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Shey Palace

Located 15km to the south of Leh on the Leh-Manali highway is the Shey Palace. The 3 storey palace is perched on a hillock overlooking the beautiful Shey village. 'Shey' loosely translated into Ladakhi means mirror (or maybe reflection) and it is the reflection of the palace on the still waters of the lake below which gave origins to its name.

Shey used to be the capital and the home for Ladakh's royal family up until the Dogra conquests forced the royal family to be stripped of their power and move to Stok. The Shey palace is situated at a strategic location overlooking the entire heartland...
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Shey Palace
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palace under renovation, not much to see inside but great views of the valley

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The Shey palace is pretty impossible to miss when you are driving on the road out of Leh (towards Manali).

For me personally, the best part about visiting Shey is the expanded view of the valley and its villages. From one of the vantage points (a little up the hill above the palace) you can spot the Thiksey, Stakna, Matho and Spituk monasteries. Goes to show how important this vantage point is and it is no wonder that the ancient kings of Ladakh built their capital there.

You can spend a long time there, sitting on a rocky outcrop above the palace and admire the surroundings. I've taken many a wonderful picture from this location. Also there is a small trail leading up to the ruins at the top of the hill. The trail is narrow, steep and sometimes hard to find. I've tried going up to the top twice but turned back in the middle at both times. If you do attempt it, then please do it with care. I can imagine that the views from the top would be even more amazing.

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a view fit for a king.
A monk surveying the plains of the Ladakh's heartland sitting from his vantage point on a hill near the Shey palace.
© photo in Leh by Saravana. All rights reserved.
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autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.
autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.
© photo in Leh by Saravana. All rights reserved.
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white chortens outside the shey palace..
white chortens outside the shey palace.. Near Shey village, Leh Ladakh
© photo in Leh by Saravana. All rights reserved.
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The ruins of the ancient fort at Shey.
Here you can see the ruins of the ancient fort at Shey perched on top of the hill.
© photo in Leh by Saravana. All rights reserved.
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Giant statue of Sakyamuni at the temple in the Shey palace complex.
There are 2 statues of Sakyamuni in the palace complex. The first one located inside palace is made of gilded copper and is about 3 storeys tall. The other statue is in a temple outside the palace, nearby a group of white chortens. This seated statue of Sakyamuni is about 7.5m tall, made of copper and brass plated with gold and studded with gems and other precious stones.
© photo in Leh by Saravana. All rights reserved.

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After more than 10 years of living the corporate life, i've recently downshifted my life to create Kettik and dabble in travel photography. My ultimate goal is to travel and make a living through Kettik, and empower others to do the same as well.

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