The Dha Hanu Village

Arayan outpost in Mongoloid Ladakh

Blond hair and blue eyes in a Himalayan population. A narrow valley of the Indus close to line of control live the brokpa , an isolated people of the purest Arayan who are racially and in some ways culturally, very different from the rest of Ladakh.

The usual route is a brunch road that leads off from the Srinagar highway at Khaltse which is 160 km / 100 miles from Leh.

Visiting the Brokpa villages of Dha, Biama and Hanu is more cultural and anthropological tourism than sightseeing.

The community focuses mainly on growing Apricot, grapes and apples. Apricots from this region are renowned for their sweetness. The Drokpa have a unique sense of dressing, especially women wearing ornate head-covering made from silver, beads and flowers. Dha Hanu is situated at an altitude of 2700m above sea level, therefore it is warmer than Leh, and is among the few places in Ladakh.

Brokpas – people of the region
The most striking feature of the Brokpas , more than their Arayan looks , is their headdress A bunch of flower that both man and women wear on their head called Shoklo , the flower grow wild in the region .

 The people of these region belief in Buddhism which were converted recently by a monk from Lamayuru Monastery in 1820s they retain a great part of their old part of their old animistic Bon faith. The primary deity is the goddess of wealth and fertility, Sheringma Lhamo.

Like people of the Himalayan region, Brokpas (people of the pasture) celebrate the harvest called chopo Rubla held alternately in Dha and Garkone during October , the festival features among other items a session of public kissing , when men lock lips with their wives or Lady friends in the open field as they Dance. The Brokpa language,which the Dha , Garkone and Biama villagers still speak , is an Indo Arayan tongue closely resembling Sheena, which is spoken in Dras, Gilgit and other adjoining areas. There are today some 3,000 Brokpas living in the four Villages and neighbouring hamlets.