Ladakh Declares Kumik in Zanskar as Its First Heritage Village

18 September 2026· LadakhNational

Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena declared Kumik village as Ladakh's first Heritage Village during the 11th Ladakh Zanskar Festival 2026, held in the Zanskar Valley on 15-16 September 2026. Kumik lies in the Zanskar region of Kargil district, a remote high-altitude cold desert known for Tibetan Buddhist monastic traditions. The recognition rests on its rare Kanjur manuscripts, traditional mud architecture, sacred spaces and continuing agricultural customs. The designation follows a "living heritage" approach, protecting practices and knowledge systems still in daily use rather than static monuments, and aims to promote heritage tourism under the "Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi" vision.

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Ladakh became a Union Territory without a legislature on 31 October 2019 | It has two districts, Leh and Kargil | The Kanjur is the collection of translated words of the Buddha in the Tibetan Buddhist canon

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