Siksa is a village in the sub division

Chorbat Chorbat Valley ( ur, , Balti: ) is a section of the Shyok river valley divided between Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan and Indian-administered Ladakh. The Pakistan-administered portion is in the Khaplu tehsil, Ghanche District of Gilgit� ...

Valley,

Ghanche District The Ghanche District ( bft, ) is the easternmost district of the 14 districts of Pakistan-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan Army's brigade headquarters is located at Goma, Ghanche district. Pakistan Army's Gayari Sector Battal ...

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 ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, lying east of

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

, near the border of

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

at an elevation of . In historical travel writings Siksa is referred to as the "Chorbat village". It is also described as the principal village of the Chorbat ''ilaqa'', where the officials of Chorbat lived. Siksa is at the end of the Chorbat Lungpa valley, which leads to the

Chorbat La Chorbat Valley ( ur, , Balti: ) is a section of the Shyok river valley divided between Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan and Indian-administered Ladakh. The Pakistan-administered portion is in the Khaplu tehsil, Ghanche District of Gilgit ...

pass, the historical route between Baltistan and Ladakh.: "The Chorbat Pass is the boundary of Baltistan in this direction; by this road also used to come Balti raiders, as the remains of a fort at Yogma Hanū prove, which the people of the valley had put up against them." The language spoken is Balti. The entire population is Muslim of the

Sofia Noorbakhshia 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 ...

sect.

Etymology

The name "Siksa" is believed to be derived from the Balti word meaning "a land with shortage of water". For hundred of years this village has struggled for access to water for agriculture. Different community projects were started to meet the need for water. One of the major projects was initiated in early 19th century to construct a channel from its eastern border which resulted in the fulfilment of agricultural needs.

Geography

Sika has an average elevation of about , and is situated along the banks of 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 ...

, a tributary of the

Indus 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, ...

. Villages near Siksa includes Kalan, Sogmos, Chuar and Siari.

Resources

The natural resources of the village include agriculture, horticultural resources, the Shyok River, mountains and peaks. The agriculture in the village is only summer based due to extreme cold in the winter where temperature goes to -10 C. The crops include some beans, maize, potatoes, and other food crops however communities have experimented less with the agriculture due to the natural limiting factors i.e. extreme cold.

Transport

Siksa is accessible only by the road, The normal route to Siksa is via Shyok Valley Road, that connect it to the District Headquarters

Khaplu Khaplu (Urdu: ) and ( Balti: ཁཔ་ལུ།), also spelt Khapalu, is a city that serves as the administrative capital of the Ghanche District of Gilgit-Baltistan, in northern Pakistan. Lying east of the city of Skardu, it was the second-lar ...

and to

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

. The climate can have adverse effects on transport in and out of the Siksa, as the roads in and out of can be blocked for weeks.

References

; Sources * * * *

Etymology

Geography

Resources

Transport

References

Further reading