Published Paper Details:

Ladakh is now a Union territory of India. It was created on 31 October 2019 by passing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act. Ladakh is the highest plateau in India. The territory of India consists of two districts namely Leh and Kargil. The Indus, Shyok and Nubra river valleys flow in the Leh district. The Suru, Dras and Zanskar river valleys flow in the Kargil district. Leh is Buddhist dominated (with a population of 66.40% Buddhits out of 133,487) while Kargil is Muslim (mostly Shia) dominated (with a population of 76.87% Muslim out of 140,802). Leh has Bauti (a Tibetan language) as the predominant mother-tongue while Kargil has Purkhi as the predominant mother-tongue. This region is well known for its difficult terrain, landscape, and practices of three religious sects such as Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. As we all know that there is some sort of syncretism between Buddhism and Hinduism which brings religious and cultural amalgamation in the region of Ladakh too. But when the question of rights over motherland and possession of property become the real bone of contention then the minority religion of the nation raises issues of regional autonomy, insecurities of cultural, religious and social identities as they fear it. This is how syncretism reduces. This is what is happening in the region of Ladakh as it is now a Union territory where the very act of the Government of India had provided the sense of security by making Ladakh a Union territory of India but at the same time there is insecurities about autonomy that they were enjoying in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. This article is dedicated on the impacts of the de-operationalizing Article 370 and repealing 35A and hence the changes in demography, culture, economy, and politics of the minority religion i.e. Buddhism in the Himalayan region especially Ladakh.