The Road Through Kargil

 The Road Through Kargil

 

The road from Leh to Srinagar cuts right through Kargil, the most important site of the 1999 Kargil War, which kicked off when Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri freedom fighters crossed the Line of Control. The clash occurred both in Kargil and along the ridges overlooking this strategically important section of the Leh-Srinagar road. It was the first ground conflict between India and Pakistan since they both developed nuclear weapons and so became the focus of media coverage around the world.

Driving along this section of road was nerve-wracking, mostly due to our over-active imaginations. Bunkers filled with rifle-toting Indian soldiers line the road and the atmosphere is further intensified by the oppressive dryness of the air and land which sucks the moisture from your tongue as you breathe.

  A friendly soldier guarding the Operation Vijay memorial near Drass 

Operation Vijay was a successful Indian attempt to push the infiltrators back across the border during the 1999 Kargil War. This memorial to the Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the operation has recently been opened to the public. It is near Drass, which also holds the unenviable record of being the second-coldest inhabited place on earth, after Oymyakon, Siberia.

                                                                             Kargil Town

                                                                             Mulbekh

The Indian soldiers guarding the gate were very friendly and happy to have their photo taken. Interestingly, the army and Jammu & Kashmir tourism department are now working to promote the area as an adventure tourism destination with plans for a golf course, pony trekking, mountaineering and high-altitude camping. Nearby Kargil is already popular with domestic tourists who come to pay their respects to those who lost their lives in 1999, see damage done by shells dropped, and visit Tiger Hill, site of the fiercest battles.

                                                                             Drass

Tiger Hill

                                                                           

                                                           Indian Army Chopper            

....................Continued                       

Leh.....Srinagar Via Khardung La......On The Roof Of The World......

Riding On The World's Most Scenic Road....

Barley field.....

The journey from Leh to Srinagar takes you from desert to lush valleys, from a Buddhist region to an Islamic one. 

Lamayuru is set in the midst of some rather strange scenery. The road through the mountains dips into a gorge that in turn opens up into moonscape badlands, with rounded, yellow pinnacles and meditation caves carved into the mountainside. Lamayuru - the oldest monastery in Ladakh, dating from the 11th century – perches quietly near the top of the mountain, overlooking the badlands. Its whitewashed walls glowed in the evening sun, which cast eerie shadows across the landscape below as we settled into our hotel for the night.

Lamayuru monastery

Lamayuru Monastery buildings

At Fotu La, the highest point of the Leh to Srinagar road....

Early the next day, about half an hour from Lamayuru, we reached the Fotu La (‘la’ means ‘pass’). At 4,100m it was the highest point of our journey. Compared with the Khardung La near Leh, the world’s highest motorable pass at 5,602m, which comes complete with souvenir shops, cafes and thousands of prayer flags, the Fotu La is pleasantly modest. There is only this sign Craig is standing next to, a few prayer flags and a satellite dish. There weren’t any other cars around either.

Fotu La

30kms short of Kargil...

The road between Leh and Srinagar used to be narrow and treacherous. Part of the army’s job is to help maintain it, as well as protect the border against militant insurgents from both Pakistan and Kashmir. Lengthy convoys of around 20 army trucks frequently passed us, in both directions. They invariably kicked up plenty of dust but their presence was vaguely reassuring.

Cattle and ther road in Nubra valley

Large-Heading out towards Kargil

33 kilometres before Islamic Kargil, Mulbekh is the last outpost of Buddhism in Jammu & Kashmir. A large relief of Buddha is carved into this jut of rock and Buddhists travel many miles to pay their respects here, but there were plenty of men wearing Muslim-style lunghis and kurtas in the village as well.

Road To Kargiil...

Flowers Everywhere,The scenery also began to take on tinge of green as our journey took us to lower altitudes and rainier climes.

The road from Leh to Srinagar cuts right through Kargil, the most important site of the 1999 Kargil War, which kicked off when Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri freedom fighters crossed the Line of Control.

.                                                                                 Continued....

Ladakh-Riding Through The land Of Mountains and Deserts

Land Of Lamas

One word makes every adventurer hold his breath in anticipation...one word makes every naturalist think of the ideal place to be...one word makes every traveler think of an exotic destination...one word makes a pilgrim think of salvation...Himalayas. Yes, the Himalayas with its rugged mountain peaks, evergreen forests, bone chilling regions, ancient temples, makes it an ideal destination for everyone: traveler, pilgrim or hardcore adventurer.


This was a testing time indeed. A stretch of 96 kms to Rumtse via, Tanglang La (17,852 ft asl) with nothing in-between except the rolling mountains.


After Rumtse we moved ahead to reach Leh while visiting the Buddhist Gompas at Hemis, Thikse and Spituk. Hemis Monastery is the oldest in the Ladakh region and is a seat of Buddhist culture and religion. We wondered at the beautiful murals and the enormous statues of Buddha/ Maitreya/ Chamba and Taradevi. Thikse Gonpa is the largest in the region and is built covering a huge hillock. Spituk monastery is situated very near Leh city and dates back to 14th Century AD.

 
Ladakh is a unique region with diverse landscapes: brown sandy deserts and purple, rust cliffs amidst snow clad mountains, where summer is lush green and winter is snow white. And the people are always willing to help travellers, a smile seemingly permanently imprinted on their faces, despite the rigours of their lives.


Our onward journey was to the unexplored regions of Nubra Valley via Khardung La (18380 ft asl) the worlds highest motorable road. The road took us through the most exotic regions where we were beset with surprises throughout our odyssey. The first a stretch was of sand dunes in the middle of snow clad mountains. We had to rub our eyes and pinch ourselves to believe that there exists a desert amidst the snow peaks.

Ladakh....The Land Of Rocks,A Trekker's Paradise...

Ladakh--Trekker's Paradise

Ladakh - the land of many passes, of freezing high barren landscapes lying across the lofty Asian tableland - is among the highest of the world's inhabited plateaus. Remote yet never isolated, this trans Himalayan land is a repository of a myriad cultural and religious influences from mainland India, Tibet and Central Asia.


The first impression of Leh was that of a desert with green patches fed by the Indus. One of the first things you notice are the prayer wheels with ringing bells. As Leh is 3,505 m above sea level, most tourists experience a degree of altitude sickness. The symptoms are persistent headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, bleeding and blocked nose, and/or shortness of breath. It is because your body has not yet acclimatized to the comparative lack of oxygen. So the tourism department suggests you take complete rest for at least 48 hours.


Amidst starkly beautiful and majestic mountains, gradually merging into an oasis of green fields, Leh is situated, on the banks of the Indus, at a height of 11,000 feet. For seven months a year, Leh airport is Ladakh's only link with the outside world. Transport, tour operators, boarding and lodging facilities are available to suit every pocket and there is sufficient novelty, antiquity, hospitality and bargains to satisfy the quest of all types of visitors. With a population of 10,000 people, mainly Buddhist, some Argoos (Muslim descendants of Yarkandi traders) and a small Christian community, Leh bears the distinct stamp of its history as the administrative, commercial and cultural capital of Ladakh. A memorable sight of the Leh bazar is the group of women, traditionally attired, selling fruits, vegetables and household articles spinning and knitting, and exchanging gentle banter between themselves and with passersby.
Leh, the Ladakhi capital, sprawls from the foot of a ruined Tibetan-style palace - a maze of mud-brick and concrete. Leh only became the regional capital in the seventeenth century, when Sengge Namgyal shifted his court here from Shey, 15 km southeast, to be closer to the head of the Khardung La-Karakoram corridor into China. (Khardung La is the world's highest pass, 39 kms from Leh).

Predominantly Buddist, Leh has 25% Muslim population.These are Ladakhi Muslims, with their own cultural heritage, quite distinct from elsewhere. 

 
Ladakh is a trekkers' paradise. Foreigners move around with their backpacks, heading in different directions. Attractions in and around the town itself include the former palace and Namgyal Tsemo gompa. A short walk across the fields, the small monastery at Sankar harbours accomplished modern tantric murals and a thousand-headed Avalokitesvara deity.

Among the string of picturesque villages and gompas within reach by bus are Shey, site of a derelict seventeenth-century palace, the spectacular Tikse gompa and the Hemis gompa, the largest in the region. Tikse has a huge statue of the sitting Buddha.



The mosque, city palace, the bazar and the gompas are all within walking distance. Shey, Spituk and Phyang are quite close while Stok, Mashro, Thikse, Stakna, Chenlrey, Hemis, Likir, Basgo and Alchi are all a day's touring distance with regular bus and taxi services plying daily. Rumbak and Markha offer exciting treks, while Stok Kangri is the best for a climb. Boating and river running too is possible on the Indus.