Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of
Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a
subdivision
Subdivision may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Subdivision (metre), in music
* ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009
* "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2)
* ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005
* "Subdivisions" (song), by Rus ...
and a
tehsil in the
Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the
Nubra
Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name ...
and
Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name ''Dumra'' means a "valley of flowers".
[
] Demands have been raised and
BJP has hinted at creation of Nubra as a new district.
[3,000 Demonstrate for Separate District in Sub-Zero Temperatures at Kargil]
The Wire, 06/FEB/2020. Diskit, the headquarters of Nubra, is 120 km north from
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 ...
, the capital of Ladakh.
The
Shyok River
The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some .
The Shyok River originates at the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. Its alignment is very ...
meets the
Nubra River (or Siachan River) to form a large valley that separates the
Ladakh and
Karakoram
The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir region spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the ...
Ranges. The Shyok river is a tributary of the Indus river. The average altitude of the valley is more than above the sea level. The common way to access this valley is to travel over the
Khardung La pass from Leh.
Foreign nationals are required to get a
Protected area permit
The Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958 states that a Protected Area Permit (PAP) is required for non-Indian citizens to visit certain areas in India (mainly in the Northeast India). Certain requirements have to be fulfilled in order to ge ...
to visit Nubra. Since 1 April 2017 Indian citizens are also required to get an
Inner Line Permit
Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the concerned state government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those state ...
to visit it.
Name
Nubra () means "western" in Ladakhi, thus referring to the "western valley", perhaps distinguishing it from the eastern Shyok river valley, which is thinly populated. The traditional name of the region is Dumra (), meaning the "valley of flowers".
[
]
Geography
Alexander Cunningham
Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly ...
listed Nubra as one of the five natural and historical divisions of Ladakh. Nubra occupies the northeastern portion of Ladakh, bordering Baltistan
Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilg ...
and Chinese Turkestan in the north, and the Aksai Chin plateau and Tibet in the east. In Cunningham's conception, Nubra includes all the region drained by the Nubra
Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name ...
and Shyok rivers. it is 128 miles long and 72 miles wide, making up an area of 9,200 square miles. It extends south till the Pangong Lake.
In modern nomenclature, the Nubra region is divided into " Diskit Nubra" in the north and the " Darbuk region" in the south, both of which are regarded as tehsils and subdivisions of the Leh district. The Diskit Nubra region includes the Turtuk block populated by Balti people, which became a part of Indian-administered Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the unpopulated Siachen Glacier region.
The populated part of Nubra is often described as a "tri-armed valley",
the three arms being:
* the Nubra River Valley (divided into three sections called ''Yarma'', ''Tśurka'' and ''Farka''),
* ''Gyen'', the upper Shyok valley from its southern bend till the confluence with the Nubra River, and
* ''Shama'', the lower Shyok valley from the confluence till the Chorbat area.
The eastern Shyok valley is mostly unpopulated, even though it has numerous camping sites that have been used by trade caravans. Murgo is a village on the tributary called Murgo Nala.
Topography
Like the rest of the Tibetan Plateau, Nubra is a high altitude cold desert
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
with rare precipitation and scant vegetation except along river beds. The villages are irrigated and fertile, producing wheat, barley, peas, mustard and a variety of fruits and nuts, including blood apples, walnuts, apricots and even a few almond trees. Most of Nubra is inhabited by Nubra dialect or Nubra Skat speakers. The majority are Buddhists. In the western or lowest altitude end of Nubra near the Line of Control i.e. the Indo-Pak border, along the Shyok River
The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some .
The Shyok River originates at the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. Its alignment is very ...
, the inhabitants of Turtuk are Balti of Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
, who speak Balti, and are Shia and Sufia Nurbakhshia
Noorbakhshia is a school of Islamic jurisprudence that emphasizes the Muslim Unity. Its very foundations rests on the belief in Allah, Angels, Prophets, Day of Judgement, the Quran and other Islamic Scriptures revealed upon previous Prophets. W ...
Muslims.
Siachen Glacier lies to the north of the valley. The Sasser Pass
Saser Pass, Saser La, or Sasser Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass in Ladakh and India on the ancient summer caravan route from Leh in Ladakh to Yarkand in the Tarim Basin. It leads from the head of the Nubra Valley into the upper Shyok valley ...
and the famous Karakoram Pass
The Karakoram Pass () is a mountain pass between India and China in the Karakoram Range. It is the highest pass on the ancient caravan route between Leh in Ladakh and Yarkand in the Tarim Basin. 'Karakoram' literally means 'Black Gravel' in ...
lie to the northwest of the valley and connect Nubra with Uyghur (Mandarin : Xinjiang). Previously much trade passed through the area towards western China's Xinjiang and Central Asia. The people of Baltistan
Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilg ...
also used the Nubra valley for passage to Tibet.[Senge H. Sering,]
“Reclaiming Nubra” – Locals Shunning Pakistani Influences
, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Delhi, 17 August 2009.
Places
Diskit town in the valley have become the congregation centre for people of the region. Diskit is the headquarters of Nubra and thus has lot of government offices with basic facilities. It is also connected by road with Leh.
Along the Nubra or Siachan River lie the villages of Sumur, Kyagar (called Tiger Hill by the Indian Army), Tirith, Panamik, Turtuk and many others.
Travel routes
The main road access to Nubra is over Khardung La pass which is open throughout the year. The highest elevation of Khardung La is 5,359 m (17,582 ft), its status as the highest motorable road in the world is no longer accepted by most authorities. An alternative route, opened in 2008, crosses the Wari La
Wari may refer to:
Civilizations
*Wariʼ, Amazonian Amerindian nation
**Wariʼ language, spoken by the Wariʼ
*Wari Empire, political formation that emerged around AD 500 in Peru
**Wari culture, Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in Peru ...
from Sakti, to the east of Khardung La, connecting to the main Nubra road system via Agham and Khalsar along the Shyok River
The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some .
The Shyok River originates at the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. Its alignment is very ...
. There are also trekkable passes over the Ladakh Range from the Indus Valley at various points. Routes from Nubra to Baltistan
Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilg ...
and Yarkand
Yarkant County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shache County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also transliterated from Uyghur as Yakan County, is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous ...
, though historically important, have been closed since 1947 and 1950 respectively.
Tourism
The Nubra valley was open for tourists up to Hunder
Hundar is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India famous for Sand dunes, Bactrian camels. It is located in the Nubra tehsil, on the banks of the Shyok River. The Hunder Monastery is located here.
Hundar was once the capital of the forme ...
(the land of sand dunes) until 2010. The region beyond Hunder gives way to a greener region of Ladakh because of its lower altitude. The village of Turtuk which was unseen by tourists till 2010 is a virgin destination for people who seek peace and an interaction with a tribal community of Ladakh. The local Balti people follow their age old customs in their lifestyle and speak a language which oral and not yet written. For tourists Turtuk offers serene camping sites with environment friendly infrastructure.
Panamik is noted for its hot springs. Between Hundar and Diskit lie seven kilometres of sand dunes, and (two-humped) Bactrian camels graze in the neighbouring "forests" of seabuckthorn
''Hippophae'' is the genus of sea buckthorns, deciduous shrubs in the family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea buckthorn may be hyphenated to avoid confusion with the unrelated true buckthorns (''Rhamnus'', family Rhamnaceae). It is also referred to as ...
. Non-locals are not allowed below Hundar village into the Balti area, as it is a border area.
Monasteries
The 32-metre Maitreya
Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...
Buddha statue is the landmark of Nubra and is maintained by the Diskit Monastery
Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in Diskit, in the Nubra Valley in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.
It belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddh ...
. On the Shyok River, the main village, Diskit, is home to the dramatically positioned Diskit Monastery which was built in 14th century. Hundar was the capital of the erstwhile Nubra kingdom in the 17th century, and is home to the Chamba Gompa.
Samstanling Monastery is between Kyagar and Sumoor villages. Across the Nubra or Siachan River at Panamik, is the isolated Ensa Gompa .
Flora and fauna
The valley is famous for its forest of Hippophae
''Hippophae'' is the genus of sea buckthorns, deciduous shrubs in the family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea buckthorn may be hyphenated to avoid confusion with the unrelated true buckthorns (''Rhamnus'', family Rhamnaceae). It is also referred to a ...
shrub, popularly known as Leh Berry. It is within this shrub forest that one can spot the white-browed tit-warbler
The white-browed tit-warbler (''Leptopoecile sophiae'') is a species of bird in the family Aegithalidae. The species was Species description, first described by Nikolai Severtzov in 1873. It is resident in the Tian Shan and central China as well ...
. One can also spot the Tibetan lark
The Tibetan lark (''Melanocorypha maxima'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found on the Tibetan plateau
The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau ...
, Hume's short-toed lark
Hume's short-toed lark (''Calandrella acutirostris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in south-central Asia from Iran and Kazakhstan to China.
Taxonomy and systematics
The name commemorates the British naturalist Allan ...
, and Hume's whitethroat
Hume's whitethroat (''Curruca althaea'') is a species of typical warbler. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the lesser whitethroat as some authorities now reinstate. These are seen as members of a superspecies which also include ...
. The various water birds like ruddy shelduck
The ruddy shelduck (''Tadorna ferruginea''), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a member of the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, in length with a wingspan of . It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the ...
, garganey, northern pintail, and mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
can be observed on several small water bodies scattered along the route. Besides these, waders like black-tailed godwit
The black-tailed godwit (''Limosa limosa'') is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, ''Limosa''. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest ...
, common sandpiper
The common sandpiper (''Actitis hypoleucos'') is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the spotted sandpiper (''A. macularia''), make up the genus ''Actitis''. They are parapatric and replace each other geographic ...
, common greenshank, common redshank, green sandpiper, and ruff
Ruff may refer to:
Places
*Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community
*Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community
Other uses
*Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader fami ...
can be spotted in Nubra.
Education
The valley has been secluded as has been most of the exterior parts of Ladakh. Almost all of the region has been facing problems to get good quality education. There have been initiatives in the past by the government but extreme weather conditions and vicinity to the borders have been a major hurdle in implementing a solid education base. There is also migration of the population that gets exposed to the big cities of India and hence the people do not get benefitted out of their local learned population. There are very few Non-Government organizations active in Nubra region.
Gallery
Image:Nubra_pano.jpg, A panoramic view over the Nubra
File:Diskit gompa nubra1.jpg, Diskit Monastery
Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in Diskit, in the Nubra Valley in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.
It belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddh ...
Image:Shoyok and Nubra Valley map.jpg, Local map with North towards down
Image:Nubra valley Diskit 2001.jpg, View from Diskit gompa on Nubra Valley
File:Seabuckthorn berries, Nubra valley, Ladakh.jpg, Seabuckthorn berries, Nubra valley, Ladakh
File:Bactrian camels - Nubra.jpg, Bactrian camels
File:Silhouette at Nubra Valley.JPG, Silhoutte taken at Nubra Valley
File:Nubra valley hunder.jpg, This is enroute town called Hunder
Hundar is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India famous for Sand dunes, Bactrian camels. It is located in the Nubra tehsil, on the banks of the Shyok River. The Hunder Monastery is located here.
Hundar was once the capital of the forme ...
in Nubra.
File:Nubra Valley 2.jpg, Nubra Valley with Diskit Gompa and town immediately below and Hunder
Hundar is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India famous for Sand dunes, Bactrian camels. It is located in the Nubra tehsil, on the banks of the Shyok River. The Hunder Monastery is located here.
Hundar was once the capital of the forme ...
in the distance
File:Resort Guest House in nubra valley Leh Ladakh02.jpg, Resort in Nubra Valley
See also
* Ladakh
* Khardung La
* Siachen Glacier
* Thoise
Thoise or Thoise Airbase is a military airfield and small village in Nubra region of Ladakh, India, occupying the only large piece of flat land in the area. The airstrip is a critical facility enabling a quick inflow of men and material from the ...
* Chalunka
Chalunka (also known as Chalunkha or Chulungkha) is a small mountainous village in the Chorbat area of the Shyok River valley in Ladakh, India. At the end of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, it was on the cease-fire line agreed between the Ind ...
* Project HIMANK, road builders in the valley and creators of curious sign boards
* Disket
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
{{Authority control
Valleys of Ladakh
Indus basin
Karakoram