Images of Ladahk

ABOUT THE LINGSHED, LADAKH PROJECT

This is the story of Lingshed Village, high in the Zanskar Mountains of Ladakh, India and of the Buddhist Lama, Geshe Ngawang Jangchup, who works tirelessly with his fellow villagers to improve their economic and physical conditions while honoring their cultural and spiritual heritage.

Judith Brown took the black and white photographs during the course of three visits to Lingshed and the Zanskar region of Ladakh, India. They focus on the dramatic landscape, friendly faces and symbols of the special development and preservation projects that the people of Lingshed and surrounding villages have undertaken on their own behalf.

These projects are not the initiative of any large international development or conservation organization, though they now have the support of some small non-governmental organizations in Europe and the United States. Most of the funding for these projects is raised through donations that Geshe Ngawang Jangchup receives from friends and supporters, many of whom he originally met when they passed through Lingshed while trekking in the mountains.

The projects focus on six specific areas: education of children and literacy for adults; improvements to the traditional Amchi medical system of health care and the integration of western and allopathic medical treatments; spiritual education for girls and women through the development of a Nunnery; preservation of folk culture through song, dance and theatrical troupes and of historical spiritual sites through restoration of Tibetan Buddhist shrines; physical and educational improvements to the Lingshed Monastery; and annual spiritual teachings for the lay men and women of Lingshed and surrounding villages. These programs are described in greater detail on the Lingshed web site.

42	The school in Lingshed is sponsored by an Austrian group, Friends of Lingshed and can be seen here.