The earliest history of Ladakh is too vague without any substantial source of information, to recreate the past. It is said to comprise of small fragmented principalities with local chiefs called Gyalpo. Although, there are some records that Ladakh was under Tibetan suzerainty as early as early ninth century. On the other hand we have substantial record, particularly in the form of rock art (petroglyphs) that indicate that people crossed these mighty mountains even more than two thousands year ago. The inscriptions of Kharoshti, at Khaltse indicate that the founder of the Kushan Empire, Wima Kadphises, in the middle of the first century AD was indeed interested in Ladakh, which by then must have some kind of settlements.

From racial comosition, Ladakh’s people show a blending of the Indo-Iranian and the mongoloid. The Dokpas of lower Ladakh are considered a subgroup of the Dards.   These Dards have once known to have colonized the whole of Ladakh. The later Tibetan influence, particularly after the ‘second spreading’ overwhelmed the Dards, pushing them to a small pocket. Still later Islamic influence (13th century and later) from west further reduced the Dard habitation, to the Da-Hanu valley of lower Ladakh.

A more precise and independent political history of Ladakh can only be recreated in the tenth century and later. During the reign of Langdarma in Tibet (9th century), he nearly eradicated Buddhism from the country, which was by then growing comfortably. He was assassinated in 842 AD, but then followed an era of chaos, particularly by the rivalry between his two sons. This continued for more than a century. One of their grandson, Nyima Gon escaped to western Tibet and craved a niche for himself. Ladakh is supposed to have been a part of this new kingdom. Nyima Gon was indeed the founder of the Ladakh dynasty, and also a legitimate representative of the ancient Tibetan royal house, the line of Sron-tsan Gampo. On his death the kingdom of Western Tibet was divided into his three sons. ‘Chronicle of Ladakh’ mentions that one of the son, Palgyi Gon got Mar-yul (Ladakh) from Rudok (east) and Zojila (west) while the next one got Rudok and Purnag and the third one got Zanskar and Spiti. Thus Palgi Gon can be considered as the first king of Ladakh proper.

The dynasty continued and many took interest in the further spreading of Buddhism through contact with Kashmir and other parts of India. It was in this second spreading that one of the earliest of monasteries of Ladakh, Alchi, became a centre of attraction. With an element of some doubt, the dynasty is considered to have continued from father to son. But Islamization of Kashmir by 12 or 13th century and disappearance of Buddhism from India once again let Ladakh to look towards Tibet, which by then has resurrected well from the plunder. By early 15th century Ladakh started getting raids from Muslim dominated Kashmir. Muslimization of eastern parts of Ladakh had already begun.

By middle of the fifteenth century the second dynastic rule, popularly known as the Namgyal Dynasty begun. Skirmished with Tibet and Kashmir continued, with Ladakh now and then expanding their jurisdiction. Sengge Namgyal’s rule is considered the golden period of Ladakh, the Leh palace was built during his period and perhaps Leh also got its importance since then. On one of its defeat at Bodh Kharbu, Sengge Namgyal had promise to pay tribute to the Moguls in Kashmir. This was reminded during Deldan Namgyal’s reign when Aurangzeb visited Kashmir in 1663. During one of the Tibet’s invasion in Ladakh the Ladakhi had to sought the help of Moguls thus maintaining a more closer ties with the west. Ladakh thus occupied an ambivalent position between Buddhist Tibet and Muslim Kashmir.