Leh Palace

Sengge Namgyal built the palace in the early seventeenth century, nine storeys of rammed earth, mud brick and timber stepping up a spur above Leh, with the royal apartments at the top and stores and stables below, on the same architectural model that later produced the Potala in Lhasa. The royal family left for Stok in the nineteenth century and the building was abandoned, and much of the interior is bare, with restoration ongoing. The value is in the structure and the position: rooms and stairways climb through the thickness of the building, and the roof looks over the old town to the Stok range.

The main sights

• The nine storeys - mud brick and timber stepping up the spur.
• The internal stairways - dark passages climbing through the building.
• The roof view - Leh old town below and the Stok range beyond.
• The restoration work - conservation in progress through the structure.

When to go

May to September; Leh's winter is severe and some access is limited. Late afternoon light on the palace face from the town below is the best photograph. Sunset from the roof is the usual timing.

Good to know

Interiors are largely empty with limited display. Stairways are dark, uneven and unlit in places, and a torch helps. The climb from the bazaar is short but felt at 3,500 metres by new arrivals.

Nearby

Shanti Stupa lies across the town; Leh bazaar is below.

Key facts