LEH - LADAKH TRIP.
Our Leh - Ladakh Trip.
The Hall Of Fame.
The Hall of Fame is a war memorial as well as a museum, created, run and maintained by the Indian Army. It is located near the Leh airfield on Leh Shringar highway. In front of the Hall of Fame building, alongside the road Army's war machines are on display. These include very nicely maintained jeeps mounted with recoilless anti-tank missile launchers and 25/75 inch Howitzer field guns. In the centre of these war machines, there is also a serene-looking statue of Buddha in meditation. As if the Indian Army wants the world to know that though we, as a nation, are peace-loving we are ready for war any time if the need arises. The timings of the Hall of Fame are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The entry fee is INR 25 per person.
A few retired JCOs present at the Hall also double up as guides. As payments were made by our group leader I am not very sure about the amount paid to Ex. Havaldar Hussain of Ladakh Scouts was our guide.
Havaldar Hussain as a guide was very good and I am sure all other Ex JCOs working as guides at Hall of Fame will be equally good.
The First Room.
As you enter, the first room of the Hall of Fame is full of flags. There was a National Flag, flanked by the flags of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. In the lower second tier were the flags or Ensigns of army units and formations deployed in the Ladakh area of operations. For obvious reasons, photo/videography was strictly prohibited.
Neatly arranged Army Memorabilia occupied the remaining spaces.
The Second room,
This room is dedicated to Ladakh. In a way, it introduces Ladakh Povience to the viewer. With the help of photographs and text, the history, the culture, the religion, the people and festivals of Ladakh are explained. Being a ladakhi himself, our guide made it more interesting by adding personal touches.
The Third Room.
The third room is actually a large hall, it is also the heart of the museum and the war memorial.A centrally placed large table with a sand model depicting the topography of Ladakh with all the mountain ranges, valleys, rivers and road network was on display.
On this Sand model, all the features where the Kargil War was fought, for example, Tiger Hill, Tololing, Turtuk, and Thang, Jubar and Khalubar were clearly marked. The Indian army units that were tasked to attack various targets and how the battle progressed were also marked on the Sand model.
On other tables in the hall,l guns and other war-waging equipment were displayed. On the walls photographs of the troops during the operations and posting after a victory were displayed. The information boards on display had information about various battles. Our guide who had done a good job till then really came in his element when it came to explaining the fighting which had taken Palace in various targets. With his parade ground loud voice full of patriotism, so full of energy and so intimately involved in telling the stories of various battles on the Sand models of the valour, heroism and supreme sacrifices made by our officers and men, telling us about their war cries about the last letters they wrote home, was totally engrossing. All this was interspersed with loud cries of BHARAT MATA KI JAI, by the guide and repeated by not only our group but by all those who were present in the Hall. There were times when hearing about how valiantly our men fought and how they died on the battlefield left a lump in many throats and left many eyes moist.It was a wonderful and patriotic experience made great by a good guide. After we exited the hall went and paid our respects at the war memorial.Waked around the memorial grounds and soaked in the atmosphere. Also visited the Savounier shop. Frankly speaking, I was a bit disappointed. On sale were items which are also available in the open market in better shops in cities. There were hardly any items related to the army or the Kargil War.
Check out the captions of photos for more info.
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