Tashi Rigzin, Photoksar, Sengge Lalok, Ladakh

Tashi Rigzin

Tashi Rigzin, 62, originally from Photoksar village, and now residing in Chushot, Leh, reflects on the past when Photoksar, with its fertile grazing lands, was home to large herds of yak and demo. The locals produced surplus butter and churpi, which they traded in nearby regions. Tashi fondly recalls his childhood, especially the time after the annual barley harvest during the ston season (autumn), when his grandfather would journey to Spang Chenmo in Sakti village to secure the family’s yearly supply of salt. To purchase the salt, his grandfather would either take money or Chuli-Phaating (dried apricots), which he had bartered on the way, in the area around Khalsi village for homemade butter or churpi. In Sakti, his grandfather exclusively traded with trusted Changpa traders, who he called  Dzagos ( friends). 

In those days, the Sengge-la pass, connecting Photoksar and Zanskar to the Sham area was only open for a few months in summer. Due to the scarcity of grazing land in Yurchung and Nyerak, villagers from those areas would bring their livestock near to Photoksar for grazing in the 4th month of the Ladakhi calendar and return before Ston just before the harvest. There was a longstanding agreement that their animals would not cross beyond Maneychan Tokpo (a stream), a rule enforced by the Goba members  (village leaders). The people of Photoksar frequently sold butter in Leh, and they occasionally sold yak and demo to visitors from Tia and Timosgang villages. 

Before the construction of the new motorable road to Zanskar, two main routes connected Photoksar to the Indus Valley. In summer, traveling from Hanupatta to Wanla villages beyond a spot called Demdemcha was treacherous due to the swollen rivers, which sometimes carried away horses. This route was primarily used after the Ston season, when the water froze, making the passage safer. In warmer months, they followed the Wanla Chutsan route, exiting at Lamayuru village, where they purchased essential supplies. This journey involved an overnight stop near Chutsan, but during Ston, the route to Wanla could be completed in a single day. At Wanla, barley grown at Photoksar was traded for locally grown wheat and peas, with an equal exchange rate.

Due to Photoksar's cold climate, it was difficult for plants other than barley to flourish. Pea plants, if grown did not bear fruit and was often served as fodder for cattle. While many in Photoksar consumed peas from Wanla mixed with barley, Tashi preferred to plant the pea seeds solely to grow fodder for his livestock. He also remembers the Res system, where the people of Photoksar were required to provide free services to government officials traveling between Wanla and Yulsum. Occasionally, traders from Chiktan would come to the area to sell Doltoks (stone utensils). In earlier times, when resources were scarce, Tashi had heard from the elders that their ancestors would travel to Nyingti (a generic term used for Mandi and nearby places in Himachal Pradesh) to earn extra income through labor.