Zangla

Around 30 km away from Padum, Zangla is known for being the capital of Zanskar once upon a time. There is an ancient fortress built on top of a hill just before the start of the village, which gave it the name Zangla Kingdom and is believed to have been constructed during 11th century. It is an uphill climb of 1 km from the village and the path is lined with chortens. There is a small gompa nearby at Tsazar village, which is separated by a bridge from Zanskar and is just 7 km from Zangla. It is across the river and is known to house some fabulous wall paintings. There is a nunnery right at the end of Zangla village with some well-maintained boddhisattvas. Female monks (or djomos) live there and practise a monastic life. The rare boddhisattvas and statues are said to be very old, possibly even 300 years of antiquity.
All these sights are accessible by road and Zangla is a lovely small village to enjoy the comforts of a homestay. There are 3–4 homestays in this village.