Kharu () also spelt Karu, is a town,

subdivision Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

, tourist station and military base on the bank of

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

in the

Leh district Leh 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 WP:T ...

of Union territory of

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 ...

. It is located 34 km southeast of Leh on Leh-Manali Highway and under-construction

Bhanupli–Leh line The Bhanupli–Leh line, including long Bhanupli-Barmana (Bilaspur) link and the long Bilaspur-Manali-Leh link, is an under-construction long wide Broad-gauge railway, broad-gauge all-weather Railway electrification, electrified railway t ...

.Subdivisions and blocks of Leh
Leh dustrict website. Karu is one of the important railway station and military's railway logistics hub on the under construction Bhanupli–Leh line of

Indian Railway Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fourth largest national railway ...

. Karu is an important transit point where several strategic and important road arterial and feeder routes of

India-China Border Roads Chinese Indian or Indian Chinese may refer to: * China–India relations China and India maintained peaceful relations for thousands of years, but their relationship has varied since the Chinese Communist Party's victory in the Chinese Civil ...

meet, such as Leh-Manali Highway, Leh-

Nyoma Nyoma is a principal village of southern Ladakh in India, the headquarters of an eponymous subdivision, tehsil, community development block and Indian Air Force Base in the Leh district.Pangong Tso Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake (; zh, s=班公错, p=Bān gōng cuò; ) is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh and Ngari Prefecture, West Tibet situated at an elevation of . It is long and divided into five sublakes, called ''Pangong Tso' ...

road, etc.

Transport

Karu, with a loop line for military logistics, will a civilian passenger station on the under-costruction

.India’s costliest rail line will change how we view travel
theweek.in, 13 Apr 2025. Karu lies on the NH-3. Nearest airport,

Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport is a military airfield of the Indian Air Force as well as domestic airport serving Leh, the capital of Ladakh, India. Situated at above mean sea level, it is the highest commercial airport in India and one of ...

, is at Leh.

Tourism

Karu town, located at 3500 m above sea level, with ATM, internet access (

BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (commonly known as BSNL) () is an Indian central public sector undertaking, under the ownership of Department of Telecommunications, which is part of the Ministry of Communications, Government of India with its he ...

, guesthouses, petrol station and tourist facilities, etc. is one of the base for exploring the

Hemis Monastery Hemis Monastery is a Himalayan Buddhist monastery ('' gompa'') of the Drukpa Lineage, in Hemis on the bank of the Indus River, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, it was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. T ...

, high altitude

Hemis National Park Hemis National Park is a high-elevation national park in Hemis in Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is approx. 50 km from Leh,One of the capital of Ladakh (Leh, Kargil). Globally famous for its snow leopards, it is believed to have the highes ...

Chang La Chang La is a high mountain pass in Ladakh at an elevation of in the Greater Himalaya between Leh and the Shyok River valley. The Chang La, on Leh to Pangong Lake road, lies on the Leh-Karu- Sakti- Zingral-Chang La-Durbuk-Tangtse-Pangong La ...

motorable pass, Ke La pass, etc. It is a popular stop and melting pot for the tourists, bikers, native tribes, military personnels, etc. Tourists usually flock here during warmer months from June to October.Karu top attractions on manali leh highway-leh ladakh road bike trip

Administration

Important villages in Karu block are, Karu,

Hemis Hemis, also spelled Hamis, is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Kharu tehsil, 40 km southeast of Leh town on the Leh-Manali Highway and under-construction Bhanupli–Leh line. Hemis is well known for t ...

Upshi Upshi is a village and road junction on the Leh-Manali Highway in the union territory of Ladakh in India. It is located to the southeast of Leh along the Indus river valley and Tanglang La on the Leh-Manali highway. Gya, Ladakh, Gya is also to ...

, Meroo,

Changa Changa may refer to: *Changa (restaurant), a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey *Changa, Anand, a village in Gujarat, India *Changa, Leh, a village in Jammu and Kashmir, India *Changa, Pakistan, a town in Pakistan *Changa tuki a life-style including ...

, etc.

Culture

Native tribe practice the

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

Education

The well-known "Karu Army Goodwill Public School" was established in 1998 for the locals by the

Tangtse Tangtse or Drangtse () is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Durbuk tehsil. Traditionally, it was regarded as the border between the Nubra region to the north and the Pangong region to the south. It was a ...

Brigade of XIV Corps of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

Karu Military Station

Karu is also home to a logistics base of

Indian Military The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

. To cater for the military logistics, the Bilaspur–Leh rail line passing through will have a railway station for passengers at Karu as well as a loop line for the exclusive use of military logistics, loading and unloading. Other 4 such dedicated loop lines for military logistics on this rail line will be at Sissu, Debring, Leh and Sesharthang.

References

Cities and towns in Leh district {{Ladakh-geo-stub