to as pre-Buddhist religion - this must not to be confused with Bon, because there is some uncertainty amongst scholars as to whether or not Bon actually existed as a religion in Ladakh. The early religion of Ladakh was presumably one where the people worshipped many gods (pantheistic), the people also worshiped many spirits associated with the water, earth, and mountains. It was also animistic, and included ancestor worship and shamanistic practices. What has happened is that a lot of these religious practices that today go under the label of being "Buddhist" were really not so - what happened is that as Buddhism was spreading in Ladakh and gaining followers most of their deities and religious practices were brought into the Buddhist fold and thus gradually went under the generic label "Buddhist" or "Buddhism". Remnants of this pre-Buddhist religion can still be seen today, though it is more common to find them amongst the Buddhist populations of Ladakh - not so common among those that have converted to Islam, probably because Buddhism was more tolerant and in comparison Islam was not because Islam does not accept idol worship or the worship of many gods. Religious life in Ladakh before Buddhism is also directly linked to the original inhabitants of Ladakh. These were the Brogpas.
Ladakh is a region of India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also known as the "Land of High Passes". Ladakh is the highest plateau of state of Kashmir with much of it being over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It spans the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River valley. Ladakh district was a district of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India until 1 July 1979 when it was divided into Leh district and Kargil district. Each of these districts is governed by a Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, which is based on the pattern of the Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council.
Source: Wikipedia & www.ecologicalfootprint.in
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