Kargil

Kargil or Kargyil is a town and municipality in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is located on the northern extreme of the Indian-administered Indian administered Kashmir region, along the Line of Control. It serves as the joint capital of Ladakh, and is the seat of Kargil district. It is the second-largest population center in Ladakh after Leh.

Kargil is located from Leh, and from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir along the National Highway 1. The town is located in the Suru river valley near its confluence with the Dras and Wakha Rong rivers.

Owing to its location in proximity to the disputed India–Pakistan border, the town has seen many wars and skirmishes. In 1999, the Kargil War was fought by the Indian armed forces against the Pakistani armed forces along the Line of Control around the Kargil region.

Etymology

Kargil could have been derived from the combination of two local language words – ''Khar'' meaning fort and ''rkil'' meaning center, implying that the region was situated in a central place amongst many forts. ''Gar'' in the local language means anywhere, and ''khil'' means a place to stay, indicating that the name could denote a central place where people lodged. As the town is located at roughly similar distance to other towns like Srinagar, Leh, and Skardu, it might have served as the center of the region. As per historian Parvez Dewan, the town's name came from a man named ''Kargeel'', who cleared the forests in the region to create a dwelling.

Kargil is mentioned as ''Dkar–skyil'' in the ''Ladakh Chronicles''. It is derived from a combination of two Standard Tibetan words – ''dkar'' meaning white or bright, and ''skyil'' meaning expanse. In contrast to the deep gorges that give access to the Kashmir valley, the Kargil basin is surrounded by low-pitched mountains with the low Khurbathang plateau at the southeastern corner. The name is also spelt as ''Dkar–khyil''.

History

Early history

As per Tibetan scholars, the major part of the present day Kargil region was known as Purik or Purig. In the eighth century CE, Gasho Tha Tha Khan from Gilgit established the Kacho dynasty in the Sod valley in the region. Several smaller kingdoms were established by his descendants over various parts of the region later. The region was part of the Silk Road trade route that between Central and South Asia. Kargil served as an outpost and halting place on the caravan routes from Srinagar to Leh, and on to Central Asia.

Middle ages

The largely Buddhist population were introduced to Islam in the 15th and 16th century CE by Mir Shams-ud-Din Iraqi. The Sod valley north of Kargil was connected to Gilgit, and ruled from there. The Suru river valley including the Kargil, separated from the Sod valley by a mountain pass, was connected to the Kashmir region. The region was largely ruled by the king of Kharmang belonging to the Balti people, with the exception of a few independent areas. The Sod Pasari ( fort was established in the Sod valley in the 16th or 17th century, from which control was exerted over the lands around the valley including the Kargil basin.

Early Dogra period

In the early 19th century, Gulab Singh, a commander of the Sikh empire, established the Dogra dynasty. Zorawar Singh (Dogra general), Zorawar Singh was a military general of Gulab Singh. In 1834, Zorawar Singh invaded the region, and destroyed the fort at Kargil. He appointed a ''kardar'' (administrator) for the Kargil region, who was killed in a revolt in 1838. In 1840, Zorawar Singh deposed the Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh, Gyalpo and re-annexed the region.

On the way to Baltistan, he conqueted the whole of the Purig region including the Sod valley. After Zorawar Singh's death in 1841, there was another rebellion, which was put down by the Dogra forces led by Hari Chand. He raised the Kargil fort and imprisoned the smaller kings of the region as prisoners. British engineer Alexander Cunningham described the Kargil fort as a square of about sixty yards located on the left bank of the Suru river above its junction with Wakha Rong river. It was possible to defend the bridge over the Suru river and command the Kashmir–Ladakh road from the fort.

Princely state

In 1846, Gulab Singh became the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir (princely state), Jammu and Kashmir, a princely state of the British Raj. In 1854, there were three ''ilaqas'' (sub-districs) in the present day Kargil district, at Kargil, Dras and Zanskar respectively, and were headed by civil officers called ''thanadars''. During the reign of Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, Pratap Singh, a ''wazarat'' (district) was established for all the frontier regions including Gilgit, and Kargil was made a tehsil of the wazarat. Sometime later, Kargil, Skardu and Leh were separated to form the Ladakh ''wazarat''. The district headquarters shifted between the three locations each year. As Kargil was part of a trade route, Caravanserai, serais for caravans, a rest-house, and post and telegraph offices were established during the period. Kargil's bazaar sold matches, kerosene, sugar and tea, cotton clothes, and glass and tinsel ornaments.

Independent India

After Indian Independence Act, 1947, Indian Independence in 1947, the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 arose and was initially fought between the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jammu and Kashmir State Forces and by militias from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, frontier tribal areas adjoining the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Following the Instrument of Accession (Jammu and Kashmir), accession of the Jammu and Kashmir to India by maharaja Hari Singh on 26 October 1947, the Indian troops engaged in battle directly with the Pakistani forces. The war resulted in the establishment of a cease fire line and gave control of Ladakh region including Kargil to the Indian side. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the subsequent Simla Agreement resulted in the establishment of a Line of Control. Kargil was bifuricated from Leh district and became a separate district in the Ladakh region in 1979.

In 1999, infiltration by Pakistani paramilitary forces, led to the Kargil War. Fighting occurred in the high mountains along the long stretch of ridges overlooking the road connecting Srinagar and Leh. After several months of fighting and diplomatic activity, the Pakistani forces withdrew to their side of the Line of Control. Since then, there has been occasional skirmishes between the armed forces of the two nations in the Kargil region.

Ladakh was declared as a union territory by the Government of India on 31 October 2019 and Kargil became part of the same.

Geography

Kargil is located in the Indian union territory of Ladakh in the Indian-administered Kashmir region. It is the second largest urban center in the region after Leh, and serves as the seat of Kargil district. It is located about from Leh, and from Srinagar. The town is located along the Line of Control which separates the Pakistan-administered Kashmir from the Indian region.

Kargil is located amongst various river valleys formed by the tributaries of Indus. The Suru River (Indus), Suru River valley extends from Panikher to across the town of Kargil. The Dras River valley branches off from the Suru valley leading to the Zoji La pass and Kashmir valley. The Dras, and Wakha Rong rivers combine with the Suru river near Kargil. The Zanskar River valley extends south of Kargil from the point of confluence of the Suru and Botkul rivers. Further north along the Suru valley, the Indus valley extends to Skardu. As per historian Janet Rizvi, the narrow gorge of the Indus valley between Marol, Baltistan, Marol and Dah, Ladakh, Dah was not easily traversable in the pre-modern period, and hence the normal trade route between Baluchistan and Leh ran through Kargil across the Suru and Wakha Rong valley.

Similar to most of the Himalayas, Himalayan regions, the region consists of mountainous terrain made up of weathered sedimentary rocks with sparse vegetation. As the region is located in the valleys surrounded by the high Himalayan mountains, the rain bearing winds are blocked and the region receives very less rainfall of about annually. Hence the region experiences a cold desert climate, with short summers and cold winters. Winters are long and cold with temperatures dropping below -30 °C. In the winter, the town experiences heavy snowfall. The soil cover is negligible, and the main water sources are the glacier-fed rivers. Crops are grown in limited arable land with loamy soils in the river valleys during the summer. There are significant deposits of minerals and ores like copper, limestone, and marble.

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India, 2011 census, Kargil had a population of 16,338 individuals. The population increased from 10,657 in 2001 Census of India, 2001. The population increased almost ten times from the 1961 Census of India, 1961 census when 1,681 persons were recorded. As of 2011, the population consisted of 10,082 males and 6,256 females. About 70% of the population belonged to Scheduled Tribes. The town had a literacy rate of 83.6%. Islam is the largest religion followed by over 77% of the adherents, followed by Hinduism adhered to by 19.2% of the population. Sikhism (2.2%), Buddhism (0.5%) and Christianity (0.4%) are other minor religions. English language, English, Hindu, Ladakhi language, Ladakhi, Purgi language, Purigi, and Urdu are declared official languages in the territory. Other spoken languages include Balti language, Balti, Shina language, Shina, Zanskari language, Zanskari, and other Dardic languages.

Administration and infrastructure

Kargil district including the town and the surrounding areas are administered by a hill development council, that forms part of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. Established in July 2003, the council consists of 30 members including four nominated members. The hill council is headed by a chief executive councilor, who holds a rank of a cabinet minister. The council is responsible for the carrying out planning, and development works. A deputy commissioner serves as the administrative head, and also serves as the chief executive of the council. State owned public broadcaster All India Radio operates a Amplitude modulation, AM radio station at Kargil.

Transportation

Kargil is located on National highways of India, national highway National Highway 1 (India), NH 1 connecting Srinagar to Leh. National Highway 301 (India), NH 301 extends from the junction with NH 1 in Kargil and extends to Zanskar. The highways connecting Kargil to Srinagar and Zanskar are often blocked by snow from November to May in winter. NH 1 is accessible from Dras to Kargil and Kargil to Leh throughout the year. Government operated buses connect Kargil with other towns. The Skardu–Kargil Road, Kargil-Skardu road earlier linked Kargil to Skardu, a city in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It has been closed since the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948.

Kargil Airport was built in 1996 for civilian operations. The operational control was later transferred to the Indian Air Force. The air force operates seasonal flights that carry cargo and transport civilians during the winter. The nearest major airports are the Leh Airport with regular domestic flights and the Srinagar International Airport. Srinagar railway station is the nearest railway station from the town, with limited railway services. The nearest major railhead is the Jammu Tawi railway station located about from the town.

See also

* Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir
* Kashmir conflict

Notes

References

Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

Kargil Official Website

{{Authority control

Kargil,
Cities and towns in Kargil district
Hill stations in Ladakh
Indian union territory capitals
Geography of Ladakh