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Testa (also Tetha) is a small village in the Lungnak valley in Zanskar tehsil,
The population as of the 2011 Census was 460 with 71 households. Females comprised 48.5% of the population. The literacy rate was 53%. 97.4% of the inhabitants belonged to scheduled tribes. The pre-dominant religion is Buddhism.
The economy is largely agrarian with tourism also providing jobs and income. Annual precipitation is low, fields are irrigated through channels from streams fed by snow-melt. In 2011, 47% of the cultivated land was irrigated.
File:Testa Kargiakh Chu Zanskar Oct22 A7C 03635.jpg, Kargiakh river and Testa plateau from the right bank
File:Sign Testa Road Lungnak Zanskar Jun24 A7CR 01201.jpg, Testa sign on the left bank road
File:Willow Birch Trees Testa Lungnak Jun24 A7CR 01177.jpg, Willow and birch trees
File:Women Stripping Willow Testa Jun24 A7CR 01196.jpg, Stripping bark from willow sticks
File:Old House Testa Zanskar Jun24 A7CR 01174.jpg, Traditional house
File:House Construction Testa Zanskar Jun24 A7CR 01179.jpg, Modern house under construction
Kargil district
Kargil district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Dispute, disputed Kashmir-region,The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the ...
, Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The village is situated on a plateau at the base of a mountain range on the right bank of the Kargiakh River. It is located on a rural road that runs on the right bank opposite the Padum-Darcha road. Testa is south from Padum
Padum (also known as Padam) is the main town and the administrative centre of the Zanskar tehsil in Kargil district, Ladakh, India. Named after the Buddhist guru Padmasambhava, it was historically one of the two main capitals of the Zanskar Kin ...
.
Description
Testa (elevation ) is a small village in the Lungnak valley on the left bank of the Kargiakh Chu (river). It is located at a distance of from Padum on the Padum-Darcha road. The distance fromDarcha
Darcha (elevation 3,360 m or 11,020 ft) is a pair of villages (Darcha Sumdo and Darach Dangma) on the Bhaga River in the Lahaul sub-division in the Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Himac ...
in Lahaul
The Lahaul and Spiti district is a high-altitude district in Himachal Pradesh, north India. This entirely mountainous district consists of two geographically distinct as well as formerly separate political-administrative units, called Lahaul ( ...
is , the road climbing over the Shinko La
Shinku La (or Shingo La) mountain pass on Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road strategic road on the state boundary between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, connects the Zanskar region of Ladakh with the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh. The under-constructi ...
pass. Testa village has an area of .
Demographics
The population as of the 2011 Census was 460 with 71 households. Females comprised 48.5% of the population. The literacy rate was 53%. 97.4% of the inhabitants belonged to scheduled tribes. The pre-dominant religion is Buddhism.
Governance
The Testa Gram Panchayat is a government office andlocal self-government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
body that governs the villages of Testa and Kargyak. The two villages together have a population of 889 as per the Census 2011.
Amenities
Testa has pre-primary, primary and middle schools. It has a dispensary, it is served by a mobile phone operator and electricity supply is available.Economy
The economy is largely agrarian with tourism also providing jobs and income. Annual precipitation is low, fields are irrigated through channels from streams fed by snow-melt. In 2011, 47% of the cultivated land was irrigated.
Transport
In June 2024, the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) announced that it would soon commence a bus service fromKeylong
Kyelang (also spelled Keylong) is a town and the administrative centre of the Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, north of Manali via Atal Tunnel and from the Indo-Tibetan border. It is located along the Mana ...
in Lahaul to Padum. This would run on the Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road and would serve Testa.
Tourism
Testa is a way-point on the popular Darcha-Padum trek. This trek of moderate difficulty takes 9-10 days. It crosses the Shinko La pass, then alternates on the left and right sides of the Lungnak valley. A day hike in the middle is a visit to Phuktal Gompa. With the completion of the Darcha-Padum road, this trek has lost its appeal.Gallery
See also
*Phugtal Monastery
Phuktal Monastery or Phuktal Gompa (often transliterated as Phugtal) is a Buddhist monastery located in the remote Lungnak Valley in south-eastern Zanskar, in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, in Northern India. It is 52 km southeast of Padum on ...
* List of villages in Kargil district
References
{{reflist Villages in Zanskar tehsil