Leh

The historic royal palace located in Leh.
Leh Palace, the royal residence, was constructed by King Sengge Namgyal (1612–1642), most likely during the time between Sengge Namgyal's death in 1642 and the Portuguese Jesuit priest Francisco de Azevedo's visit to Leh in 1631, during which he made no mention of it.

This Palace is nine stories high, with the royal family living on the top floors and stables and storerooms on the lower levels. When Kashmiri armies attacked the palace in the middle of the 19th century, it was abandoned. The royal family relocated to Stok Palace, which is located on the southern bank of the Indus River, in the south.

As previously indicated, the town's original name was sLes, which means "encampment of nomads," rather than sLel, as it is presently spelled. These [Tibetan] nomads most likely traveled to the Leh valley during the period when Dard colonists started irrigating it. Situated atop Nam-rgyal-rtse-mo hill, the oldest portion of the ruins is known as 'aBrog-pal-mkhar (Dard castle). 2010 saw Leh severely destroyed by unexpected floods brought on by a cloud burst.