Dah Hanu | |
---|---|
Twin Villages | |
Coordinates: 34°36′N 76°30′E / 34.60°N 76.50°E | |
Country | India |
Union Territory | Ladakh |
District | Leh |
Tehsil | Khalsi [1] |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,816 |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 ( IST) |
Dah (also known as Dha) and Hanu are two villages of the Brokpa of the Leh District of the Indian union territory of Ladakh. [2] [3] Until 2010, these were the only two villages where tourists were allowed to visit out of a number of Brokpa villages.
The two villages situated in the Dha Hanu valley, also known as Aryan valley, about 163 km northwest of Leh in Ladakh. Being at a lower altitude, Dha and Hanu is warmer than Leh, allowing for the cultivation of wine-grapes and cherries as well as apricots and walnuts. [4]
The Brokpa people of Dah Hanu are nominally Buddhist but also worship their own animist pantheon of gods. They converted to Buddhism in the mid-nineteenth century. [5] They have an Indo-European appearance in contrast to the predominant Tibeto-Mongol inhabitants of most of Ladakh. [4] According to popular belief, the Brokpas were part of the army of Alexander the Great and came to the region over two thousand years ago [6] [7]
"Some households still practice polyandry...it is the groom who pays the bride price. Women have rights of divorce." [8]
They live in the villages of Dha and Hanu (commonly called as Dhahanu).