Chorbat Valley

Chorbat Valley (, ) 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 of Ghanche District in Gilgit–Baltistan, and the Indian-administered portion is in the Nubra tehsil, Leh district of Ladakh. Chorbat stretches from the edge of Khaplu to the Chalunka village of Nubra.

The Khan of Chorbat moved his capital from Siksa (originally called "Chorbat") to Turtuk in the 18th century. These two villages (now in Pakistan and India respectively) are the largest villages of the Chorbat region.

Geography

Chorbat is an indistinct region: "The precise dividing point from where the Chorbat area can be demarcated is at present not possible. The Chorbat area, during the last three centuries, continuously changed hands between the rulers of Khapalu and Ladakh." at the border between Baltistan and Ladakh near the course of the Shyok River. It is marked by
* the Chorbat La pass, the traditional border 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 Chorbat village in Baltistan, now called Siksa, and
* the town of Turtuk, presently in Nubra, which is considered its traditional capital.Nandini Mehta
Turtuk Diary
''Outlook'', 8 August 2011. Quote: "The Khan of Turtuk, Mohammad Khan Kacho of the Yabgo Dynasty of Chorbat Khaplu, to give him his title in full. His ancestors derived their power and wealth (now sadly reduced) from Turtuk's strategic location on a feeder road of the Silk Route going on to Central Asia via Skardu and Yarkand."
In the early decades of the Jammu and Kashmir princely state, there was a Chorbat (subdistrict) in the Baltistan (district). It stretched along the Shyok River valley from a village called Dou-U (Dawou) in the west to Chalunka in the east.

Between the Chorbat village and the Chorbat La pass lies the Chorbat Lungpa valley. To the south of the Chorbat La pass, the Hanu valley carries a stream that flows down to join the Indus River near the village of Dah. The Chorbat Lungpa and Hanu valleys constituted the main route from Baltistan to Ladakh in the past. The villages in the Hanu valley as well as Dah are fortified, indicating that they experienced raids from Baltistan in the past. Being the main travel route between Baltistan and Leh, the route carried part of the Silk Road traffic, which enriched the people of Chorbat.Archita Suryanarayanan
In Ladakh’s Turtuk village, life goes on as it has since the 15th century
The Hindu, 13 October 2018.

The main populated areas in Chorbat are in the Shyok River valley, comprising some 13 villages in present-day Baltistan, and 5 villages in Indian-administered Ladakh.Chorbat Valley Baltistan
VisitPakistanOnline.com, retrieved 28 July 2019. The area is said to have been originally settled by people from Ladakh. At present, the people display a mix of Ladakhi and Balti influences.

Geographically, the wide valley of the Shyok river in "Lower Nubra" narrows to a mountain gorge near the Yagulung village (). The Shyok flows through the gorge until Khaplu, where the valley widens again. A string of villages dot this gorge, wherever possible along the banks of the river: Bogdang, Chalunka, Turtuk, Tyakshi, and Thang on the Indian side of the Line of Control; Franu, Siari, Piun, Siksa, Hassanabad, Marcha, Lunkha, and Dawou on the Pakistani side. The folklore includes all these villages in Chorbat.

The valley is surrounded by high rising peaks of the Karakoram mountain range and the bank the Shyok River. The climate is hard with little rain and extremely cold winters due to proximity to Siachen Glacier and other peaks and glaciers.

Chorbat occupies .

History

According to Rohit Vohra, the original settlers of the area were Brog-pa Dards. Above the present day Turtuk stand the ruins of a large fortress built they built. Tradition holds that the Brog-pa Dards were Buddhist and lived under a constant danger of attack from the north, until two warriors from the 'west' called Chulli and Yandrung overran them. The Brog-pas are said to have fled and settled in the Hanu valley. The present day residents of Turtuk are divided into 'Chulli-pa' and 'Yandrung-pa', claiming descent from Chulli and Yandrung.

Later, in the 16th–17th centuries, Islamic missionaries came to the area. Traditions narrate the visits of 'Amir Kabir' (possibly Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani) and Sayyid Nur Baksh, who defeated the Buddhist lamas in debate and converted the people to Islam.

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