Kashmir and Ladakh
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Photograph by Chetan Karkhanis
Drass, Kargil, India
DRA2013071555145DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisdrassHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Mateem, cricket aspirant from Dras, Kargil, India
The young boy, Mateem had traveled on a Sadbhavna tour. It is an initiative by the Indian Army, where in children from remote regions travel to various parts of India and interact with others. On this tour, he had seen a cricket match live, and caught on the fascination for cricket. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
From Story photos
Photograph by Chetan Karkhanis
Drass, Kargil, India
DRA2013071555315DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisdrassHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Multi purpose basket carried by women, Dras, India
Women carry these multi purpose baskets every time they step out. They are used to carry mud, dung, crops, flock and children! Read more about Dras at Why visit Dras?
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Bhimbet near Dras, Kargil, India
We then headed to a place on the outskirts of Dras, called Bhimbet. Mateem and his brother Mubarak volunteered to take us there. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
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Tourist accommodation at Dras, Kargil, India
This is the accommodation facility of the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department. Dras is so much more than just an “altitude acclimatisation” stopover on the way to Ladakh. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
From Story photos
Tourist accommodation at Dras, Kargil, India
This is the accommodation facility of the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department. Dras is so much more than just an “altitude acclimatisation” stopover on the way to Ladakh. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
From Story photos
Photograph by Chetan Karkhanis
Drass, Kargil, India
DRA2013071555785DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisdrassHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Sunset at Dras, Kargil, India
We were back in Dras just in time to see the first of many glorious high altitudes sunsets. We don’t know if altitude affects the cloud formations. Because, the clouds here were something special! Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
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Mosque at Dras, Kargil, India
The mosques in Dras were a work of art! Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
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House at Dras, Kargil, India
We were curious about how people in such a cold region lived. We walked through the village and peeked into their houses. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
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Siblings from Dras, Kargil, India
The people you meet on the road are the most impactful part of any travel. Especially the kids. Times spent with the kids are some of our fondest memories. Read more of the kids we met at The kids of the hills…
DrasSrinagar Leh highwayKashmirIndiaportraitIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Zareena from Dras, Kargil, India
We were curious about how people in such a cold region lived. We walked through the village and peeked into their houses. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
From Story photos
Landscape at Dras, Kargil, India
Dras was the town we chose to spend our first ever high altitude night in. It turned out to be so much more than just an “altitude acclimatisation” stopover on the way to Ladakh. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
From Story photos
Landscape at Dras, Kargil, India
Dras was the town we chose to spend our first ever high altitude night in. It turned out to be so much more than just an “altitude acclimatisation” stopover on the way to Ladakh. Read more about Drass at Why visit Dras?
DrasSrinagar Leh highwayKashmirIndialandscapeIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Photograph by Chetan Karkhanis
Drass, Kargil, India
DRA2013071656355DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisdrassHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Tiger Hill in Dras, India
Tiger Hill is the highest and the most famous mountain peak in this region. It shot to prominence when a fierce battle was fought here in the Kargil War of 1999. Read more about Dras at Why visit Dras?
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Getting the crops ready for husking in Goma Kargil, a village near Kargil in India
Kargil, India
Goma KargilSrinagar Leh highwayKashmirIndiaportraitIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Getting the crops ready for husking in Goma Kargil, a village near Kargil in India
Kargil, India
Goma KargilSrinagar Leh highwayKashmirIndiaportraitIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Mirror play at Kargil, India
Boys will be boys! We met him in Goma Kargil, which is a small village higher up from Kargil. He was playing the mirror game, casting a reflection of the sun on the ground, and the light was what caught our attention. Mischief sure has an universal appeal! Read more of the kids we met at The kids of the hills…
Goma KargilSrinagar Leh highwayKashmirIndiaportraitIndiaLadakh
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Sankoo, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
A posh house in Sankoo village of Suru valley near Kargil, India
Sankoo, Kargil, India, Suru valley
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienSuru valleyIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
People of Sankoo, a village in Suru valley, near Kargil, at work in the summer months
Sankoo, Kargil, India,Suru valley
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisfodderHindistanindeSuru valleyIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Tallest rock cut statue of the Maitreya Buddha in Karste Khar near Kargil in Suru valley, India
Sankoo, Kargil, India,Suru valley
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaSuru valleyIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Poultry in the Sankoo village of Suru valley, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Suru valley in Kargil, India
Around 40km after Kargil, Sankoo is a stepping stone to head deep in the Suru valley. It is surprisingly green for its altitude, of over 3000mt, thanks to the Suru river that flows through it.
A zig zag road follows this river, crossing several bridges, as seen above, to cross the Suru valley through villages like Sankoo, Panikhar, Tangole and Parkachik, where suddenly, civilisation comes to a halt!Suru valleyKargilZanskarlandscapeSankooKashmirIndiaIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Friends from the village of Kartse Khar in Suru valley near Kargil, India
Sankoo, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienSuru valleyIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Sankoo, Kargil, India
Maqsuma is a class 4 student from a small village called KarcheKhar near Kargil in the state of J&K in India. The remote location causes a dearth of good schools in the area. The Indian Army, which has a huge presence there tries to do its bit by running an Army School. Maqsuma studied in this school and was evidently smarter and bolder than her peers who went to local schools. Read full story on Kids of the hills
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From Story photos
A young girl from the Suru valley, Ladakh, India.
Sankoo, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Portrait of a bus passenger from Sankoo, Kargil, India
He was a laborer who stayed at Kargil and went to work in the smaller villages around Kargil. The summer months see a boom in construction activity in these areas which are snow clad in winter. These laborers come from the poorer states in India, mostly from Jharkhand. Every morning a bus popularly nicknamed "laborer bus" leaves Kargil early in the morning to drop these laborers to their respective workplaces.
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
A shop in Sankoo, a village in Suru valley near Kargil, India
Sankoo, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaSuru valleyIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
House in Sankoo near Kargil in the Suru valley, India
Sankoo, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaSuru valleyIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetansankootourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
View of Nun peak from Panikhar in Suru valley near Kargil, India
Panikhar is a village in Suru valley. Suru valley stretches from Kargil right up to the Penzi la after which the Zanskar valley starts. It is the greenest valley of the Greater Himalayas. Every village in the Suru valley takes pride in the view it affords of the Nun and the Kun peaks.
NunPanikharSuru valleyKargilZanskarKashmirIndialandscapeIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Himalayan Agama in Panikhar in Suru valley near Kargil, India
Panikhar, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirpanikharphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
The most reliable transport vehicle in Suru valley near Kargil, India
Panikhar, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieSuru valleyIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirpanikharphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Trucks halting at the village Parkachik in Suru valley near Kargil on their way to Zanskar valley, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieSuru valleyIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirparkachikphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Stone houses in Parkachik village of Suru valley, India
Parkachik, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirparkachikphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
View of Suru valley from a vantage point in Parkachik
Parkachik, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaSuru valleyIndieIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirparkachikphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
View of Suru valley from a vantage point in Parkachik
Parkachik, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieSuru valleyIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirparkachikphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
The peaks on Nun Kun seen from Parkachik la, India
The twin peaks of Nun (7135m) and Kun (7087m) are the biggest and the highest attraction in the Suru valley. The contrast of the perennially snow covered Nun and the barren Kun add to the mystic of the place. Suru valley stretches from Kargil right up to the Penzi la after which the Zanskar valley starts. It is the greenest valley of the Greater Himalayas. Every village in the Suru valley takes pride in the view it affords of the Nun and the Kun peaks.
Nun KunParkachikSuru valleyZanskarKargilKashmirIndialandscapeIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Farms and solar panels in the village of Parkachik in Suru valley, India
Parkachik, Kargil, India
5DBaratocanonchetanchetan karkhanisHindistanindeIndiaIndieSuru valleyIndienIndiëIndlandIntiajammu and kashmirkargilkarkhaniskashmirparkachikphotophotographerphotographyphotossandeepasandeepa karkhanissandeepachetantourismtravelÍndiaІндіяИндияИндијаהודוינדיאַالهندبھارتهندوستانอินเดียẤn Độインド印度인도IndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Suru valley spread out on one side of the Parkachik la, India
Parkachik, Kargil, India
From Story photos
Summer farming in Zanskar, India
Summer is the only time the people of Zanskar have access to fresh local food. Every family in this region has a small farm where they grow vegetables like peas, carrots, potatoes and a variety of greens. The family consumes what's needed . The rest is put to dry for use in the severe winter months.
ParkachikZanskarIndiawomanportraitSuru valleyIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Mother daughter duo collecting firewood in the morning in the village of Parkachik in Suru valley, India
Parkachik, Kargil, India
From Story photos
Stone houses in Parkachik village of Suru valley, India
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From Story photos
Parkachik glacier en route Zanskar valley
Parkachik is the last village in Suru valley. The Parkachik glacier is 1km away from the village of Parkachik. Much of the snow had melted when we saw it in the month of July, but it sill made for an interesting look especially with the mighty Himalayas surrounding it.
This picture was taken from a truck in which we travelled from Parkachik to Zanskar.SuruvalleySuru valleyIndiaLadakh
From Story photos
Landscapes en route Zanskar
After Parkachik, the last village of Suru Valley civilisation comes to a sudden halt. The river Suru, tributary of Indus gives you company most of the way into Zanskar.
From Story photos