INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 2 Beyond Khardungla the VALLEY of NUBRA
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INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 2 Beyond Khardungla THE VALLEY OF NUBRA Text & Photographs: ANIL MEHROTRA e left the town of Leh (11000 ft) dominated by Wthe massive, nine-storey Palace of Sengge Namgyal – the king of Leh, at about 10 am on a cool May morning. The Palace is an exquisite piece of Tibetan architecture, believed to have been the inspiration behind the construction of the Dalai Lama’s famous Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The road and the surrounding terrain dictates the abject need for moving in an absolutely reliable, sturdy and powerful vehicle. Meandering along the single-lane, rough road, blacktopped in stretches, we headed towards Khardungla, which, at 18,300 ft, qualifies as the highest motorable road in the world. Enroute, the air with just sufficient oxygen was crisp and fresh. With clinical precision it cut through layers of woollens and jackets we had optimistically covered ourselves with. Every now and then, cute little brownish marmots, resembling well fed, overgrown distant cousins of cats, would emerge, bounce around on the rocks and teasingly run along the car at a very safe distance. Our attempts to stop for a photo opportunity with them proved futile, as no sooner did the car stop, they, too, ducked The Nubra Valley. INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 3 and vanished in the rocky looked around in awe. In the bleak mountainside. snowscape, hundreds of multicolored prayer flags did The sky above Leh and around is a precisely what they were meant perpetual inky blue, thanks to the for – praying silently through their absence of the omnipresent flutter, appeasing the mountain god pollution of the plains. Even noise for safety of the travelers and the pollution is non-existent. As we small army detachment stationed at moved towards Khardungla, Khardungla from the wrath of the pristine silence engulfed us. On a mountain. May morning when the plains Looking southwards, over the below were reeling under soaring famed Indus Valley, probably still The sand dunes of Nubra (top) and temperatures and at 11,000 ft even hiding in itself the genesis of the the unique double-humped camel Leh was decidedly warm, found here (above). present day civilization, we could Khardungla Top, thick with snow, see endless ridges and snowcapped seemed as Mount Everest in full peaks of the mighty Zanskar Range. winter glory. In a futile attempt to To the north lay the giant Sasser suck up warmth from hot mugs of Massif, a wayward outcrop of the tea handed over thoughtfully to us Karakoram Range. by an ever-present posse of armymen positioned at the Top, My army friend from Leh and a ensuring the snowy Pass remains constant traveler on mountainous open throughout the year, we sojourns, Phuntsog Wangdus, INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 4 whose ancestors were natives of as the desert. With melting of the Carvings of Buddha on rocks near Nubra Valley before migrating to snow the rivers acquire the the Shey Palace. the more approachable town of character of rapids of various Leh, was also our guide during the grades and could be a source of journey. His intimate knowledge delight to the adventure seekers as kept us posted about finer nuances well as purists among nature lovers. of the famed valley. Nubra (meaning garden) Valley lying While navigating through massive between Khardungla and Siachin chunks of ice, the scene appeared Glacier, acquires its name from the straight out of Disneyland as huge Nubra River – a distributary of icicles, stalactites and stalagmites Shyok River, which has its origin in hung or grew along the route, the 78 km long expanse of moving refusing to melt. As we rolled down ice – the Siachin Glacier. Between the rather rough stretches, the themselves, both the rivers drain dripping boulders of ice forced our the Sasser Massif from the east and vehicle to move perilously along the west, reunite, continuing as imaginary kerbs. Besides Shyok and ending its journey into developing faith in our driver, we the mighty Indus at Baltistan. The also understood in no uncertain rivers during their journey break up terms the reasons for the fluttering into numerous flat-bedded water prayer flags, for the Gods to be channels gurgling through the kind to adventure seeker mortals valley, which at places is as sandy like us. INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 5 Nature has exposed itself bare in areas beyond Kargil and all along Kargil-Leh- Nubra Valley route. Devoid of any vegetation the mountain tops are raw and possess an ephemeral, luminescent quality. Painted in muted shades of greys, browns or purple, you also find them in hues of magenta, yellow and blues. Often, all the colours are visible running down the same mountainside. Nubra valley at places carpeted with dense Seasick thorns, stately Willows and sinewy Poplars. Sprinkled with abandon are bushes of wild roses in magenta, crimson, yellow and red, weaving a delicate floral motif in the huge natural tapestry. Presence of vegetation coupled with relatively low altitude of Nubra Valley, as compared to Leh, infuses sufficient amount of oxygen in the air for one to breathe freely and easily. Cruising further at an average elevation of 11,000 ft, the road, after hitting a huge expanse of sandy patch, bifurcated, with the left limb, along Shyok River leading to the monastery town of Disket. The right bifurcation and our preferred route, hugging along Nubra River, took us towards Panamic the last inhabited village enroute to Siachin Glacier. Beyond Panamic, the road weaves all the way to Siachin Glacier. The tourists, however, are permitted to travel only upto Panamic. We decided to visit Panamic before falling back to Deskit for the night. The drive along the Nubra River was unbelievably pleasant. The quaint sleepy villages of Tirit, Lukung, Tegar and Sumeru whizzed past. Each village was an oasis of apricot orchards ringed with poplars and willows, in sharp Icicles at Khardungla. INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 6 conrtrast to the stark ash-brown mountainous desert all around. Wangdus informed us that in not too distant a past, these villages were on the Central Asian trade routes, throbbing with gaiety and frenetic activity as the caravan trains, loaded with spices and salt, halted here to prepare for the tough, fortnight-long journey that lay ahead through the vast mountainous desert of Karakoram and Kunlun Mountain ranges. A journey where nothing but nothing would be available. Not even grazing for the beasts of burden on which the weary caravans depended for their survival. Panamic, being the biggest village in the area, thus became a nodal point for trade. Along the road we also came across a number of hot sulphur springs, ebbing out of the mountainside, coating it in shades of ochre yellow. Having understood their therapeutic qualities, the natives have constructed channels as well as small cubicles at the sites to channelise the liquid and facilitate bathing. In the process they also serve the tourists interest. The next day saw us at Deskit. The centuries-old Deskit monastery, perched precariously atop a conical mountain, provides a magnificent view of numerous chortens fringing Deskit village sprawled below. The valley continued to spring surprises on us. As we drove ahead towards Hundar (11,000 ft) we saw massive sand dunes with wind patterns etched on the cold, ash coloured sand. The 60-80ft high dunes are as menacing as those in the more approachable Jaiselmer (Rajasthan) and are complimented Prayer hall of Desket Gompa, Nubra Valley. INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 7 with shaggy, double humped Bactrian camel – a native of Mongolia- who, however, finds himself completely at home in these sandy wastes. These camel are the leftover legacy carried forward from the early days when they were used as beasts of burden by the traders on the Central Asian trade routes. In the afternoon, we followed the setting sun, which had started metamorphosing into a massive reddish-orange ball. The azure sky above had started following suit as the clouds too, turned crimson. Almost imperceptibly the shadows started getting longer as a silken, black cover was silently pulled over nature’s assets to protect them from vagaries of the man – at least for the night! N The author is a noted travel writer. A Ladakhi girl from Kargil – fully bedecked. INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 8 PeacockTHE REGAL INDIA’S NATIONAL BIRD SAMAR SINGH n 1963, the Government of India had named the Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), also called the Blue Peafowl, as the National Bird of IIndia. Renowned ornithologist, the late Dr. Salim Ali, once told me that the choice was between the Indian Peafowl and the Great Indian Bustard, both big and prominent birds and typically Indian. The matter was debated in the Indian Board for Wildlife and eventually the Indian Peafowl was selected and recommended to the Government, not only on account of its widespread distribution in the country but also because of its longstanding association with the life and culture of the Indian people. Somehow, this latter aspect is taken for granted and it is generally not appreciated that in no other country of the world the bonds between the national bird and its people are as ancient and intimate as in India. INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 9 INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2003 10 The Peafowl is considered a divine creature in Indian mythology, especially as the vahana (vehicle) of Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva and army commander of all the gods. It is also said that at one time when the gods took the form of various birds, Devraj Indra (the rain god) chose the finest form, that of a peacock, and ever since, whenever Lord Indra brings rain on earth, all the peacocks dance in joy and merriment - a sight to behold, meant for the gods.