Rani Tashi Diskit Angmo, Mulbekh.

Rani Tashi Diskit Angmo le, 92 yrs, is the Queen of the former princely state of Mulbekh in Ladakh. Fondly known as Ama Gyamo (the Queen Mother), she embodies the living memory of a bygone era in Ladakh’s trade networks and administrative traditions.

She recalls a time when salt was sourced from the high-altitude plains of Changthang. Although only a few villagers from Mulbekh undertook the arduous journey themselves, the route was more commonly traversed by traders from the Sham region, particularly Lamayuru and Khalatse. These merchants brought with them salt, wool and soda, which they traded in Mulbekh before moving westward toward Kargil and Baltistan.

Among them was her grandfather, Jigmet Namgyal, who led caravans from Mulbekh to Baltistan, a key node in this trans-Himalayan commerce.

Following the Dogra conquest of Ladakh, aristocratic families in Ladakh were conferred titles and responsibilities by the Dogra kings. Jigmet Namgyal’s father was known as Moti Ram, and he had two younger brothers, Hiraman and Tsering Choskyap.

Her family was responsible for the collection of the annual tax from Mulbekh known as bhaps, paid in cash. Though she still retains the ceremonial title of Goba (village head), a role she has held longer than anyone else in Ladakh, she no longer oversees tax collection, as the practice was discontinued. Yet she remembers clearly that at just 15 years of age, the village tax amounted to ₹100, paid entirely in silver rupee coins.