The glaciological studies of selected glaciers in Zanskar valley, Suru valley, Baspa valleyBaspa valley, Drass valley and Liddar valleyLiddar valley are highlighted emphasizing the research input in the field of glaciology for past four decades. The uplift of Tibetan PlateauTibetan plateau at ~ 50 Ma and the rapid uplift at ~ 10 Ma resulted in the disappearance of North Pacific Deep Water (NDPW) and shaping of the modern global climate favouring the glaciers of Himalaya. Barring an early report of the oldest glaciation dating radiometrically to late Middle Pleistocene, all other reports of glaciation in Ladakh date back to late Pleistocene and HoloceneHolocene. The oscillation in late Pleistocene and HoloceneHolocene climate in Ladakh is concurrent to the changes in Inner Mongolia, northeast India, central Himalaya and central India. Early studies suggested four glacial stages of glaciation in Zanskar valley followed by recent studies suggesting retreat of the snout of Drang Drung glacier by 925 m at the rates 21.11 my−1 since 1971 which accelerated to 60 my−1 since 2014. Kangriz/Parkachik glacierParkachik glacier in Suru valley shows anomalous behaviour with no change in the position of snout but change in the thickness since 1902. Variable rate of retreat is recorded between 1973 and 2018 in the Machoi glacierMachoi glacier (Drass valley) with average rate of retreat at ~ 11.43 my−1 from 1973 to 1980 which increased to ~ 12.0 my−1 from 1980 to 1990, further to ~ 12.3 my−1 from 1990 to 2000 and ~ 12.8 my−1 from 2000 to 2010. Kolahoi glacier (Liddar valleyLiddar valley) has shown retreat from 1857 to 2014 (last 157 years) at average rate of ~ 18.2 my−1whereas in another study the retreat from 1962 to 2014 (52 years) is calculated at the rate of 19.5 ± 1.1 my−1.