Durbuk

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Durbuk
Rdo-khug, Hdor-khug
Darbuk
Village
India Ladakh location map UN view.svg
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Durbuk
Location in Ladakh
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Durbuk
Durbuk (India)
Coordinates: 34°07′14″N78°06′12″E / 34.1206°N 78.1034°E / 34.1206; 78.1034 Coordinates: 34°07′14″N78°06′12″E / 34.1206°N 78.1034°E / 34.1206; 78.1034
Country India
Union Territory Ladakh
District Leh
Tehsil Durbuk [1]
Elevation
3,800 m (12,500 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total852
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
Census code873

Durbuk or Darbuk, [lower-alpha 1] is a village and the headquarters of the eponymous subdivision and block in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. [6] [7] It is located in the Durbuk tehsil, and falls between Chang La mountain pass and Tangste village on the way to Pangong Tso Lake.

Contents

Darbok is a strategic location as the 255 km long Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road in the north, connects it to the Shyok village village 16 km away and beyond to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) military post on the China border. [8] [9]

Geography

Trade routes from Ladakh (Durbuk to the north of Tankse is unmarked) Map of Tibet and Pangong Lake in 1873 from Hindutagh-pass-aksai-chin-center2-1873 (cropped).jpg
Trade routes from Ladakh (Durbuk to the north of Tankse is unmarked)

Durbuk is at a key location between the Indus Valley to the west, the Shyok Valley to the east and the Pangong Lake region to the south. The trade routes to Yarkand (via the Shyok Valley) as well as Rudok (via the Pangong Lake) passed through here. [lower-alpha 2]

Durbuk lies in the valley of the Tangtse River, which is described as "well-cultivated" in the British sources. The river is also said to be swarming with fish. [2] Godwin-Austen believed that the valley must have been the bed of a lake at some point in the past. [10]

The Tangtse River originates in the Loi Yogma valley to the southwest of Tangtse, and flows past the Tangtse and Durbuk villages to join the Shyok River. After Durbuk, the river bends sharply to the right and flows in a 400–500 m. gorge for 12 km. [11] At Durbuk, it also receives on the left a small stream that originates below the Chang La. [3]

In historical sources Durbuk is sometimes referred to as "Dumra" (Ldum-ra or Nubra), which is really the name of the Shyok River valley. [lower-alpha 3] It is possible that Durbuk might have been part of the Nubra chieftaincies in the past. Alexander Cunningham includes Durbuk within Nubra. [12]

Transportation

In the preset time, Durbuk is connected to all parts of Ladakh by road. A southwest road to Karu connects it to the Indus river valley, thence to Leh and Kargil. Another southeast road connects it to the Pangong Tso and Chushul. A northwest road along the western branch of the Shyok River connects it to Diskit and Turtuk.

The 235 km long Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road in the north, connects it to places on the eastern branch of the Shyok River, including the Shyok village 16 km to the north and further north to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) military post on the China border. The stretch between Shyok and DBO is also called Sub-Sector North (SSN) by the Indian Military, and is off-limits to civilians. [8]

Villages in Durbuk subdivision

[Interactive fullscreen map]
Villages in Durbuk Subdivision

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Durbuk [lower-alpha 4] has 160 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 66.62%. [13]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In old British documents, the name is spelt as Durgu, [2] [3] Durgo, [4] or Durgukh. [2] [3] The traditional name is Hdor-khug also spelt Rdo-khug. [5]
  2. ↑ There were three routes from the Indus Valley to the Shyok Valley, via the Khardung La, the Digar La and the Chang La. Khardung La was most frequently used for the summer route and Chang La, via Durbuk, for the winter route. (Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak 1890:563–564)
  3. ↑ For example,
  4. ↑ The Census of India spells the name as Durbok.

Related Research Articles

Nubra Region in Ladakh, India

Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, 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 Dumra means a "valley of flowers". Demands have been raised and BJP has hinted at creation of Nubra as a new district. Diskit, the headquarters of Nubra, is 120 km north from Leh, the capital of Ladakh.

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Leh district District of Ladakh in India

Leh district is a district in the union territory of Ladakh, a territory administered as part of India. With an area of 45,110 km2, 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 Ghanche districts and Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture and Hotan Prefecture linked via the historic Karakoram Pass. It has Aksai Chin and Tibet are to the east, Kargil district to the west, and Lahul and Spiti to the south. The district headquarters is in Leh. It lies between 32 to 36 degree north latitude and 75 to 80 degree east longitude.

History of Ladakh Aspect of history

Ladakh has a long history with evidence of human settlement from as back as 9000 b.c. It has been the cross road of high Asia for thousands of years and has seen many cultures, empires and technologies taking birth in its neighbours. As a result of these developments Ladakh has imported many traditions and culture from its neighbours and combining them all gave rise to a unique tradition and culture of its own.

Geography of Ladakh Aspect of geography

The geographical region of Ladakh union territory is the highest altitude plateau region in India, incorporating parts of the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River and valley.

Ladakh Range

The Ladakh Range is a mountain range in central Ladakh in India with its northern tip extending into Baltistan. It lies between the Indus and Shyok river valleys, stretching to 230 miles (370 km). Leh, the capital city of Ladakh, is on the foot of Ladakh Range in the Indus river valley.

Tourism in Ladakh

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Daulat Beg Oldi Military Base in Ladakh, India

Daulat Beg Oldi is a traditional campsite and current military base located in the midst of the Karakoram Range in northern Ladakh, India. It is on the historic trade route between Ladakh and Central Asia, forming the last campsite before reaching the Karakoram Pass. It is said to be named after Sultan Said Khan, who died here on his return journey after an invasion of Ladakh and Kashmir. Chip Chap River, the main headwater of the Shyok River, flows just to the south. The Line of Actual Control with Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin is 5 miles to the east.

Marsimik La or Marsemik La, also called Lankar La, elevation 5,582 metres (18,314 ft) is a high mountain pass in the Chang Chenmo Range in the Indian union territory of Ladakh, 96 km (60 mi) east of Leh as the crow flies. Ladakh's route to the Chang Chenmo Valley traverses the pass.

Chushul is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Durbuk tehsil, in the area known as "Chushul Valley", south of the Pangong Lake and west of the Spanggur Lake. The Line of Actual Control with China runs about 5 miles east of Chushul, across the Chushul Valley. Famous as site for historical battle grounds.

Chorbat Valley Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan & Ladakh, Pakistan & India

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, Ghanche District of 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 Khurnak Fort is a ruined fort on the northern shore of the Pangong Lake that spans eastern Ladakh in India and Rutog County in the Tibet region of China. The area of the Khurnak Fort is disputed by India and China, and has been under Chinese administration since 1958.

The Galwan River flows from the disputed Aksai Chin area administered by China to the Ladakh Union Territory of India. It originates near the caravan campsite Samzungling on the eastern side of the Karakoram range and flows west to join the Shyok River. The point of confluence is 102 km south of Daulat Beg Oldi. Shyok River itself is a tributary of the Indus River, making Galwan a part of the Indus River system.

Demchok , previously called New Demchok, and called Parigas by the Chinese, is a village and military encampment in the Indian-administered Demchok sector that is disputed between India and China. It is administered as part of the Nyoma tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh by India, and claimed by China as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tangtse (Tanktse or Tankse) is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Durbuk tehsil. Traditionally, it was regarded as the border between the Nubra region to the north and the Pangong region to the south. It was a site of wars between Ladakh and Tibet.

Chang Chenmo River or Changchenmo River is a tributary of the Shyok River, part of the Indus River system. It is at the southern edge of the disputed Aksai Chin region and north of the Pangong Lake basin.

The Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road, also called the Sub-Sector North Road, is a strategic all-weather road in eastern Ladakh in India, close to the Line of Actual Control with China. It connects Ladakh's capital city Leh, via the villages of Darbuk and Shyok at southern Shyok River Valley, with the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) post near the northern border. The 220-km long section between Shyok and DBO was constructed between 2000 and 2019 by India's Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The DS-DBO Road has reduced the travel time between Leh to DBO from 2 days to 6 hours.

Shyok or Shayok is a village on the bank of the Shyok River in Durbuk tehsil of Leh district in Ladakh, India. It is located at the southern tip of the V-shaped course of the Shyok River, where the Tangtse river joins it from the left. Historically, the winter caravan route from Leh to Yarkand passed through the village. In modern times, India's strategic road to its border post at Daulat Beg Oldi uses the same route.

Noh, also called Üchang or Wujang (Tibetan: དབུས་བྱང, Wylie: dbus byang, THL: wü jang) is a village in the Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet region of China. It is located on the northern bank of the eastern Pangong Lake, watered by the Doma River (Tsanger-schar). The village is now part of the Domar Township.

References

  1. ↑ "Villages | District Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh | India".
  2. 1 2 3 Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak (1890), p. 311.
  3. 1 2 3 Moorcroft & Trebeck, Travels in the Himalayan Provinces, Vol. 1 (1841), p. 433.
  4. ↑ Godwin-Austen, Notes on the Pangong Lake District (1867), p. 344.
  5. ↑ Francke, Antiquities of Indian Tibet, Part 2 (1926), pp. 136, 137.
  6. ↑ "Blockwise Village Amenity Directory" (PDF). Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council 2014–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2018.
  7. ↑ Leh subdivision-blocks.
  8. 1 2 India completes vital Ladakh road, The Tribune, 23 April 2019.
  9. ↑ India working on two roads in Ladakh amid border row, Hindustan Times, 9 July 2020.
  10. ↑ Godwin-Austen, Notes on the Pangong Lake District (1867), pp. 344–345.
  11. ↑ Phartiyal, Binita; Singh, Randheer; Nag, Debarati (2017), "Trans- and Tethyan Himalayan Rivers: In Reference to Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti, NW Himalaya", in Dhruv Sen Singh (ed.), The Indian Rivers: Scientific and Socio-economic Aspects, Springer, pp. 375–376, ISBN   978-981-10-2984-4
  12. ↑ Cunningham, Ladak (1854), p. 21.
  13. 1 2 "Leh district census". 2011 Census of India . Directorate of Census Operations. Retrieved 23 July 2015.

Bibliography

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