Nubra
Valley
Nubra
rivers and Upper
Shayok drain the east and west sides of the Saser Spur, the eastern
most outcrop of the Karakoram. The name Nubra is applied to the
district comprising the valley of the Nubra river, and that of the
Shayok both above and below their confluence, where they meander in
many shifting channels over a broad sandy plain before flowing off
to the northwest to join the Indus in Baltistan.
Route from Leh takes the traveler over the Khardung-la, the highest
motorable road in the world. The line of the road is different from
that of the old pony-trail - longer and actually higher (18,300 feet
/ 5,578 m). The view from the top of the pass is amazing. One can
see all the way south over the Indus valley to the seemingly endless
peaks and ridges of the Zanskar range, and north to the giants of
the Saser massif. For several kilometers, on each side of the pass,
the road covered by deep snow in winter, is rough; for the rest of
the way the surface is good.
At the confluence of the two rivers there is no dearth of water, but
the sandy soil is not suitable for agriculture, which is confined to
the alluvial fans where side streams debouch into the main valley.
The valley floor itself is covered with dense thickets of
seabuckthorn - a thorny shrub- which the villagers use for fuel and
for fencing their fields ; though indeed, there is now less need for
this than there was in the days of the caravan trade with Central
Asia when up to 10,000 horses a year are said to have traversed the
district. The villages are large and seem prosperous, and have thick
plantations of willow and popular. The altitude is little less than
that of Leh, varying between 10,000 feet (3,048 m) at Hundar, and
10,600 feet (3,231 m) at Panamik. Summer temperatures vary between
15 degree celcius and 28 degree celcius.
The main village is Deskit, which has a regular bazaar consisting of
a single line of shops, and a gompa. This is situated on a rocky
spur above the village with commanding views up and down the valley.
From Deskit, the tour circuit proceeds down the Shayok to Hundar,
past an area of rolling sanddunes, their contours apparently solid,
yet liable to shift with every gale. Here there is a small
population of Bactrain camels, shaggy double-humped animals, which
in the old days, were used as pack animals on the Central Asian
trade routes. During the past 50 years, they have been bred for
transport purposes in Nubra; today visitors can take a camel safari
out into the dunes from Hundar.
The other circuit proceeds up the Nubra river, taking in the pretty
villages of Tirit, Lukung, Tegar and Sumur. Nubra's other kanor
monastery, Samstaling is situated on the mountainside just above
Sumur. This was the route taken by the trade caravans, and Panamik,
the last village on this circuit, was at that time a busy centre,
the last major settlement before the caravans plunged into the
mountains of the Karakoram and the Kun-Lu. Here they invariable
halted for a few days to make final preparations for getting over
the mountains, or to recuperate afterwards. There would be no
supplies, not even grazing for the animals, for about 12 days after
Panamik, so they had to carry all their provisions for that time.
The Government maintained a granary to sell foodgrains for the men,
and even for the horses.
But this arrangement was insufficient for the amount of the traffic,
and the local villagers made a killing, selling grain and fodder,
and letting out their fodder-fields for the horses to graze in.
Today, Panamik is a sleepy village, its people quietly going about
their work in the fields. Though the granary is still there,
converted into a store for miscellaneous supplies, it is difficult
to imagine the village's narrow lanes congested with the bustle of
the caravan traffic. On the mountainside above, the village hot
water bubbles out of the earth in thermal springs, locally reputed
to have therapeutic qualities. And across the river, clinging
precariously to the mountain there is a sliver of green - a few
trees rooted in meagre accumulations of soil among the bare rocks
surrounding the tiny Ensa Gompa.
Tours
Rajasthan