Yu. N. Roerich visited Ladakh as part of the Central Asian expedition of N. K. Roerich, his father, a famous artist, thinker and public figure. The expedition started from Kashmir, arrived on August 18, 1925, and lasted just over a month.
Key words: Yu. N. Roerich, Ladakh, Buddhist philosophy, images of Maitreya, epic of Geserkhan.
Ladakh, with its capital in the city of Leh, is part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. Ladakh (translated from Tibetan as "mountain country", "country on a pass") is located between the Karakoram and Greater Himalayan ranges at an altitude of more than 3000 m above sea level. It borders Pakistan to the northwest and China to the northeast. The sacred Indus River flows through Ladakh, originating in the Kailash Range 40 km north of Lake Manasarovar. It is home to peoples of both Indo-European and Tibetan descent, and has one of the lowest population densities in Central Asia.
Ladakh had unique opportunities for historical and cultural research. Due to its geographical position at the crossroads of routes from west to east and from south to north (several Central Asian caravan routes from India, Tibet, China and Turkestan, including the Great Silk Road, passed here) this ancient principality was a meeting place and intersection of various cultural and spiritual influences.
Yuri Roerich, young scientist in the East (at the time of the beginning of the experiment-
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d (he was 23 years old), for the first time had the opportunity to test himself in real field work. For him, the expedition to Central Asia was a serious challenge, as he had not only to conduct scientific work, but also to ensure the life and security of the caravan. Preparations for the expedition took place in Srinagar, the Kashmiri capital, and took just over five months. It was necessary to purchase the necessary equipment and provisions, as well as pack and riding horses, to which Yu. Roerich reacted as responsibly as possible. In his work "On the T ...
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