| Voice of Kargil : Mahmod
Ali
Kargil District
Area, Population & Sex Ratio
Geographical Area : 14036.0 Km2
Population in Kargil (Census 2011)
Total Population
Total : 143388
Male : 80791
Female : 62597
Under 6 population
Total : 20407
Male : 10319
Female : 10088
Disabled population
Total disabled population : 2892
In seeing : 1614
In speech : 225
In hearing : 237
In movement : 476
Mental : 340
Rank ( VoiceOfBharat.org Analysis
)
Backwardness : Does not figure in list of 447 backward
districts
Sex Ratio Rank : 21
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : C
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 -2006)
Disability : 554 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 361 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Brief About Kargil District
Kargil with a population of 1.25 lakhs is scattered over an area
of 14,086 Sq. Km. It is situated at a distance of 205 KM from Srinagar
towards Leh. Kargil is called the land of Agas in the present day
world. It is due to the fact that Kargil is mostly inhabited by
Shia Muslims and Agas are the religious head and preachers.
The name Kargil is
derived from two words Khar and rKil. Khar means castle and rKil
means center thus a place between castles as the place lay between
many kingdoms. In the views of many critics, the word Kargil has
been derived from the words Gar and Khil. Gar in local language
mean ‘Any where’ and Khil means a central place where people could
stay. This has the support of the fact that the place is equidistant
from Srinagar, Skardo, Leh and Padum with around 200 Kms. With the
passage of time Khar rKil or Gar Khil came to be known as Kargil.
The present bureaucrat and historian Parvez Dewan in his contribution
to the book “Kargil Blunder” reveals that a pioneer namely Kargeel
cleared the forests in Poyen and Shilikchay area before the advent
of Thatha Khan to dwell in the area and later the place assumed
its name.
Gasho Tha Tha Khan
is said to be the first renowned crusader who established a dynasty
in the area. Tha Tha Khan was a scion of the royal family of Gilgit
who captured Kargil in early 8th century. His dynasty
ruled the Sod area of Kargil in early period and later permanently
settled in Shakar Chiktan area where the dynasty is till in existence.
Kacho’s of Kargil are believed to be the off-shoots of Tha Tha Khan.
Purik Sulatan believed to be a renowned builder of Kargil who established
his domain in Suru area and ruled from Karchay Khar near Sankoo.
Kunchok Sherabtan of Fokar, Kalon of Mulback and many Kachos, Sultans
and Maqpons of Sod, Pashkum, Wakha, Chiktan, Karchey ruled the area
of Kargil and expanded their principalities to be merged with the
State of Jammu and Kashmir.
In ancient time,
the major part of present Kargil was named as Purik. This name has
been given by the Tibetan scholars as the people living in this
part of the land have the features of Tibetans. Drass is inhabited
by the people of the Dard race and Zanskar has Ladakhi – Tibeto
stock. The racial stocks of Kargilis are Aryans, Dard, Tibetans
and Mongoloids. Kargil is a place where people of multi- ethnic,
multi-languish, multi- cultural are living in. The types of people
are Brogpas, Baltis, Purik, Shinas and Ladakhi. The languages spoken
are Shina, Balti, Purig , Ladakhi ec. As the Balti and Shina languages
are written in Urdu script, Urdu is common in the area.
Islam came to Kargil
in 15th century. Mir Shams-ud-Din Iraqi, a scholar of
Shia school of central Asia visited Baltistan and Kargil with his
missionaries to preach Islam. The chief of Baltistan embraced Islam
first and it was later followed by the Chiefs of Kargil. Prior to
Mir Shams-ud-Din Iraqi Khawaja Noorbaksh visited Kargil and done
a lot of Islamic preaching. Thus Buddhism remained sequeezed in
Kargil to the places like Sapi, Phokar, Mulback, Wakha Bodh-Kharboo
areas a Darchik Garkon and Zanskar.
Kargil district carved out of erstwhile district
Ladakh came into existence in July 1979.It lies in the North-east
Of Kashmir Valley at a distance of 205 Kms. from Srinagar with a
geographical area of 14,036 Sq.Kms. The whole area is of high rocky
mounatins which is devoid of any natural vegetation. The population
of the district is above one lakh having density of 7 persons per
Sq.Kms. against the average of 59 persons per Sq.Kms.at State level.99%
of population is schedule tribe. The district has high altitude
area in the Country ranging from 8,000 fts.to 18,000fts.above sea
level. There are 7 rural development blocks comprising of 129 villages
and 461 habitations as per 1981 Census which comprise a number of
households settled near available irrigation facilities.District
has two tehsils and on Sub-division at Zanskar.The district remains
cut off from the rest of country from November to May in view of
heavy snow fall on National Highway at Zojila pass.People mostly
live in rural areas and only 5.3 percent reside in the town. The
majority of population is Muslim.The Budhists come next with their
concerntration in Zanskar tehsil and Shargol block.A few families
of Sikhs and Hindus also live in the district.The cultivated area
in the district is 10,000 hectares as against19,437 hectares of
reporting area.The soil is generally coarse, mixed with stones and
gravels. It is alkine in reaction and organic matter content is
very low.The fertility of the soil varies from place to place and
the growing season is short.The avearge rainfall in Kargil is 26
cms only. The district gets snowfall varying from 2ft.to 5ft.The
Kargil town,Suru Valley and the villages around the Wakha and Kanji
Nallah record a snowfall upto 3ft while in Drass and some parts
of Zanskar it is 5ft.Drass is the second coldest inhabited place
in the world after Siberia in Russia.The areas of Karkitcho,Kargil
town,Hardass to Saliskot and the villages from Silmo to Garkone
get a double crop of barley, wheat,peas,bajrah and vegetables while
other areas of the district get only single crop of wheat,barley,peas
and some varieties of vegetables. The barley is the staple crop
of the district. The district presents a composite culture of Balti,
Ladakhi, Purki, Dardi,Zanskari and Shia cultures. Irrespective of
ethenic identities,all speak the Kargali language with ease.
Geography
Ladakh
is a part of Jammu & Kashmir State situated in North of India
consisting of two districts Leh and Kargil. It is a mountainous
desert. This region is separated from the rest of the State by high
mountains which are crossed through passes at various points. The
lowest pass to Ladakh is Zojila which is at 11,500'. It has
an area of 4036 Sq.
Km. It is situated between 30 to 35
degree North latitude and 75
to 77 degree
East West longitude.
It is surrounded by Baramullah,
Srinagar and Doda Districts in the South-West, Leh District in the
East, Himachal Pradesh in the South and Pakistan in the North-West.
The District is divided into four high level natural Valleys namely
the Suru Valley, the Drass Valley, the Indus Valley and the Upper
Sindh Valley of Kanji Nallah Valley.
Zojila
and Fotulla passes situated at the height of 3567 and 4192 meters
above the sea level are called gateways for Kashmir Valley and Leh
District for entry in Kargil District. High peaks of Namikala and
Penzila are called the sky pillars of the District.
The
whole District is of high
rocky mountains, desert arid, snow bound and devoid of natural
vegetation. It occupies unique
position because of its high altitude area in the country which
ranges from 8000 to 23000 ft. above the sea level.
The
topography of the region is mountainous with little or no vegetation.
The mountains are of sedimentary rocks and are in process of disintegration
due to weathering. The terrain being hilly, available land for agriculture
is meager. The summer being short, only one crop of local grim or
wheat is grown.
The District Headquarter is
situated at a distance of 205 Kms from Srinagar
and 230 Kms from Leh. Kargil district comprises of Kargil town and
127 inhabited villages and 2 un-inhabited villages.
The
normal concept of a village as a contiguous and compact habitation
does not apply in Kargil district. Here a number of house holds
have settled down here and
there depending upon land availability and
irrigation facility. These clusters are spread on large distant
and in view of good number of Rivers, etc.. The area of the district
is mountainous with difficult terrain.
Climate & Soil Conditions
Ladakh
lies on the rain shadow side of the Himalayan where dry monsoon
winds reaches Kargil after being robbed of its moisture in plains
and the Himalayan mountain. The district combines the condition
of both arctic and desert climate. Therefore Ladakh is often called
“ COLD DESERT”. Rainfall in the area is negligible.
Heavy snowfall is experienced in winter. The average snowfall is
about 2 to 5 mtrs. in villages. In winter mercury drops to minus
48 degree Celsius at Drass (Kargil), which is the second coldest
inhabited place in the world after Siberia. The main features of
the climate are :-
-
Wide
diurnal and seasonal fluctuations in temperature with -48° C
in Winter and +35° C in Summer.
-
Precipitation
is very low with annual precipitation of 10 cm mainly in the
form of snow
-
Soil
is thin, sandy and porous
-
The
entire area is partly or devoid of any natural vegetation
-
Irrigation
is mainly through channels from the glacier-melted snow
The
climate of the District is milder than that of Ladakh (Leh). The
villages situated on the banks of Indus and on the Sangham of Suru
and Drass rivers are very warm and fine. The snow falling happens
to be quite heavy and rainfall normal but it does not help in irrigating
the fields. The crops are subjected to irrigation. In Nutshell,
the winter season of the District experiences severe cold and temperature
often goes down redundantly but summer season remains dry and little
hot.
The
soil of the District is sandy to loamy in nature and deficient in
organic matter and availability of phosphorus and potashes low and
mixed with stones and gravels . It is shallow in formation, weak
friable and vulnerable to all types of erosion. Fertility of the
soil varies from place to place and growing season is very short.
The average rain fall at Kargil is 26 cms only. The district has
some deposits of chromed at Drass and around it. Copper is also
found in Lungnak valley, Zanskar and Tai-Suru. Besides, deposits
like lime stone, marble and building material are also existing.
However, these mineral resources are yet to be exploited.
Approach
Kargil District is situated at a distance of 205
Kms from Srinagar and 230 Kms from Leh. It is connected to Srinagar
and Leh through National Highway. The District remains cut off with
rest of the world during the winter season for more than seven months.
But Leh - Kargil road remains open throughout the year.
There is an alternative means of transportation
to and from the District when the roads get blocked in winter that
is Air Link via Leh. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways are the lifeline
of Ladakh during winter. Indian Airlines operates flights from Leh
to Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh and Delhi. While as Jet Airways operates
flight from Leh to Delhi only.
Historical Places and Monuments
The Distt has one of the oldest civilizations.
These tribes are Dards and baltis. The baltis are said to be descendents
of Sakas a central Asian race. Dards are located in Dras.
There is a old stone statue near Dras.
General zorawar Singh while conquering the area
via Warwan Pass constructed a fort at proper Kargil.
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