From the very early times Ladakh was one of those principal regions on the Silk Route which acted as a major center of inter and intra-regional exchange system, facilitating economic, cultural and political contacts between India, on the one hand, and China, Tibet, Russia and the wider Central Asian region, on the other. But in the post-colonial period, Ladakh lost this position as an entrepot of international trade, and was forced to adjust itself to a new economic order which disallowed the region to reap the benefits of wider political and economic transformation which is an ongoing process on a global scale. Although within the major frame of the mountainous mass of the Himalayas, the society is undergoing transition, and this development is yet to find any real stability in this region. The study of this phenomenon in the Himalayas constitutes a vast subject and can be considered from many angles. I do not have a single conceptual frame that dominates my analysis, because the nature of the urban system and political dynamics in the Himalayan region of Ladakh is a product of many forces that shaped the lives of the people and affected their fortunes from time to time. They are far too complex to be subsumed under any specific category. Therefore, I have tried to approach the study of this region from varying analytical perspectives.

Current change in socioeconomic and political conditions in Asia is more profound than it has ever been. The areas in which this change is more evident are the fields of urbanization and political processes—for it is in the largest manifestation of human society that the growth and transition are more marked. Although within the major frame of mountainous mass of Himalayas the society is undergoing transition, this development is yet to find any real stability and is still the object of bewildered response by majority of people experiencing it. The study of this phenomenon in Himalayas constitutes a vast subject and can be considered from many angles. One of the ways to capture the enduring nature and impact of various processes involving urbanization and the political power structures of this region is to focus our attention specifically on the Himalayan region of Ladakh. Because Ladakh was one of those principal regions on Silk Route and acted as a major center of inter and intra-regional exchange system, facilitating economic, cultural and political contacts between India, on the one hand and China, Tibet, Russia and the wider Central Asian region, on the other, on the Silk Route, from very early times.

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