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Travel to Kargil... |
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Kargil is the most important town in the Suru Valley. It is 204 kms from
Srinagar in the west and 234 kms from Leh in the east, is the second largest
urban centre and headquarters of the district of Ladakh. Kargil once
served as important trade and transit centre in the Pan-Asian trade network.It
is a fairly busy town servicing the villages of the surrounding region. Kargil
mainly serves as an ideal base station for adventure activities like trekking,
mountaineering, camping, river rafting etc. Kargil also offers some interesting
walks along the river bank and up the hillside. The best among these is the one
leading to Goma Kargil along a 2-km long winding road which, passing through
some of the most picturesque parts of the town, presents breathtaking views of
the mountain stream. A
stroll in the bazaar might lead to a shop selling flint and tobacco pouches,
travelling hookahs and brass kettles - handcrafted items of everyday use which
find their way into the mart as curios. |
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| History : | |||
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Until 1947, Kargil once
served as an important trading and transit centre linking Ladakh with Gilgit
(Pakistan), and the lower Indus Valley. There were also important trading links
between the villages of the Suru Valley and the Zanskar Valley, and even 20
years ago it was not uncommon to see yak trains making their way from Padum all
the way into the Kargil Bazaar. It was also an important commercial point in the
Pan-Asian trade network. Numerous caravans carrying exotic merchandise
comprising silk, brocade, carpets, felts, tea, poppy, ivory et al, transited 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 Central Asian trade in 1949, until these were exhausted about two
decades back.
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| Facts and Figures : | |||
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| How to Reach : | |||
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Road: The
bus ride from Kargil takes 2 hours to Sankoo, 3 hours to Panikhar and
about 4 hours to Parkachik. |
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| Best Season to Visit Kargil : | |||
| Best season to visit Kargil is between October to March. | |||
| Sightseeing : | |||
| Kargil serves as an important base for undertaking adventure tourism and trips to the exotic Zanskar Valley and other Himalayan regions. The town and its suburban villages lie nestled along the valley system formed by the confluence of the Suru River and its tributary, the Wakha-chhu. adventure activities like trekking, mountaineering, camping, river- rafting, etc. in the high Himalayan valleys. Kargil also offers some interesting walks through the suburban villages nestling along the rising hillsides of theriver valleys. The best among these is the walk towards Goma Kargil along a 2-km long winding road that passes through some of the most picturesque parts of the town, offering breathtaking views of the unfolding mountainscape as one ascends alongside a tumbling mountain stream. A stroll in the bazaar might lead to shops selling flint and tobacco pouches, traveling hookahs and brass kettles, handcrafted items of every day use that find their way into the marts as curios. | |||
| Excursion : | |||
| ›› Suru Valley : | |||
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One of the most
beautiful regions of Ladakh, the Suru Valley is the heartland of Kargil
district. Nestling along the northern foothills of the Great Himalayan Wall, it
extends from Kargil town. The drive into the
Suru Valley takes one through the picturesque and sprawling villages of Trespone
area. Trespone (25 kms) is famous for its hilltop Imambara,
which reflects a quaint mix of Islamic and Tibetan elements in its
construction style and location. |
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| ›› Drass : | |||
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Drass (3,230 m), 60
kms west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar, is a small township in the centre of
a valley of the same name. Locally called Hembabs "snow land",
it is renowned as the second coldest inhabited place in the world because of the
intensely cold winters and heavy snowfall. Its physical landmarks like
Mushkoo Valley, Tiger Hill, Tolo-ling, etc.,
have become part of India's modern national epic. |
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| ›› Mulbek : | |||
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Situated 45 kms east
of Kargil on the road to Leh, Mulbek (3,230 m) is a predominantly Buddhist area.
Many monuments of the early Buddhist era dot the landscape among which the chief
attraction is Mulbek Chamba, a 9 m high rock sculpture in deep
relief of the Maitreya, the Future Buddha", which reflects a unique
blend of esoteric Saivite symbolism, with early Buddhist art. |
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| ›› Sherol : | |||
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The main attraction for visitors is a cave monastery visible from afar as a
white speck against the vertically rising brown hillside, from which it
appears to hang out. There is an interesting four day trek from here into the Suru Valley across two mountain
passes, Safi-la and Rusi-la.Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat
tucked deep inside the surrounding mountains, can also be approached via the
nearby village of Pho-khar.
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