ABSTRACT
Its contiguity with Central Asia, Xinjiang and Tibet and its proximity to the Silk Route turned Kashmir and Ladakh into a major gateway in the IndoCentral Asian exchange of men and materials through the ages. Enjoying a central position in the network of caravan trails, Leh – the capital town of Ladakh – was an important transit emporium where Indian traders met their counterparts from Tibet, Central Asia and Afghanistan. Undaunted by numerous physical obstacles and displaying a unique adventurous spirit, these traders roamed across the lofty Himalayan and Karakoram mountains and the barren deserts. Usually the traders would exchange or sell their goods at Leh thus making it the terminal point of the multilateral trade carried between India, Tibet and Central Asia. This paper seeks to analyse the extent and pattern of trans-Himalayan trade carried through Kashmir and Ladakh with adjoining territories of Chinese Turkestan (Xinjiang) and Tibet, and also to assess the impact of this trade on the society and culture of Ladakh and Kashmir.
