Little visited, Chiktan's shattered palace ruins are a startlingly dramatic sight. Originally the 16th-century palace of the Chiktan royals, the structure was built by master architect Shingkhan Tsandan. Photos in Kargil's Central Asian Museum show the place largely intact a century ago, but today the three-storey remnant walls look precariously close to toppling and there's nothing inside.
The site is 1.5km south of Chiktan's fly-blown bazaar. Steep stairs lead up to the main area of ruins, and there's a small tea shop. Morning buses run from Chiktan to Kargil daily.
