Na obisk k potomcem Aleksandra Velikega, Dha Hanu, Ladakh, Indija

Naše potovanje po Ladakhu se je začelo v majhni vasici Alchi, ki leži dobri dve uri vožnje od prestolnice Leh. Simpatična vasica na nadmorski višini 3100 metrov je znana predvsem po najstarejšem samostanu v Ladakhu, ki ga lahko najdeš na koncu vasi. A za nas je bila v osnovi le super točka, kjer smo se lahko odpočili od naporne poti, navadili na himalajske višine in naredili plane za naprej. Prva prava destinacija na naši poti pa je bil majhnen zaselek Dha Hanu ob reki Ind, na območju, ki je le streljaj od precej delikatne mejne razmejitve med Indijo in Pakistanom. Glede na ugotovitve nekaterih zgodovinarjev naj bi bili pripadniki ljudstva Drokpa, ki poseljujo le nekaj zaselkov na tem spornem območju, potomci vojakov Aleksandra Velikega, ki so se po porazih s tamkajšnjimi veljaki izgubili v teh precej neobljudenih koncih. No, po ugotovitvah drugih so potomci ljudstva Darth, ki so se v te kraje preselili iz Baltistana v sosednjem Pakistanu. A ne glede na to, kdo ima prav, so kraji prav zaradi njih nekaj posebnega. Sama pot ob reki Ind je prava paša za oči in tistih dobrih 5 ur vožnje je minilo še preveč hitro. A če je bila vasica ob našem prihodu skoraj prazna, se je v pozno popoldanskih urah vse spremenilo. Ne da bi vedeli smo v tiste konce prišli ravno ob festivalu, ki je namenjen praznovanju druge žetve – ja, na dobrih 3000 metrih so bila v oktobru polja še vedno polna paradižnikov, kumar in najrazličnejših bučk. Ljudje so se zaradi tega preoblačili v tradicionalna oblačila in se pripravljali na večerno fešto. 🙂 Vse skupaj je bilo res čarobno, sploh večerni plesi in petje v sosednji vasici nedaleč stran. Ja, včasih je potrebno imeti za doživeti kaj posebnega tudi kanček sreče. 🙂 In še moje skromno mnenje – ljudstvo Drokpa so zagotovo potomci Aleksandra Velikega. Ker dvomim, da lahko še kdo tako obvlada pridelavo paradižnikov in ostale zelenjave kot naši skoraj sosednji Makedonci. 🙂

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Our journey to Ladakh started in a small village of Alchi, a two-hour drive from Leh city. A cozy village at an altitude of 3100 meters is known primarily because of the oldest monastery in Ladakh. But for us, it was basically just a great spot, where we could rest from the hard trip, get used to the Himalayan heights, and make plans for our journey. The first real destination on our trip was a small village of Dha Hanu by the Indus River, in an area that is just kilometers away from a disputed area between India and Pakistan. According to some historians, the members of the Drokpa people, who are living in just a few villages in the area, are descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great army, who lost their way back home after the battles in this area. Well, according to others, they are the descendants of Darth people, who moved to these parts from Baltistan in neighbouring Pakistan. But no matter who is right, the places are something special because of them. The journey along the river Indus is really spectacular. But if the village was almost empty at our arrival, everything changed in the late afternoon. Without knowing we came there on a festival day, which was dedicated to celebrating the second harvest – yes, at 3000 meters hight, in October the fields were still full of tomatoes, cucumbers and various vegetables. Because of the festival, people were dressed in traditional clothes and they were preparing for an evening dance. 🙂 All together, it was truly a magical experience, especially evening dances and singing in the neighbouring village not far away. Yes, sometimes you have to have some luck to witness special things. 🙂 And whats my opinion about their origin? The people of Drokpa are certainly the descendants of Alexander the Great. Because I doubt that anyone else can master the production of tomatoes and other vegetables more then our neighbours Macedonians. 🙂