Traditional Dresses, Textile and Ornaments of Ladakh: An Overview

Abstract

Traditions are significant part of a society. It carries an ancestral legacy and helps to maintain continuity between different generations, providing a remarkable identity to its followers. The essential traditional elements of a society consists of dresses, ornaments, jewellery, folksong, folkdance, language, art, architecture, rituals and rites, religious practice, heritage sites and monuments, etc. All these together give an exclusive identity to its followers representing a particular community. Through these cultural symbols, one can have a thorough understanding of cultural life of the community. In Ladakh, instead of its tough environmental conditions and high splendid peaks, the people of Ladakh have nested a vibrant and rich culture, attracting travelers since ages to admire its outlandish tradition. No culture survives in absence of its upholder. Therefore, the importance of cultural life of Ladakh is incomplete without description of its inhabitants. Residing in tough terrain, the people of Ladakh have preserved their ancient culture and glorify it at global level as well. They still follow their aged old customs and traditions and feel proud in their ancestral legacy which is highly visible during festive occasions and celebrations. During these celebrations, Ladakh’s people dressed themselves completely in traditional attire heavily adorned with jewellery, which is the centre of attraction, representing the whole Ladakh. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to highlight the traditional costumes of Ladakh, the practice of weaving and textile and its present status. This paper also discusses the changes brought by the new forces of globalization that are now shaping our times and what they mean for the cultural life of Ladakh and its people.