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It was in June, 1974 that we received a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India that Ladakh had been thrown open to tourists including foreigners with immediate effect. The request for the opening of the area had been in the pipeline for quite sometime. We had expected that the Government of India would warn us in time to prepare for receiving tourists especially from the foreign countries. But we were taken totally by surprise and there was absolutely no infrastructure to receive and accommodate tourists. Two of us, I and my colleague Abdul Rauf, were immediately directed by our boss, the Director Tourism, to proceed to Ladakh to survey the area and discuss with local authorities the ways and means of receiving and looking after tourists especially the foreigners who were expected to visit the region in large numbers. We requisitioned a four wheel drive Willy’s Wagon from the state motor garages, the official transport department of the government. Before starting, I borrowed from the public library a book titled, “Northern Barrier of India” by Fredrick Drew. I read it from start to finish before starting on the journey. Fredrick Drew had travelled on horse back along the pony trail to Ladakh. The description of the route still holds good even after half a century or so. The road to Ladakh which was constructed in mid sixties virtually follows the pony trail most of the way. On the advice of our driver Amin Maharaza, we started very early in the morning. Up to Sonamarg, it was a familiar journey which we had undertaken frequently. After crossing the Sonamarg Bridge it was a maiden voyage of discovery. The road was more or less straight till the foot of Zoji La pass. Then it started winding up slowly uphill. We could see some distant snow peaks. The mountainsides were covered with lush green forests. On the way up we saw many sign posts of people who had given their life while constructing the road. The most important is at Captain’s Mode (turn) where a Captain had fallen to his death during road construction. From here the road turned to cross the pass at 11,200 feet above sea level. Crossing Gumri and then descending to Meena Marg we had the first glimpse of Ladakh. It was totally different.
Mountains were barren. Rock faces of all hues and colours. The sky was deep blue and the sunshine was brisk. It was hurting the eyes. The first habitation we came across was the village of Matayan. These are probably the poorest people in the whole state anywhere. They live in mud houses which have no windows. We were told the winter is so harsh and cold that no one comes out. The landscape, the total isolation of seeing no human being for miles upon miles seemed quite depressing. After crossing Pindrass, a little more prosperous village on the left side of the road, we came to Drass, the first major town. There was a large army presence here. There was a small bazaar with few shops mostly selling provisions and tea. We stopped at the road side Dak Bungalow of the Public Works Department constructed in stone masonry with tin roof. It was not in a very posh condition but just a typical halting place for officers on duty. We had tea and left for Kargil. After crossing Drass the road winds up to a plateau at the start of which are some ancient statues. These have been there even in the time of Drew and were taken as an important landmark on the road. The road crosses over to other side of Drass River and after crossing some more villages reaches Kargil. The view of Suru River at the bend in the road is impressive. The two rivers join and ultimately connect with Indus to flow into Pakistan. Kargil those days was a very small town with a bazaar and a mosque. We drove up to the Dak Bungalow on the right hill side. It was in totally dilapidated condition. The walls of a couple of rooms had fallen down.
We got a room which was still intact, had some lunch, and slept for just a couple of hours to get relief from the fatigue of the journey. We woke up around four in the afternoon and looked outside. The sun was hurting the eyes. The sky seemed bluer than ever. In the front was the famous hill of “Hathi Matha” or the Elephant’s Forehead on top of which was a Pakistani picket overlooking the Kargil town. They would continuously harass the people on this side by firing on the convoys. But in the 1971 war they had been pushed back and the hill had been taken over by the Indian army. During the night we had to fight the bed bugs! Next morning we again left very early as Leh, the headquarter of Ladakh was still more than a couple of hundred kilometres away. Those days entire Ladakh on the Indian side was just one large district. The road after crossing the bridge on the Suru River rises to a plateau and then descends to a stream near the village of Pashkum. It then follows the stream on the left side till the Namika La pass. Near the village of Shergol the valley opens up. Across the stream on the right side one can see the cave Monastery of Shergol. This was our first sight of a Buddhist monastery. However, the most impressive was the Mulbekh Monastery perched on top of a huge boulder. It looked quite dramatic. Down below in the village of Mulbekh we saw the first Buddhist ladies in a typical red dress with their felt hats. It was a strange sight which we had never seen before. We seemed to be in some foreign land. Also on the road side was the huge statue of Chamba, a form of Buddha carved on a massive rock. The rock image was quite stark and impressive. The road then led towards the Namika La pass which it ascends in a number of long loops. The name of the pass in Ladakhi means a pillar of the sky. The landscape looks like huge dried clay and sand dunes with a head like huge boulder or rock pillar stuck on the top of the pass. Beautiful views of distant snow clad mountains are visible from the top of the pass. (To be continued…...)
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