Buddhist monasteries in the mountain desert, which forms a part of troubled Jammu and Kashmir state and borders both China and Pakistan, are a reminder of the region’s ties to its eastern neighbour, Tibet.
Ethnic Tibetans fled across the border after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959 and live in so-called “Little Tibets” in north and south India.
Most Tibetan families in India send at least one child to a monastery to learn about their own culture, language and religion.