1Ph.D., Department of History, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
2Associate Professor, UILS, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
The Himalayan region of Ladakh located between the high and lofty mountain ranges forms a strategic border area. Located at a junction point, it shares its borders with Pakistan and China. From the earliest times, the frontier region of Ladakh acted as an important area that connected Central Asia and South Asia. It was used as a trade route in the overland trade which existed for centuries exerting socio-economic developments. The famous ‘Silk Route’ which connected Central Asia with Europe during the 1st and 2nd century A.D passed through Ladakh. Thus, lying on the main trade route from South Asia across the Karakoram to Central Asia, the region became a meeting point of different cultures, languages and religions. The broad trade that took place through Ladakh acted as a meeting ground of different civilisations and people. The historical trade brought diverse groups together and created highly cosmopolitan markets exhibiting intercultural contact.
Ladakh, Trade, India, Central Asia, Barter, Begar, Dogras, British
