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Kargil at an altitude of 2,704 m, 204-km from
Srinagar in the
west and 234-km from
Leh in the
east, is the second largest urban centre of
Ladakh and
headquarters of the district of same name. It's situated in a lovely
valley with apricot trees growing in the intensively cultivated fields.
Once A Trade Route!
A quite town now, Kargil once served as important trade and transit
centre in the Pan-Asian trade network. Numerous caravans carrying exotic
merchandise comprising silk, brocade, carpets, felts, tea, poppy, ivory
etc. transited in the town on their way to and from China, Tibet, Yarkand
and Kashmir.
The old bazaar displayed a variety of Central Asian and Tibetan
commodities even after the cessation of the Central Asian trade in 1949
till these were exhausted about two decades back. Similarly the ancient
trade route passing through the township was lined with several
caravanserais. Now, since 1975, travellers of numerous nationalities have
replaced traders of the past and Kargil has regained its importance as a
centre of travel-related activities.
An Adventurers' Base Camp
Being located in the centre of the Himalayan region with tremendous
potentials for adventure activities, Kargil serves as an important base
for adventure tours in the heart of Himalayas. It is also the take off
station for visitors to the exotic Zanskar Valley.
Tourists travelling between
Srinagar and
Leh have to
make a night halt here before starting the second leg of their journey.
The Town Life
The town lies nestling along the rising hillside of the lower Suru basin.
Two tributaries of the Suru River that meet here are the
Drass and Wakha. The most astounding thing about
the Kargil region are the artificially irrigated field areas. Since
irrigation is so important in this region, the distribution of water
requires great care. Every village is divided into groups, called "Gowar",
of from five to 10 families, to ensure an equitable arrangement.
Willows and poplars grow beside the irrigation ditches, which lead to the
terraced fields and line the road for much of its length in this region.
They furnish building materials for the construction of houses in this
nearly treeless land.
The Kargil region actually gets more rainfall than in the rest of
Ladakh and the area
grows plentiful wheat, barley, vegetables and, of course, the apricots for
which it is famous. Peas have been recently introduced and are
flourishing. In May the entire countryside becomes awash with fragrant
white apricot blossoms while August, the ripening fruit lends it an orange
hue.
The dialect spoken here is called "Purik" and shows its
relationship with the dialect spoken in Skardu, Pakistan. In contrast to
the rest of Ladakh, the children here are taught in Arabic. A momentous
occasion in Kargil is the archery contest in May.
People Of The Kargil Region
Kashmiris once came to the Kargil region to graze their cattle, and were
followed by the tribes from Gilgit, Chitral and Mongols from Baltistan who
settled there permanently. Later the Mongols were driven out by an Aryan
tribe, the Purkpas, who now live around Drass, and the Dokpas, who are
Aryan Buddhists, who live in the villages of Durchik and Gurkun, north of
Kargil.
The
Customs And Lifestyles
The Dokpas, who are Buddhists, are a community of about 700 people,
descended from migrants from Gilgit, found mostly in the Indus valley
villages of Durchik and Gurkun. They are known for the striking Aryan
beauty of their women, and for their fair skin. They are fond of ornaments
- even men wear earrings, necklaces, bracelets and strings of imitation
pearls.
Both sexes decorate their caps with a variety of blood red flowers, which
puts them apart from all the other races in Ladakh. The Indus valley here
is rich in fruit, particularly grapes, and the Dokpas delight in drink and
dance - milk however is taboo. This curious mixture of Buddhist and Hindu
religion means their respect for the cow is so intense that even cow dung
is never used as a manure or fuel. The people grow their hair long and
rarely bathe.
The route to their region, over the range from Kargil to the Indus
valley, and thence down to Leh, is forbidden to tourists because of the
border dispute with Pakistan. The remote locality of the lower Indus
villages and the custom of marrying mostly among themselves have preserved
their distinctive identity. The government of a village is a seven-man
council, elected by all the men. In July these villages celebrate a
harvest festival, which lasts for several days. Gurdun, the main village
of the region, is 80-km from Kargil.
Muta & Polyandry
The custom of 'Muta' limited-duration marriages is still practised in
Kargil. The marriage contract signed at the wedding ceremony only applies
for a limited time - in some cases only for one day. Another Tibetan
marriage custom, which often strikes westerners as remarkable, is
polyandry, the simultaneous marriage of more than one man to the same
woman.
Today polyandry is only practised in outlying villages like Saliskote and
Trespone. In this situation a woman marries her husband's younger
brothers, except for any who may be monks. Together with the great number
of unmarried monks and nuns, this practice functions as a social form of
birth control -from Cunningham's visit to Ladakh in the mid-19th century,
up to the latest government of India census, the population of Ladakh has
hardly altered.
Trespone and Sankhoo are two 'Imambaras' found in Kargil.
These Turkish style buildings have Persian and Arabic speaking Muslim
mystics, known as "Aghas", in residence. Kargil also has a
mosque, the Jami Masjid. Kargil's Muslims are noted for their extreme
orthodoxy - women are conspicuously absent from the streets and all forms
of entertainment are frowned on. Like the Iranians the people follow the
Shi'ite sect.
The Bazaar
The main bazaar has many Kashmiri products including embroidery,
turquoises, tobacco, raw sugar and exotic spices. One will also find cloth
woven from the finest wool from the long fleeced mountain goats, brass
bowls, flower vases, wine cups and tall jugs, leather shoes embroidered
with silk or gold silver chains, rings, bracelets and charms, paintings,
Pashmina shawls, brightly coloured rugs and other more Chinese looking
items. Nearby Tsaluskot is the grainery of the region, attracting people
from Zanskar and Leh, who come to buy grain. The houses have stone
foundations and a superstructure of unbaked, heavy clay bricks.
Mulbek
Situated 45-km East of Kargil on the road to Leh, Mulbek (3,230 m) in an
area dominated by the Buddhists. It is situated along either banks of the
Wakha River, which originates. Many monuments of the early Buddhists era
dot the landscape and are accessible from the road.
Mulbek Chamba: The chief attraction of Mulbek (also spelt as
Mulbekh) is a 9 m high rock sculpture in deep relief of Maitreya, the
Future Buddha. Its excursion combines esoteric Shaivite symbolism with
early Buddhist art. Situated right on the highway, it dates back to the
period when Buddhists missionaries came travelling east of the Himalayas.
Mulbek Gompa: Perched atop a rocky cliff, Mulbek Gompa
(monastery) dominates the valley. It is easy to see why in bygone times
this site served as an outpost to guard the caravan route. Like all
Buddhists monasteries frescoes and statues adorn it.
Shergol
Another picturesque village of the Wakha River valley, Shergol is
situated across the river, right of the Kargil-Leh road. The main
attraction is a cave monastery which is visible from a far as a white
speck against the vertically rising ochre hill from which it appears to
hang out. Below this small monastery is a larger Buddhist nunnery with
about a dozen incumbents. The village is accessible by the motorable road
that branches off from the Kargil-Leh road, about 5-km short of Mulbek.
Shergol is a convenient base for an exciting 4-day trek across the
mountain range into the Suru valley. It is also the approach base for
visiting Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat lying deep inside the
mountains surrounding the Wakha River valley.
Urgyan Dzong
This meditation retreat lies tucked away in an amazing natural mountain
fortress high up in Zanskar range. Concealed within is a circular
tableland with a small monastic establishment at its centre. The
surrounding hillside reveals several caves where high-ranking Buddhists
saints meditated in seclusion. At least one such cave is associated with
the visit of Padmasambhava, the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism. The main
approach is to footpath laid through the only gap available in the rocky
ramparts.
Wakha Rgyal
Tucked away inside the picturesque upper part of the Wakha Valley,
upstreams of Mulbek, Rgyal gives the appearance of a medieval settlement
of cave dwellings transported in to the modern times with some
improvements and extensions. The houses, neatly whitewashed and closely
stacked, are dug into the sheer face of a vertical cliff that rises high
above the green valley bottom. From a far the village looks like a colony
of beehives hanging from the ochre granite of the Cliffside.
Road: The J&K SRTC operates regular buses including deluxe coaches between Srinagar and Leh/Kargil. Cars and Jeep taxis can be hired at Srinagar and Leh for Kargil. Local buses including mini coaches, for Mulbek leaves Kargil every morning and afternoon. Cars and Jeep taxis can be hired at Kargil for same day return trips. Srinagar is also well connected properly with rest of the country through Air and Road network.
Kargil: There is no dearth of accommodation in
Kargil. Hotels are classified into A, B, C and Economy class based upon
the standard of establishments and service available. There are two
Tourist Bungalows at Kargil together provide suites and furnished rooms
with proper catering facilities attached with each establishment. The
Tourist Office, Kargil, does advance reservation. There is also a circuit
house at Baroo with excellent furnished rooms, which can be reserved
through the office of the District Development Commissioner.
Mulbek: The Tourist Bungalow here provides excellent furnished
rooms with catering facilities. Dormitory accommodation at much reasonable
price is available with some of the teashops near Mulbek Chamba.
Alternatively tourists can return to Kargil for the night.
Banks: The State bank of India with money changing
facility and J&K bank have a branch each in Kargil.
Communication: Kargil has worldwide direct dialing telephone
facility, besides post and telegraph offices. In addition J&K Tourism
operates its own wireless Radio phone network with field stations at
Kargil, Padum and Leh, which are connected with controlling stations at
Srinagar, Delhi and Jammu. During the tourist season mobile wireless
stations are also established in key places in the remote areas.
Health: The District hospital in Kargil is fairly well equipped
and staffed with a team of specialist and general practitioners. In
addition there are Medical Dispensaries at Drass, Mulbek, Trespone,
Sankoo, Panikhar and Padum each headed by a qualified doctor and equipped
with basic health care paraphernalia.
The Tourist office here regularly updates its store of
information on the region. Tourists undertaking mountaineering expedition
on hard trekking along difficult routes are well advised to inform the
Tourist Office at Kargil about their routes and proposed program so as to
monitor their welfare.
Trekking Equipment: The tourist office in Kargil has some
trekking equipment for hire under the same conditions as the Leh office.
The equipment includes a number of tents, foam mattresses, sleeping bags,
alpine jackets, rucksacks, climbing equipment and so on. Kargil is the
starting point for most of the treks and journeys into the Zanskar valley,
although it is also possible to enter it from other points along the side
of the Leh-Zanskar range.
Shergol: 33-km
Mulbekh: 45-km
Panikhar: 70-km
Sankoo: 42-km
Rangdum: 130-km