Kargil (Hindi: कारगील; IPA: [kərɡɪl]) is a district of Ladakh, Kashmir, India. Kargil lies near the Line of Control facing Pakistan-administered Kashmir's Baltistan to the west, and Kashmir valley to the south. Zanskar is part of Kargil district along with Suru, Wakha and Dras valleys. Kargil was at the center of a conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999.
Kargil district is nestled in the Himalayas, giving it a cool, temperate climate. Summers are warm with cool nights, while winters are long and cold with temperatures often dropping to −40 °C (−40.0 °F) with recorded temperatures of −60 °C (−76.0 °F) in the tiny town of Dras, situated some 56 km (35 mi) from the Kargil town. The Zanskar plateau is even colder, making it thus a near-uninhabitable place for humans, except for the hardy Khampas. The entire Kargil district is spread over 14,086 km2 (5,439 sq mi). The Suru River flows through the district.
Culture
Though earlier Tibetan contact has left a profound influence upon the people of both Kargil and Leh, after the spread of Shia Islam the people of Kargil came under heavy influence of Persian culture. This is apparent by the rigorous use of Persian words and phrases in the popular religious as well as other songs called marsias and qasidas. At least until recently, some Kargilis, especially those of the Agha families descendants of Syed preachers.
Social ceremonies such as marriages still carries many customs and rituals which are common to both the Muslims and Buddhists. Among the two districts of Ladakh, Kargil has a more mixed ethnic population and thus there are more regional dialects spoken in Kargil as compared to Leh. Local folk songs which are called rgya-glu and balti ghazals are still quite popular and are performed enthusiastically at social gatherings. The J&K tourism ministry annually organises festivals in which various programmes are organised to highlight the culture so as to boost the tourism industry in the district. However, the tourism industry is still undeveloped despite attractive natural as well as rich cultural resources due to bad infrastructure and severe accommodation problems.
Politics
Kargil District has two assembly constituencies, Zanskar and Kargil.Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil election was held in September 2008. For a smooth conduct of elections for the LAHDC Kargil, as many as 892 polling staff and more than 1,000 police personnel including para military forces have been deployed in Kargil district. Satesh Nehru is the present District Development Commissioner Kargil.
History
The name Kargil is said to be derived from the words Khar and rKil. Khar means castle and rKil means center thus a place between castles as the place lay between many kingdoms. The competing theory is that 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.
A farmland in Kargil lies straddled below the mountains and above a flowing stream.
Kargil remained relatively obscure right until the Partition of India when the issue of Kashmir became the focal point and resulted in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. There were pitched battles fought around Kargil which saw the entire area including Drass and Zoji La Pass initially coming under Pakistan control before most of it being reclaimed by Indian troops by November 1948.It remained with India after the ceasefire. It again saw some action in the Second Kashmir War with India managing to wrest back the reminder of the Kargil area twice. The first capture was on May 17, 1965, when skirmishes broke out in Rann of Kutch, and India retaliated in the Kashmir sector.[5] However, this had to be returned as per UNMOGIP treatise. On August 15, the same year Kargil fell to Indian forces, though it was once again returned as part of the Tashkent Agreement.However in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 the entire Kargil region including key posts was captured by Indian troops under leadership of Col. Chewang Rinchen. In order to straighten out the line of control in the area, the Indian Army launched night attacks when the ground temperatures sank to below -17º and about 15 enemy posts located at height of 16,000 feet and more were captured.After Pakistan forces lost the war and agreed to the Shimla Agreement, Kargil and other strategic areas nearby remained with India.Kargil became a separate district in the Ladakh region during the year 1979 when it was bifurcated from the Leh 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 became a separate district in the Ladakh region during the year 1979 when
it was bifurcated from the earstwhile Leh ditrict.
Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Kargil was commissioned in July 2003
in the district. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council has 30
Councilors out of which 26 Councilors are elected while the remaining 4 are
nominated. Kargil district is consisting of nine administrative Blocks.