Marol is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

situated near the confluence of the Suru River and the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

in the

Kharmang District Kharmang District (Urdu:) is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the Kashmir#Dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute i ...

Baltistan Baltistan (); also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet, is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and constitutes a northern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It is close to the India–Pakistan border (LOC).

Geography

Marol is at the confluence of the Suru River (also called

Shingo River The Shingo River is a tributary of the Indus River, and flows through Gilgit-Baltistan and Kargil regions. The river originates in Pakistan's Gilgit-Batistan region and flows into the Kargil district where it joins the Dras River. The combin ...

) with the

, about from the

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...

(LOC) with Indian-administered Kashmir. It is closer to the LOC along the Indus River valley. The border village of Ganokh, inhabited by Brokpa people, is only upstream on the Indus, beyond which lie other Brokpa villages such as

Batalik __NOTOC__ Batalik is a village and military base in Ladakh, India, located in a narrow section of the Indus River valley, close to the Line of Control with Pakistan-administered Baltistan. It was a focal point of the 1999 Kargil War because of ...

, Darchik, Garkhon, Dha and

Hanu The Hanwoo (), also Hanu or Korean Native, is a breed of small cattle native to Korea. It was formerly used as a working animal, but is now raised mainly for meat. It is one of four indigenous Korean breeds, the others being the , the and the Je ...

in Indian-administered Kashmir. The main

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over land or water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a singl ...

between Baltistan and Ladakh used to pass through Marol, via the Suru River valley and

Kargil Kargil or Kargyil is a City in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TERTIARY, tert ...

town. It would then traverse the Wakha Rong valley, cross Namika La and

Fotu La Fotu La () or Fatu La is a mountain pass on the National Highway 1D (India), Srinagar-Leh highway in the Zanskar, Zanskar Range of the Himalayas in India. At an elevation of , it is the highest point on the highway, surpassing the famed Zoji La ...

passes to rejoin the Indus Valley at

Khalatse Khalatse (), often written as Khaltse or Khalsi, is the headquarters of the eponymous Leh district#subdivision, subdivision, Community development block in India, block and tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.

. (This is the route followed by modern National Highway 1 of India between Kargil and Leh at the present time.) The Indus gorge between Marol and Dha was avoided due to the difficulty of navigating the narrow gorge. But some trade did pass through this route, probably conducted by the Brokpa themselves, and taxes were collected by Baltistan at Ganokh.

History

In the seventeenth century Jamyang Namgyal of Ladakh had a conflict with Ali Sher Khan Anchan of Skardu and had to accept Gurgurdo near

as the boundary between Ladakh and Baltistan. During Zorawar Singh's invasion of Baltistan in 1840, Balti defences are said to have been set up on the plateau to the north of Marol. The defences did not deter Zorawar Singh, but the Baltis' destruction of the Marol Bridge did cause them considerable problems down the line. The Raja of

Kharmang The Kharmang Valley (), also known as Kartaksha, is one of the five main valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan. The area became a district in 2015, with its temporary headquarters at the town of Tolti. The valley is l ...

, Sher Ali Khan, submitted to Zorawar Singh and provided cooperation. After the conquest of Baltistan, Kharmang was retained as a ''jagir'' of the Raja, and Marol as well as Ganokh were left under his jurisdiction.

Demographics

During the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

period, the village was said to have been inhabited by Balti as well as Brokpa people. However it is unclear if there are any

Brokskat __NOTOC__ Brokskat () or Minaro is an endangered Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Brokpa people in the lower Indus Valley of Ladakh and its surrounding areas. It is the oldest surviving member of the ancient Dardic language. It is cons ...

speakers in the village at the present time.

Maps

File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-181831961-52-b-ladakh-1916.jpg,

SoI In Thailand, a ''soi'' ( ) is a side street that branches off of a major street (''thanon'', ). An alley is called a ''trok'' (). Overview Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by the name of the major street and the number, as in "S ...

map, 1916 File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-181831961-52-b-kargil-1928.jpg,

map, 1928 File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-181831961-52-b-kargil-1946.jpg,

map, 1946, showing the 1948 LoC File:Map India and Pakistan 1-250,000 Tile NI 43-7 Kargil.jpg,

AMS AMS or Ams may refer to: Organizations Companies * Alenia Marconi Systems * American Management Systems * AMS (Advanced Music Systems) * ams AG, semiconductor manufacturer * AMS Pictures * Auxiliary Medical Services Educational institutions ...

map, 1955

References

Bibliography