1 Ancient Petroglyphs of Ladakh: New Discoveries and Documentation

Chapter Summary

This chapter draws on more than fifteen years of research to document the petroglyphs of Ladakh in both well-known and newly discovered sites. It begins with a brief overview of earlier research in Ladakh and neighbouring regions. The Moravian missionary, August Herman Francke, was the first Western scholar to write about Ladakhi rock art in two journal articles written in 1902 and 1903. Mani reports on rock art from Lower Ladakh, Nubra and Zangskar. Francfort et al give a valuable analytical report of petroglyphs spreading from the interior regions of Zangskar to Leh and Lower Ladakh. Hauptmann reports that in northern Pakistan there are some fifty 'giants' - petroglyphs of male anthropomorphic figures with outstretched arms which he likewise attributes to the Bronze Age. The 'Domkhar Sanctuary' is a constellation of rock art on the right bank of the river Indus in Domkhar village in Lower Ladakh.

Keywords: August Herman Francke; Domkhar Sanctuary; Hauptmann; Ladakh; Pakistan; petroglyphs