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Demchok (),
KNAB Place Name Databse, retrieved 27 July 2021.
previously called New Demchok, and called Parigas () by the Chinese, is a village and military encampment in the Indian-administered
Demchok sector The Demchok sector is a disputed area named after the villages of Demchok in Ladakh and Demchok in Tibet, situated near the confluence of the Charding Nullah and Indus River. It is a part of the greater Sino-Indian border dispute between ...
that is disputed between India and China. It is administered as part of the
Nyoma Nyoma is a principal village of southern Ladakh in India, the headquarters of an eponymous subdivision, tehsil and community development block in the Leh district.tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
in the
Leh district Leh district is a district in the union territory of Ladakh, India. With an area of 45,110 ''km'2'', it is the second largest district in the country smaller only to Kutch. It is bounded on the north by Gilgit-Baltistan's Kharmang and Gha ...
of
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
by India, and claimed by China as part of the
Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a Provinces of China, province-level Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China in Southwest China. I ...
. The
Line of Actual Control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment o ...
(LAC) passes along the southeast side of the village, along the
Charding Nullah The Charding Nullah, traditionally known as the Lhari stream and called Demchok River by China,{{efn, name="White Paper XII" is a small river that originates near the Charding La pass that is also on the border between the two countries and flows n ...
(also called Demchok River and Lhari stream) which joins the
Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
near the village. Across the stream, less than a kilometre away, is a Chinese-administered Demchok village.


Name

The village of Demchok was apparently named after ''Demchok Karpo'', the rocky white peak behind the present Ladakhi village of Demchok. However, prior to 1947, the main Demchok village was on the Tibetan side of the border. The Ladakhi side of the settlement was still referred to as "Demchok". Chinese officials use the name "Demchok" only for the Tibetan side of the settlement and refer to the Ladakhi side as "Parigas" (also spelt "Barrigas"). During border discussions in the 1960s, the Chinese government called the Indian village "Parigas" and the Chinese village "Demchok": * . Chinese officials state: "Parigas was part of the Demchok area. West of Demchok, after crossing the Chopu river, one arrived at Parigas." * : "In fact, it was Indian troops who on September 18, intruded into the vicinity of the Demchok village on the Chinese side of the 'line of actual control' after crossing the Demchok River from Parigas..." This is apparently derived from a Tibetan name Palichasi (),Tibet Autonomous Region (China): Ngari Prefecture
KNAB Place Name Databse, retrieved 27 July 2021. Coordinates .
of a pastoral ground known to Ladakhis as Silungle, roughly halfway downstream to
Lagankhel Demchok (),
KNAB Place Name Databse, retrieved 27 July 2021.
previously called New Demchok, and called Parigas () by the ...
.Tibet Autonomous Region (China): Ngari Prefecture
KNAB Place Name Databse, retrieved 27 July 2021. Coordinates .


Geography

Demchok is at an elevation of , on a stony plain at the foot of a pyramidal white peak called Demchok Lhari Karpo. A stream called
Charding Nullah The Charding Nullah, traditionally known as the Lhari stream and called Demchok River by China,{{efn, name="White Paper XII" is a small river that originates near the Charding La pass that is also on the border between the two countries and flows n ...
(or Lhari stream) flows down on the southeast side of Demchok joining the Indus River. The alluvial deposits from the stream form small plots for grazing and farming. Around the corner of the peak is a
hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
, whose water is believed to have medicinal qualities. The
Line of Actual Control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment o ...
(LAC) with Tibet runs on the southeast side of the village along the Charding Nullah. Across the stream, 600 metres away, is the Tibetan Demchok village. After reaching the Indus River, the LAC follows its right bank, according Indian explorer Romesh Bhattacharji. leaving the left bank of Indus under Indian control. The Chinese still retain a claim to the Indian part of the disputed
Demchok sector The Demchok sector is a disputed area named after the villages of Demchok in Ladakh and Demchok in Tibet, situated near the confluence of the Charding Nullah and Indus River. It is a part of the greater Sino-Indian border dispute between ...
and object to any constructions there. Along the left bank on Indus River, numerous streams flow down from the ridge line in the west to the Indus, providing grazing grounds and campsites to the Changpa nomads. The largest of these is the site of Lagankhel (''La Ganskyil''), which is historically regarded as a village with permanent settlement. Some of these locations are now said to host posts of
Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a border patrol organization of India deployed along its borders with Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces, established in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian ...
as does the Demchok village itself. An old travel route from Ladakh to Tibet, leading to
Kailas Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude of ...
Manasarowar Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The l ...
, runs along the left bank of the Indus River. The route has been shut since the emergence of Sino-Indian border disputes. There have been persistent demands from the local population for reopening the route.


History

Demchok is a historic area of Ladakh, having been part of the kingdom from its inception in the 10th century. The description of the kingdom in the ''
Ladakh Chronicles The ''Ladakh Chronicles'', or ''La-dvags-rgyal-rabs'' (), is a historical work that covers the history of Ladakh from the beginnings of the first Tibetan dynasty of Ladakh until the end of the Namgyal dynasty. The chronicles were compiled by the ...
'' mentions Demchok Karpo, also called ''Demchok Lhari Karpo'' or ''Lhari Karpo'', as being part of the original kingdom. This is a possible reference to the rocky white peak behind the present-day Demchok village. ; ; The Lhari peak is held sacred by Buddhists. Demchok (Sanskrit: ) is the name of a Buddhist Tantric deity, who is believed to reside on the Mount Kailas, and whose imagery parallels that of
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
in Hinduism. The Lhari peak is also referred to as "Chota Kailas" (mini Kailas) and attracts pilgrimage from Hindus as well as Buddhists. Tibetologist Nirmal C. Sinha states that Demchok is part of the
Hemis Hemis, also spelled Hamis, is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Kharu tehsil, 40 km southeast of Leh town on the Leh-Manali Highway and under-construction Bilaspur–Leh line. Hemis is well known for th ...
complex. Ruined houses belonging to the Hemis monastery were noticed by
Sven Hedin Sven Anders Hedin, KNO1kl RVO,Wennerholm, Eric (1978) ''Sven Hedin – En biografi'', Bonniers, Stockholm (19 February 1865 – 26 November 1952) was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator ...
in 1907, and the monastery continues to own land in Demchok. P.Stobdan
Ladakh concern overrides LAC dispute
The Tribune, 28 May 2020.
The stream that flows beside the Lhari peak, referred to as the
Lhari stream The Charding Nullah, traditionally known as the Lhari stream and called Demchok River by China,{{efn, name="White Paper XII" is a small river that originates near the Charding La pass that is also on the border between the two countries and flows n ...
in historical documents ("Charding Nullah" or "Demchok River" in modern times), was set as the boundary between Ladakh and Tibet at the end of the
Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal War The Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal War of 1679–1684 was fought between the Central Tibetan Ganden Phodrang government, with the assistance of Mongol khanates, and the Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh with assistance from the Mughal Empire in Kashmir. Back ...
in the 17th century.


Dogra rule

In 1834, the
Dogra The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himachal ...
general
Zorawar Singh Zorawar Singh may refer to: * Zorawar Singh (Dogra general), general of Raja Gulab Singh * Zorawar Singh (Sikhism), third son of Guru Gobind Singh * Kanwar Zorawar Singh, Indian Army general {{Hndis, Singh, Zorawar ...
conquered Ladakh and made it a tributary of the
Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...
. Zorawar Singh is said to have built a fort on a hill next to the Tibetan side of Demchok. He also launched an invasion of Tibet via three wings, one of which passed through Demchok. The invasion was eventually defeated and repulsed. The two sides agreed to retain the borders just as they were before. The Dogras came under the suzerainty of
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
in 1846, as the state of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
. Henry Strachey visited the Demchok area in 1847, as part of a British boundary commission. He described Demchok as a "hamlet divided by a rivulet
he Lhari stream He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
, with settlements on both the sides of the stream. The stream was the prevailing border between Ladakh and Tibet. The Tibetans did not allow Strachey to proceed beyond the stream. The hamlet on the Ladakhi side of the Lhari stream appears to have been minimal. Strachey's own map published in the '' JRGS'' showed only a village on the Tibetan side of the stream. The map drawn by a Tibetan lama from the same time period also showed the same.
Sven Hedin Sven Anders Hedin, KNO1kl RVO,Wennerholm, Eric (1978) ''Sven Hedin – En biografi'', Bonniers, Stockholm (19 February 1865 – 26 November 1952) was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator ...
, travelling through the area in 1907, noticed only ruins of houses on the Ladakhi side, formerly belonging to the Hemis monastery. : "A short distance N. W. of Demchok, the road passes a partly frozen brook
hari stream Hari ( sa, हरि) is among the primary epithets of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, meaning 'the one who takes away' (sins). It refers to the one who removes darkness and illusion, the one who removes all obstacles to spiritual progress ...
coming from ''Demchok-pu'', a tributary valley from the left. ... At the left side adakhi sideof the mouth of this little valley, are the ruins of two or three houses, which were said to have belonged to ''Hemi-gompa''. A pyramidal peak at the same.. side of the valley is called ''La-ri'' and said to be sacred. The valley, ''Demchok-pu'', itself is regarded as the boundary between Tibet and Ladak."
According to the governor of Ladakh (''wazir-e-wazarat''), who visited the area in 1904–05, there were two 'zaminders' (landhoders) on the Ladakhi side, viz., the representatives of the Hemis monastery and the former Kardar (tax collector) of
Rupshu Rupshu is a high elevation plateau and valley and an eponymous Community development block in India, community development block in southeast Ladakh. Description Frederic Drew describes the Rupshu valley as follows: Drew states that the valle ...
. : "I visited Demchok on the boundary with Lhasa. ... A nullah falls into the Indus river from the south-west and it (Demchok) is situated at the junction of the river. Across is the boundary of Lhasa, where there are 8 to 9 huts of the Lhasa zamindars. On this side there are only two zamindars. The one is the agent of the Gopa ompaand the other is the agent of the previous Kardar of Rokshu." The two appear to have lived in Demchok from around 1921, in a single building. According to the Indian government, the Ladakhi Demchok village was used for seasonal cultivation by nomadic farmers.


Independent India

The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to independent India on 26–27 October 1947. In 1950, Tibet was annexed by China. The Indian government developed concerns of security and decided not to allow the entry of Tibetans into Ladakh. A border police post was established at Demchok (presumably on the Ladakhi side), with a police contingent headed by an inspector and equipped with wireless communication. In Chinese perception, this amounted to the Indian Army "invading" Demchok. During the negotiations for the 1954 Trade Agreement, India asked for Ladakh's trade relations with
Rudok Rudok, also spelt Rutok and Rutog, more properly Rudok Dzong (), is a town that served as the historical capital of the Rudok area in Western Tibet on the frontier with Ladakh. In the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, it is described as being "pict ...
and Rawang to be reinstated. China did not agree. However, it was happy to allow trade via "Demchok" and Tashigang. In fact, it offered to provide a "trade mart" in Demchok, which was not agreeable to India because India regarded Demchok as its own territory. The final agreement carried the wording, "the customary route leading to Tashigong along the valley of the Indus River may continue to be traversed." In 1954, India defined its borders with respect to Tibet, which ran five miles southeast of Ladakhi Demchok. This made the Tibetan Demchok village a part of Indian claimed territory. In October 1955, the Chinese established Border Working Group in the Tibetan Demchok village. During the 1962
Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...
, the Chinese forces reclaimed the areas southeast of the Lhari stream. The
Line of Actual Control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment o ...
resulting from the war runs along the Lhari stream.


Demographics

According to the
2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, Demchok had 31 households and a population of 78. The majority of the inhabitants are
Changpa The Changpa or Champa (Changthang: ཆངཔ) are a semi-nomadic Tibetan people found mainly in the Changtang in Ladakh, India. A smaller number resides in the western regions of the Tibet Autonomous Region and were partially relocated for ...
nomadic pastoralist. The effective literacy rate is 42.47%. There is persistent talk of the nomads losing their customary grazing lands to Chinese occupation and their livelihoods being lost. The population is seen to be reducing as a result.


Sino-Indian disputes

As of 2005, the route from Demchok to Lake Manasarovar in Tibet is closed and local trade with China is prohibited, although local residents admit that clandestine trade with China had been ongoing for decades. In April 2016, the ''
Daily Excelsior The ''Daily Excelsior'' is an English-language newspaper published in Jammu, a city in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It was established by S. D. Rohmetra. The newspaper has been in publication since 1 January 1965. Its cu ...
'' reported that local discontent over Chinese army objections near the border resulted in demands for resettlement from Demchok. Later in 2016, the Nubra constituency MLA Deldan Namgyal reported that the Chinese military suggested to the
sarpanch A sarpanch ( IAST: ''Sarpañch'' Hindi: ''सरपंच'') or Gram Pradhan or Mukhiya is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the Gram Sabha (village government) in India. The Sarp ...
of Demchok "to join China rather than itwith India" due to the infrastructural differences across the border. Demchok residents protested after the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
refused permission for the local residents to construct irrigation canals to avoid a reaction from Chinese army. In 2019, the sarpanch of Demchok said that residents of Demchok were moving to the town of
Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...
due to a lack of infrastructure and jobs.


Infrastructure


Transportation

There has been a 150 km long traditional road between Demchok and Chushul running along the left bank of Indus. It connects Demchok to
Koyul Koyul is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Nyoma tehsil, on the banks of the Koyul Lungpa river just before it joins the Indus River. Geography The village of Koyul is in the Koyul Lungpa valley, which hous ...
, Dungti, Chushul and beyond to
Durbuk Durbuk or Darbuk, is a village and the headquarters of the eponymous subdivision and block in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.
and Leh. The road was in poor condition in 2017 and attempts to improve the road in the past have met objections from China in 2009. After the repeated incursions by China since 2013, in March 2016 the
Government of Jammu and Kashmir The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is the governing authority of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its two divisions and 20 districts. Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory in India under the terms of Article 239A (wh ...
approved the upgrade of this road. Since the road passes through the
Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary The Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary (or the Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary) is a high altitude wildlife sanctuary located in the Ladakhi adjunct of the Changthang plateau in the Leh District of the union territory of Ladakh. It is import ...
, the subsequent approval by India's
National Board for Wildlife Environment policies of the Government of India includes legislations related to environment. In the Directive Principles of State Policy, Article 48A says "the state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the for ...
in March 2017 paved the way for the upgrade of this road. A new 86 km long road from Chisumle in the Koyul Lungpa valley to Demchok was constructed by the
Border Roads Organisation The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is now a part of the Indian Armed Forces. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring ...
in 2017, via the
Umling La Umling La or Umlung La is a mountain pass in Ladakh, India on the ridgeline between Koyul Lungpa and the Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in ...
pass () at a height of . This road connects Demchok to Koyul, Hanle and other places in Ladakh. The Border Roads Organisation claims it is the "world's highest motorable road", a title earlier, incorrectly, accorded to
Khardung La Khardung La () or Khardung Pass is a mountain pass in the Leh district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The pass is on the Ladakh Range, north of Leh, and connects the Indus river valley and the Shyok river valley. It also forms the ...
road at 17,600 ft.


Mobile and internet connectivity

In June 2020, it was announced that Demchok is among 54 villages in the Ladakh region to receive mobile phone and internet connectivity via satellite under the Universal Service Obligation Funding. The service is to be operated by
Jio Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, doing business as Jio, is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It operates a national LTE network with coverage across all 2 ...
.


See also

*
Fukche Fukche Advanced Landing Ground is an airfield in the Demchok sector of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It was built shortly before the 1962 Sino-Indian War and was revived in 2008. It is located adjacent to Koyul, 34 km northwest of Demc ...
*
India-China Border Roads India-China Border Roads (ICBRs, ICB Roads) is a Government of India project for developing infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border by constructing strategic roads, including bridges and tunnels. The ICBR project is largely in response to C ...
*
Chumar Chumar or Chumur () is a village and the centre of nomadic grazing region located in south-eastern Ladakh, India. It is in Rupshu block, south of the Tso Moriri lake, on the bank of the Parang River (or ''Pare Chu''), close to Ladakh's border wit ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* ** Indian Report: ; ; ; ** Chinese report: ; ; ; * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* R. N. Ravi
Indifferent India allows Chinese land grab on the border
Rediff, 20 December 2013.


External links


Demchok Western Sector
(Chinese claim), OpenStreetMap
Demchok Eastern Sector
(Indian claim), OpenStreetMap {{Leh district Villages in Nyoma tehsil Divided cities Military installations of India Demchok sector