The palace is distinguished monument and a historical building. The nine-storeyed palace was built by the 17th century illustrious ruler of Ladakh, Sengge Namgyal. It is an imposing structure, though in ruins now, situated on a hill and commands a grand view of the Leh town.

The building in grand Tibetan architecture is said to have inspired the famous potala of Lahasa, built half a century later. Namgyal Tsemo, the peak overlooking the town, are the ruins of the fortbuilt, by the king Tashi namgyal in the 16th century, as a royal residence.

Fact File

How to Reach

Indian Airlines and Jet Airway cater to the need of world class Air services for the tourists. Leh, the principal town of Ladakh has now become gateway to the world by any connecting flight from Delhi one can fly in to Leh from abroad in a day as well. All through the year, there is air service from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar.

By Road

The main overland approach to Ladakh is from the Kashmir valley via the 434-km. Srinagar-Leh road, which remains open for traffic from early June to November. The most dramatic part of this road journey is the ascent up the 11,500 ft. (3505 m high Zoji-la, the pass in the Great Himalayan Wall that serves as the gateway to Ladakh. The J&K State Road Transport Corporation (J&KSRTC) operates regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and Leh on this route with an overnight halt at Kargil. Taxis (cars and jeeps) are also available at Srinagar for the journey. Groups can charter Deluxe and A-class buses for Leh, Kargil or Padum (Zanskar) from the J&K SRTC at Srinagar. Since 1989, the 473-km Manali-Leh road has been serving as the second land approach to Ladakh. Open for traffic from around mid-June to early October, this high road traverses the upland desert plateaux of Rupsho whose altitude ranges from 3,660 m to 4,570 m. A number of high passes fall enroute among which the highest one, known as Taglang-la, is the world’s second highest motorable pass at an altitude of 17,469 feet (5,325 m.) Himachal Pradesh Tourism, H.P. SRTC and J&K SRTC operate Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Manali and Leh. The bus journey between Leh and Manali takes about 19 hours or two days with an overnight halt in camps at Serchu and Pang. Gypsy and jeep taxis are also available, both at Manali and Leh.