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Kargil
is the most important town in the Suru Valley. It is the headquarters
of Kargil District and has the most modern amenities, although not of
the level of those found in the plains of India. There are a number of
other settlements of significant size in the Suru Valley. Kargil is a
fairly busy town servicing the villages of the surrounding region. The
important Srinagar-Leh road passes through Kargil.
 KARGIL
(2704 m), 204 kms from Srinagar in the west and 234 kms from Leh in
the east, is the second largest urban centre of Ladakh and
headquarters of the district of same name. A quite town now, Kargil
once served as important trade and transit centre in the Pan-Asian
trade network. Numerous caravans carrying exotic merchandise
comprising silk, brocade, carpets, felts, tea, poppy, ivory etc.
transited in the town on their way to and from China, Tibet, Yarkand
and Kashmir. The old bazaar displayed a variety of Central Asian and
Tibetan commodities even after the cessation of the Central Asian
trade in 1949 till these were exhausted about two decades back.
Similarly the ancient trade route passing through the township was
lined with several caravanserais.
Situated 45 kms East of Kargil
on the road to Leh, Mulbek (3230 m) in an area dominated by the
Buddhists. It is situated along either banks of the Wakha River, which
originates. Many monuments of the early Buddhists era dot the
landscape and are accessible from the road.
Mulbek Chamba: The chief attraction of Mulbek is a 9 m high
rock sculpture in deep relief of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. Its
excursion combines esoteric Shaivite symbolism with early Buddhist
art. Situated right on the highway, it dates back to the period when
Buddhists missionaries came travelling east of the Himalayas.
Mulbek Gompa: Perched atop a rocky cliff, Mulbek Gompa
(monastery) dominates the valley. It is easy to see why in bygone
times this site served as an outpost to guard the caravan route. Like
all Buddhists monasteries it is adorned by frescoes and statues.
Shergol: Another picturesque village of the Wakha River valley,
Shergol is situated across the river, right of the Kargil-Leh road.
The main attraction is a cave monastery which is visible from a far as
a white speck against the vertically rising ochre hill from which it
appears to hang out. Below this small monastery is a larger Buddhist
nunnery with about a dozen incumbents. The village is accessible by
the motorable road that branches off from the Kargil-Leh road, about 5
km short of Mulbek. Shergol is a convenient base for an exciting 4-day
trek across the mountain range into the Suru valley. It is also the
approach base for visiting Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat lying
deep inside the mountains surrounding the Wakha River valley.
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