Leh, Sept. 15 -- In a landmark moment for cultural preservation in the Union Territory, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Vinai Kumar Saxena, has officially declared Kumik village in Zanskar as the region's first designated 'Heritage Village' on Tuesday, today, coinciding with the launch of the Ladakh Zanskar Festival 2026.

Nestled in the high-altitude Zanskar Valley, Kumik is renowned for its traditional houses, sacred spaces, agricultural practices, and age-old traditions, and is widely known for preserving a rich Buddhist textual tradition, including precious Kanjur manuscripts and other Tibetan Buddhist materials. It offers a glimpse into a different side of Zanskar - as a place where knowledge, faith and cultural traditions were pr...