Travel + Leisure India & South Asia

THE LAST OF THE ARYANS

Around five hours from Leh by road, in the remote valley of Ladakh, is the unexplored village of Garkone. Besides the breathtaking landscape of the place, what makes it unique is the fact that Garkone, along with a handful of other villages in the area, is home to a unique community called Brokpas.

The Brokpas (Brok means hillock and Pa means inhabitant) believe they are the last ‘pure specimens’ of Aryan blood, and are regarded as the master race by many across the world. Legend has it that the Brokpas are the direct descendants of the Dards, of Indo-Aryan stock left behind by Alexander the Great, when he abandoned his mission at the banks of the River Indus in 326 BCE.

It was

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