPasses #Ladakh #Travel #Desert #Hanle #MilkyWay #Stars #NightSky
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9 окт 2024
