Chapter 13: A Shelter So High!
बसेरा ऊँचाई पर (चांगपा जनजाति, पश्मीना शॉल एवं लद्दाख)
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- Leh & Ladakh: Known as the 'Cold Desert' (ठंडा रेगिस्तान) of India; receives very little rainfall; features high dry plains, snow-capped mountains, and cold winds.
- Houses in Leh: Built of stone blocks coated with thick mud and lime; 2-story buildings; ground floor has no windows and houses cattle/stores food in winter; flat wooden roofs used for drying red chilies, maize, and dung cakes.
- Changpa Tribe (चांगपा): Nomadic tribe of Ladakh with only ~5,000 people living at 5,000 meters altitude; herd specialized Changra mountain goats that produce world-famous Pashmina wool.
- Pashmina Shawl (पश्मीना शॉल): Spun from mountain goat undercoat hair (6 times finer than human hair); 6 times warmer than a normal woolen sweater; takes 250 hours to weave by hand.
- Rebo (रेबो): Large cone-shaped tent woven from yak hair strips; pitched over a 2-foot deep trench; chimney hole allows stove smoke to escape.
- Lekha (लेखा): Stone-walled enclosure near the Rebo tent where Changpa families keep goats and sheep. Each family carves a distinct clan mark on their animals.
- Trap: CBSE states a Pashmina shawl is 10 times warmer or takes 50 hours to make. Correct: It is 6 times warmer than a normal sweater and takes 250 hours of hand-weaving.
- Trap: CBSE claims Pashmina hair is thicker than human hair. Correct: Pashmina hair is so fine that 6 hairs of the goat equal 1 single human hair in thickness!
- Trap: CBSE states houses in Leh have sloping tile roofs. Correct: Houses in Leh have FLAT wooden roofs used for drying crops in sunlight.
NCERT Core Facts: Ladakh Cold Desert, Changpa Tribe & Pashmina
Chapter 13 follows traveler Gaurav Jani and his motorcycle "Loner" riding from Mumbai through Delhi to Leh, Ladakh (altitude 5,000 meters).
1. Leh: The Cold Desert of India (ठंडा रेगिस्तान)
- Climate: Ladakh is high, dry, and flat. It receives minimal rainfall because it lies in the rain shadow of the great Himalayan range.
- Architecture of Leh Houses (Direct CTET Question):
- Constructed from rough stone blocks placed one upon another, coated with a thick paste of mud and lime.
- Two-story structure:
- Ground Floor: Has no windows! In freezing winter, families move to the ground floor alongside cattle and stored grains for warmth.
- Ceiling & Roof: Thick tree trunks support flat roofs.
- Flat Roof Usage: Every family uses the flat roof as a drying terrace to dry red chilies, orange pumpkins, golden corn, and potatoes under summer sun for winter consumption.
2. The Changpa Tribe of Changthang (5,000 Meters Altitude)
- Nomadic Lifestyle: The Changpa (चांगपा) are a mountain nomadic community numbering only around 5,000 people. They wander across the rocky Changthang plateau at an altitude of 5,000 meters.
- Changra Goats: They graze their special long-haired goats at high altitudes where temperatures plummet below -40°C. The harsher the cold, the softer and warmer the goat's fur grows!
- The Rebo (रेबो) Tent:
- Changpas live in large cone-shaped tents called Rebo.
- Woven from strips of yak wool stitched together to form windproof mats.
- Pinned into ground over a 2-foot deep trench to protect against freezing mountain gales.
- The Lekha (लेखा): Near the Rebo is a stone pen called Lekha where sheep and goats are corralled. Every morning, women count their livestock before sending them out to graze.
3. The World-Famous Pashmina Shawl (पश्मीना शॉल)
Test Your Mastery: A Shelter So High!
Authentic CBSE exam questions tested directly from this NCERT chapter.
Consider the following statements about a 'Pashmina' shawl: (A) It is as warm as 6 normal sweaters. (B) The goats from which soft pashmina wool is collected are found at an altitude of 5000 m. (C) A fine pashmina shawl takes 250 hours to be hand-woven. (D) The hair of the goat is about 6 times thicker than human hair. Which of the above statements are correct?
'पश्मीना' शॉल के विषय में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए: (A) यह 6 साधारण स्वेटरों जितनी गर्म होती है। (B) यह बकरियां 5000 मीटर की ऊंचाई पर पाई जाती हैं। (C) एक पश्मीना शॉल को हाथ से बुनने में लगभग 250 घंटे लगते हैं। (D) बकरी का बाल मानव बाल से 6 गुना मोटा होता है। सही कथन हैं:
In Leh, houses are made of stone with thick mud walls. The ground floor is without windows mainly to:
लेह में घरों के भूतल (ग्राउंड फ्लोर) पर खिड़कियां नहीं बनाई जाती हैं, इसका मुख्य कारण है:
How warm is a Pashmina shawl and how long does it take to weave by hand in CTET?
According to NCERT Class 5 EVS Chapter 13, a Pashmina shawl is as warm as 6 normal sweaters and takes approximately 250 hours of handloom weaving to produce.
How fine is the hair of a Pashmina goat compared to human hair?
Pashmina goat hair is extremely fine: six hairs of the goat combined are equal in thickness to a single strand of human hair.
Why are the ground floors of houses in Leh built without windows in CTET?
Houses in Leh have windowless ground floors to trap maximum heat and block freezing winds during winter, housing cattle and stored supplies.