Kargil is a district in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The small town of Kargil was not known to many before 1999, it became a household name after the Kargil War. Kargil town is located between the course of the Suru River and the Wakha River. Kargil is the junction between Kashmir, Ladakh and Baltistan and is strategically important, as is the Kashmir-Leh highway that passes over this town. In ancient times the Trade Route between South and Central Asia passed through Kargil. In the ongoing series of blog posts on Ladakh, ‘Footlooseinme’ will take you to Kargil today.
(Read my previous posts on Srinagar to learn about my journey and itinerary.) Our new driver Zakir (whose vehicle is registered with the Kargil Taxi Association) arrived at Srinagar on time and we left for our next destination. Wise men say that start early and drive slowly. So we started early and soon we were on the Srinagar – Leh Highway. We saw the location of the landslide that caused road closure at Ganderbal a few days ago. Road workers are still on work to repair the damage done by the flash flood.
Soon we were in Sonamarg. This time, Sonamarg looked different, it was all green and there was hardly any snow on the mountaintops. On my previous trip, I remember snow on either side of the roads even before reaching Sonamarg in the Summer month of May. (Read to know more about my previous trip to Sonamarg.)
Passing a few apple orchards and some beautiful landscapes we were at Baramulla. We could see the large Amarnath Yatra camp in the valley below and the road for the onward trek. It was the Hindu month of Shravan and the time of the Amarnath Yatra. I was very delighted to see the camp for the yatra and my imaginary mind immediately took me to the camp for the trek to Amarnath cave.
I grew up listening to stories of my father and my ‘Jethu’ (father’s elder brother) visiting the Amarnath caves while they were quite young. Although they visited the Amarnath separately, they had their share of adventures. Each of their stories fascinated me, and my childish soul visualised their journey as my own. Today the trek to Amarnath cave became much smoother and easier. Visitors have also increased exponentially over the passing years. Yet the name of Amarnath Yatra brings back the memories instilled in my mind by their stories.
We were gradually gaining altitude. We started from Srinagar (5,200 ft) crossing Sonamarg (8,957 ft) and reaching Zoji La Pass (11,649 ft). We already saw the all-weather Zojila tunnel at Baramulla under construction. When opened, it will help to avoid the seasonal road closure during the winter months. We were already in the Kargil district of Ladakh.
Kargil region has always been on the war front. During the first Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-1948, there was a lot of disturbance in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. J&K was a princely state under Maharaja Hari Singh at the time of independence of India. The militias from the frontier tribal areas adjoining the North-West Frontier Province captured a few areas of the state along with the Zojila and wanted to seize Ladakh. The first leg of the war was fought between J&K and the militias. After the accession of the J&K state to India the war became the Indo-Pak war. The Indian forces then recaptured Zojila and other areas from Pakistan.
After crossing the Zojila pass there was a gradual descent in altitude. We reached the Kargil War Memorial. Kargil War Memorial was built to commemorate the Kargil War of 1999 and thus pay homage to the soldiers who fought for the Nation and attained martyrdom. A makeshift memorial was built by the Indian Army in 2000. The memorial that we see today was built in November 2014. The Kargil War Memorial is located near the Tiger Hill region of Drass town on the Srinagar – Leh highway.
Kargil War is often referred to as Operation Vijay by India. Kargil War is a recent example of high-altitude warfare in mountainous terrain. It was fought in Kargil district along the Line of Control from May to July 1999. Infiltration of the Pakistani troops (in the disguise of Kashmiri militants) from across the LoC to major strategic positions in India triggered the conflict.
Local shepherds first reported Pakistani intrusion at the beginning of May 1999. Then 5 soldiers of the Indian Army who were sent for patrol were captured and killed. By mid-May, full-fledged way began. Indian Army and Indian Airforce jointly fought to eliminate the regular and irregular forces out of the region and recapture Indian positions. On 26th July 1999, the war officially ended and the day was marked as ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’. This year India celebrated 25 years of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
A paved walkway with statues of the soldiers (who laid their lives in the war) on either side leads to the central part of the memorial. The central part of the monument is a pink sandstone wall with the names of the soldiers, who attained martyrdom during Operation Vijay, engraved on a brass plate. From this site Tololing Heights, Tiger Hill, and Point 4875 (Batra Top) are visible. These are among the strategic sites where the fierce battle was fought. The unfurled Indian Flag stands high and proud above these names.
Beside this monument is the museum with pictures from the battlefield, some ammunition and a lot of true stories of gallantry and sacrifice. Among the many names of the heroes and their awe-inspiring stories of valour, we were lost in time. We came out of the museum to visit the cemetery on the other side of the central monument. With heavy hearts and thoughtful souls, we moved ahead to our next destination.
We came across an Apricot orchard, full of yellow-orange coloured fruits. A beautiful lady was selling fresh Apricots outside the orchard. We bought a good amount of Apricots from her and trust me this was the best Apricot I ever had in my life. We reached our hotel in Kargil (8780 feet) located in the heart of the busy town. Our hotel had to bear the brunt of the war too. The building was under attack from across the mountain. There was a Pakistani shell on display that fell on the building and damaged its part.
There was also a 7-foot-deep military bunker within the hotel premises that was used during the war. Now the bunker remains under the thick cover of apple, apricot, and plum trees narrating the fearsome stories of the wartime. The premise of the hotel is aesthetically planned to add a green touch to the rugged, unplanned surrounding town.
Kargil is the apricot centre of Ladakh. The backyard of our hotel had a garden with its own apricot orchard and a small patch of grapevine. We took a stroll in this garden and picked up a few fallen fruits. Seeing this a local lady said the fruits that fell off the trees were not good. (I remember the same theory we learnt from the fallen fruits of Devgad. Read my post to know more.)
She took a long stick and shook the branches of the trees. The ripe fruits fell and she asked us to pick them as they were the good ones. We thanked her happily collected all the newly fallen fruits and walked back to our room. We went out for a walk around the town but there was not much to explore nearby. So we purchased some more apricots, some apricot kernels and a few other nuts from the local market and retired for the day. We were looking forward to travelling to Padum in the Zanskar Valley the next day. Stay with me to know what happened next.
Read my introductory post on the Ladakh series.
A Complete Guide to Tour Ladakh
Ladakh Part 2 – Julley Lamayuru
Ladakh Part 4 – To Nubra Valley, via Khardung La
Ladakh Part 5 – To the Lush and Cropwise Rich Village of Turtuk
Ladakh Part 6 – The Hyper-popular Pangong Tso
Ladakh Part 7 – The Cloudy Story of the Starry Night at Hanle
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