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A
section of the Suru valley
(For large view click on image)
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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, first southward for a
length of about 75 kms up to the expanse around Panikhar, and thence
eastward for nearly 65 kms, up to the foot of the Penzila watershed,
where the Suru River rises. With its considerable tracts of alluvial
floor and verdant hill slopes that are intensively cultivated by a
hardworking peasantry, the Suru Valley serves as Ladakh’s granary.
Its composite population of about 40,000 mainly of Tibeto-Dard descent,
are mainly Muslims, their ancestors having been converted from Buddhism
around the middle of the 16th century.
The
upper reaches of the valley, particularly around the Sankoo bowl,
the expanse around Panikhar and the higher stretches beyond, present
a spectacle of breathtaking features - majestic mountain ranges crowned
by snow-capped peaks, alpine slopes drained by wild mountain streams
of pristine water, awesome glaciers descending along the Himalayan
slopes to the river bed in impressive formations, quaint villages
of adobe houses straggling dry hillocks, which are generally surrounded
by cultivated fields and alpine pastures uphill. The area around Panikhar
and further up is a veritable valley of flowers with a large variety
of wild plants blossoming to spread a riot of colours during the months
of June and July. The natural beauty of this area is heightened by
the magnificent perspective provided by the towering peaks of Nun
(7135 m) and Kun (7087 m), which loom over the skyline
in their crystalline majesty.
Sightseeing
in Suru Valley
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The Imambara
at Trespone
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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.
It
is also the place where the tradition of making a prototype of the
ancient Scythian bow is still carried out by some families.
This traditional bow is made from slivers of ibex horns glued to a
central frame of mulberry wood, which being highly tensile and strong,
is ideal suited for the purpose. There is high demand for these bows
as they are used all over the region for the annual archery competitions
held in almost very village of Kargil region during the period of
the early spring.
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Archery
is a popular pastime in the Suru valley
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Sankoo
(42 kms), the next major expanse of the Suru Valley, is a picturesque
township surrounded with numerous villages and colourful rocky mountains
all around. Dense plantation of poplars, willows and wild roses fill
the bowl-shaped valley, giving it the ambience of a man-made forest.
Two side valleys drained by large tributary streams of the Suru River,
the Kartse flowing from the east and the Nakpo-chu
descending from the west, open up on either side of the expanse.
The
Kartse Valley runs deep into the eastern mountain mass with a number
of isolated villages strung along its course. Kartse-Khar, an ancient
village near the mouth of the valley, has a 7 m tall rock sculpture
of the "Future Buddha", evidence of the passage of
Buddhist missionaries through the region during the 7th
to 8th centuries AD. The four-day trek from Sankoo to Mulbek
follows this valley, the route passing through some very beautiful
alpine areas on the way to the 4950 m high Rusi-La. The high altitude
settlement of Safi with its mixed Buddhist-Muslim population is located
between the Rusi-La and the Safi-La, over which the final leg of the
trek passes, before descending into Mulbek. A southward route from
the foot of the Rusi-La
leads to Rangdum across the glacier - straddled Rangdum Pass where
the Kartse River rises.
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Summer
scene in Suru Valley
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Suru
valley in winter
(For large view click on image)
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Sankoo
is very popular among local picnic lovers, who throng the area from
Kargil town and other places. Locally it is also popular as a place
of pilgrimage to the shrine of a Muslim scholar-saint, Sayed
Mir Hashim, who was specially invited from Kashmir for imparting
religious teachings to the region's Buddhist ruler, Thi-Namgyal
of the Suru principality, following his conversion to Islam during
the 16th century. The shrine is situated in the village of Karpo-Khar
on the outskirts of Sankoo, where the ruler had his summer palace.
Panikhar
& Beyond
About
25 kms further ahead of Sankoo is Panikhar, lying under the shadows
of the Nun-Kun massif. The first full photogenic view of Mt. Nun
(7135 m), however, can be had from the roadside near the village
of Thangbu, about 12 kms short of Panikhar. A beautiful expanse
of the Suru Valley with about a dozen villages strung around, Panikhar
comprises a series of intensively cultivated plateaux, descending
in level steps, to the bed of the Suru River which here receives
the gushing waters of Chelong River, one of its major
Himalayan tributaries. During
summer the area is converted into a veritable valley of flowers
when a variety of alpine flora blossom, lending the region a colourful
hue.
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Upper
Suru- early morning scene
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Panikhar
is also a convenient base for the famous trans-Himalayan traverse
between Ladakh and the Kashmir Valley. The shorter trek to Pahalgam
via the Bhotkol Pass (4420 m), in the main range of
the Himalayas, and the Gulol Pass, connecting the Warwan
and the Lidder Valleys, takes about a week.
The
trek to Kishtawar down the Warwan valley,
or to Lehinwan in the Kashmir Valley, across the Margan
Pass, takes longer. All these routes follow the lateral
Chelong valley up to the Great Himalayan Wall where the Bhotkol Pass
gives access to the headwaters of the Warwan Valley on the other side.
Local peasant traders still use the route as do the Bakkarwal herdsmen
for taking their flocks of sheep and goat across the Himalayan Range
for grazing deep into its northern foothills.
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The
Parkachik Glacier
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Panikhar
is the base station for undertaking mountaineering expeditions to
the various Himalayan peaks surrounding the valley. Tangol,
the approach base for climbing Mt. Nun, is just 6 kms ahead of Panikhar
on the roads to Zanskar. A short walk up the hill slopes from here
takes one across the Sentik ridge to the base camp on the rim of the
ice plateau. Another interesting hike starting from Panikhar, via
Namsuru village, leads one along verdant hill slopes
to Parkachik-La (3810 m) in the Parkachik ridge, in
about 3 hours. From the top of the saddle-like pass, one can have
a panoramic view of all the peaks in the Nun-Kun massif, alongwith
its vast glacial plateau. From here one can retrace the way back to
Panikhar in half the time or descend much faster to Parhachik
village on the other side of the ridge. Near Parkachik is the majestic
Parkachik Glacier, spilling down the Nun-Kun slopes,
to collapse into the Suru River forming a huge icefall. One can walk
up to the glacier across a good suspension footbridge over the Suru.
Some mountaineers use this glacier to approach the difficult north
face route to scale Mt. Nun. The upper Suru Valley also offers excellent
camping options.
If
one wanted to experience the ultimate thrill of camping under the
very crest of the Great Himalayan Range, yet not without the safety
of instant communication nearby, the upper Suru Valley around Tangol
and Parkachik, may well conform to the idea of such a place.
Rangdum
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View of Rangdum
valley
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The
farthest and most isolated part of the Suru valley, Rangdum (3657
m) is surrounded by colourful hills on the one side and glacier-encrusted
rocky mountains on the other. Situated 130 kms south-east of Kargil,
it falls midway between Kargil and Padum. Visitors to Padum (Zanskar)
generally prefer to break the gruelling 240 km-long road journey for
an overnight halt here. Set amidst spectacular surroundings, Rangdum
is a convenient area for camping in the Himalayan wilderness while
being sufficiently near a roadhead. In the late afternoon the setting
sun lends the valley an ethereal ambience, as the ochre hills turn
aflame, while the snow covered peaks sparkle with a reddish hue in
the distant horizon.
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View
of Rangdum valley
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The
main attraction of Rangdum is the 18th century Buddhist monastery
of the Geluks-pa order with about 40 resident monks. Perched picturesquely
atop a central hillock, which is surrounded by a wild mountain stream,
the monastery has the aura of an ancient fortification guarding a
mystical mountain valley. Its central prayer hall houses an array
of figures and art objects. Two small hamlets surrounded by rows of
chortens, Yuldo and Tashi-Tongze, situated
on either side of the monastery, are the only other habitations in
the area. The inhabitants of these villages are descendants of the
monastery's agricultural serf-tenants, who do not own any land in
the region. The monastery enjoys perpetual and unalienable ownership
of the entire valley, including the fields tilled by the villagers,
the pastures, hills and even the streams.
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Row
of Stupas at Rangdum
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Rangdum
is also an important trekking base. The most popular trek from here
leads to Henaskut on the Kargil-Leh highway, across
the Kanji valley gorge. This 5-day trek is also the
last leg of the 2-week long trans-Himalayan traverse between Kashmir
and Ladakh. Among the shorter treks possible from here, the best is
a hike up the Penzila Ridge, to camp for a night or two opposite the
majestic Drang-Drung Glacier.. The trek to Shafat valley where the
Nun-Kun base camp is situated, involves walking down valley, along
the road to the campsite of Gulmatongo (20 kms), and thence crossing
the Suru River on a foot bridge to enter the Shafat Nallah, upto the
snout of the Shafat Glacier for camping.
