Question

Which region of Jammu and Kashmir is known as Khapa-chan?
A. Ladakh
B. Jammu
C. Kashmir
D. Karakoram

Answer 1

Hint: The literal meaning of Khapa-chan island of snow. It refers to the Eastern region of Jammu and Kashmir which receives a very high amount of snow.

Complete Answer:: Jammu and Kashmir is a former state and after Jammu and Kashmir reorganization act, which contained provisions that dissolved the state and reorganized it into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir in the West and Ladakh in the East. Before dissolution, Jammu and Kashmir was the only state with a Muslim-majority population. After the Indo-Pakistani war, Jammu and Kashmir were divided between India which controlled the regions of Jammu, Kashmir valley, and Ladakh, and Pakistan which controlled Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. After, Sino-Indian war, the Akasi chin area of Ladakh has been administered by China.
Srinagar is the summer capital, and Jammu is the winter capital. The Kashmir valley is famous for its beautiful mountainous landscape, and Jammu's numerous shrines attract tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims every year while Ladakh is also known as Khapa-chan which means land of snow. It was reported that more than a million tourists visited Kashmir in 2011. Ladakh is famous for its unique Indo-Tibetan culture. Chanting in Sanskrit and the Tibetan language forms an integral part of Ladakh's Buddhist lifestyle. Annual masked dance festivals, archery, and weaving became an important part of traditional life in Ladakh. Ladakhi food has much in common with Tibetan food, the most prominent foods being thukpa, noodle soup; and tsampa, roasted barley flour. People adorned with gold and silver ornaments and turquoise headgear fill the streets during Ladakhi festivals.

Thus, the correct option is A.

Note: The Karakoram is a great mountain system extending about 500 km from the easternmost extension of Afghanistan in a southeasterly direction along the watershed between Central and South Asia. The Karakorams are part of a complex of mountain ranges at the center of Asia, including the Hindu kush to the west, the Pamirs to the northwest, the Kunlum mountains to the northeast, and the Himalayas to the southeast.