Namgyal Dorjey
In the past, the Zanskar region of Ladakh, India, remained isolated from the outside world during the winter months due to heavy snowfall. The Chadar trek through the frozen Zanskar river, which connects Zanskar to the Indus Valley, was the only popular winter route. However, during the summer, it was connected to surrounding areas through a network of passes from all directions. From the west, the Pensila Pass leads to the Suru Valley, where the road further diverges either to the Warwan Valley in Kashmir or to Drass through the Umba La Pass, or to Kargil District. The southeastern Shinkula Pass leads to Darcha and Himachal Pradesh, while in the northeast, the Zunglam/Jumglam route through the Charcharla Pass was historically the most significant, leading to Dat in Kharnak Changthang or further to the Markha Valley. In the south, three main passes—Omasila, Akshow via Hangshula, and one near Bardang passing through Poat La Pass and Kangla Pass —connect Zanskar to other regions of Kishtwar. Namgyal Dorjey, 55 years, from Ating village, Zanskar, is one of the few people who have traversed nearly all of these passes.
Namgyal's journey across these passes began around the age of 18 when he accompanied his father on treks to Paddar in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. Paddar, which lies south of the Zanskar mountain range, is known for its rich vegetation and abundance of wood. At that time, it was common for the people of Zanskar to barter peas grown in their region for various goods from Paddar. Wood, wool, Shing Khem (wooden shovels), Saldang (a bark used as a tea supplement), butter, rice, and Kangshil Tsotma or Lingdi, a vegetable the Himachalis used to make pickles were the popular commodities traders from Zanskar brought from Paddar. Namgyal's father would return from Paddar with dried Lingdi, which they would later soak in water, mix with milk, and cook as a vegetable. The Zanskaris also brought back Tau seeds (likely buckwheat) from Paddar, which they cultivated in Zanskar. According to Namgyal, the plant is believed to have cancer-fighting properties and is easy to digest, allowing one to eat it and immediately return to work.
With its frigid climate and sparse vegetation, Zanskar relied heavily on Paddar as a primary supplier of different kinds of wood for much of its history. According to Namgyal, Kero Shing was the most prized wood of all. Although not very thick, it was extremely strong. In Zanskar, it was commonly used for making window frames because its strength allowed them to maintain their shape for a very long time. Namgyal’s father once took four of his seven sons to Paddar, and on their return to Zanskar, each son carried seven logs of Kero wood. Another type of wood, Stakpa, known for its durability, was used to craft a part of the wooden plough called Shol. The Dungma, or Yulat, was used in the construction of the Makdum/Bheem of a room. A less sought-after variety, called Raydung in Paddar, was primarily used as Talu during roof construction in Zanskar. However, in Paddar, Raydung was not valued highly and was often used as firewood. Som—known as Keylong Shing in Paddar—was used to make Khem (wooden shovels). Namgyal explained that Som wood is thicker and softer than any wood available locally in Zanskar, making it ideal for crafting single-piece, wider Khem, which are more effective for fieldwork. This was not possible with the limited amount of narrow wood commonly found in Zanskar. Additionally, Som wood is much easier to cut—"like butter," as Namgyal described it.
Namgyal observed that Zanskar's sparse vegetation also led to limited grazing areas and, consequently, fewer livestock. This scarcity of livestock caused a shortage of wool for clothing in the region. As a result, people in the Stod region of Zanskar relied on wool, or Bal, from Paddar, known for its high quality and was used directly to prepare garments without any mixing. While the Changpa traders are recorded to have carried Bal for trade in Zanskar, it’s possible that by the time they reached Ating and other villages at the end of their trade route, they had already exhausted their supply of Bal. This situation would have made the villages in the Stod region more dependent on wool from Paddar.
Before the 1990s, the trade routes used by the people of Zanskar were popular among foreign tourists for trekking, and Nawang, like many men from Zanskar and other parts of Ladakh, found lucrative opportunities to earn extra income as a tourist guide along these routes. However, it has been 15 years since Namgyal last traveled these routes, either for trade or as a tourist guide.
The most popular route from Zanskar to Paddar was via the Omasila Pass. Namgyal would trek from Ating to a location called Gowra, where they would spend the night at Kanju Pulu before making the crossing. In 1981-82, Namgyal's father and uncle constructed a shelter there, which had three rooms—two featuring Dungma roofs and one made entirely of stone. After Gowra, some travelers would stop at a place called Rooa, while others continued on to Kache Phangsa, known for its expansive snow-covered plains called Chashee Thang. More experienced trekkers could go directly from Kanju Pulu to Sumcham, the first inhabited village in Paddar. Namgyal recounts a surprising incident when his father crossed the Omasila to reach Paddar and returned to Ating on the same day.
Namgyal has also traveled from Akshow village through Hangshula Pass to Sumcham in Paddar, a challenging path with no proper trail, according to Namgyal it was- only ice at the bottom and pebbles on top. This route was tough and slow, taking five to six days. The ground was so tough that Namgyal and his fellow traveler Thinley's shoes tore before they could reach Paddar. While there are fewer climbs on this route than on the Omasila Pass, there is a lot of ice to scale. In contrast, the trek before the Omasila Pass from Zanskar is relatively plain, while the trek after the pass is snowy. On the Akshow side, there is ice on one side and relatively plain towards Paddar.
Thirty years ago, Namgyal also traversed the Kang La Pass route to Paddar, originating from a place near the Bardan Gompa. Along with a trekker named Maymay Rigzin and another friend, he covered the route, which was very long and full of glaciers. On the third day, they encountered a glacier, which according to Namgyal, was as long as the distance from 'Ating to Padum', a site where they slept on the icy glacier for the night. In the extreme cold of the night, Namgyal and friends could hear the ice cracking beneath them. The other side, after crossing the glacier and the Kangla Pass, was very beautiful with a long slope, making it the most beautiful of the three popular routes leading to Paddar. On the fourth day, they reached the temporary shelters of Gaddi nomads called Dangsa and then at a place called Pattenam-Sattenam in Udaipur, in Kistwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, which had lots of Shukpa (Juniper) growing. According to Namgyal, at the end of the trek at Udaipur, he met some tourists who wanted a guide through Shinkula Pass, so he took that as a return route to Zanskar.
Namgyal mentioned a fourth route from Zanskar to Paddar, which is the least used of all the known routes. It is occasionally utilized by the Zanskaris to purchase Palang (cattle) from Paddar, though he has never trekked along it himself. According to trekking maps of Zanskar, this route starts at a location called Paddar Lungpa near Sani village in Zanskar, crosses the Munni La Pass, and then connects with the Omasila Pass route at a place called Bagjan, eventually leading to Sumcham in Paddar.
Towards the northeast, Namgyal took the Junglam route from Zanskar, crossing Chacharla Pass near Zangla village and eventually reaching Markha valley. On the first day, they camped at the base of Charcharla. The trek itself lasted about five days. After crossing Charcharla on the second day, they arrived at Standongsa, a location that requires careful navigation, as a wrong choice between left and right can lead to confusion. The correct path is to the left, which is more open. Further along, they reached Chanchu Sumdo, another spot where the route can be confusing. After reaching Markha village, some travelers continued to Spituk village via the Gandala Pass, while Namgyal took a vehicle from Chilling village back to Leh.
Among the many passes in the region, the Junglam in the northeast and a series of passes in the southeast served as key routes for the Changpa nomads, who visited Zanskar to trade salt. The nomads would arrive in Ating right after the harvest season, and settle in a plain area in the village called Toksham near where a school stands today. The Changpas followed an age-old tradition of slaughtering a male sheep on the first night of their visit and inviting all families for a feast to symbolize their arrival. The trading of salt would begin the following day. The Zanskaris had a relationship called dZagos or friendship with known Changpa nomads, and the Changpa dZagos would prioritize trading with their Zanskari counterparts. Every year, a Changpa named Mutup, who was Namgyal's family dZago would visit them with their annual supply of salt. The exchange rate was two Lugals of salt for four Lugals of barley.
Until recent times, Zanskar was renowned for its native horses, which are now rare across the region. According to Namgyal, these famed Zanskari horses were categorized by their color and the quality of their ride. Based on color, the classifications included black, white, blue, Tomar, Shau (a mix of Tomar and black), and Nyangpa, which had two subtypes: Nyangkar and Nyangmar. The best riding horses are known as Yorga. There are two varieties of Yorga: the Zyangyor, which had a smooth ride but ran very fast and required a skilled rider, and the Lugyar, which was slower but offered the best ride quality. Horses gave birth at the age of four to five years; some gave birth every year, while others did so every alternate year. The age of a horse in Zanskar was measured in years, known as Killings. A horse could live up to 30 killings, though the origin of this term is unclear.
In the past, Zanskar had a tradition of Zyon-lop trainers who specialized in training non-Yorga horses to correct their gait and achieve a smooth motion, a process known as Yorga Lapches. The trainer would ride the young horse and gradually slow its steps, repeating this exercise over many days until the smooth gait became second nature. If the process was rushed, the horse would revert to its original gait. This training typically occurred when the horse was less than two years old (Choba); beyond that age, it became more challenging to train them. According to Namgyal, Meme Nawang and Tsering Dorjee, a retired soldier, were both well-known Zyon-lop trainers in Ating. Training sessions were always held during Ston (autumn) when the fields were empty, and the trainers provided their services pro bono.
Namgyal also practiced a popular tradition for horses known as Turchet. Under this practice, the owner of a pregnant horse would temporarily hand over the horse to a caretaker. The caretaker was responsible for taking care of the horse until it gave birth. Once the foal was born, the horse would be returned to its original owner, while the caretaker would keep the foal as compensation for their efforts. Namgyal regularly practiced this tradition in collaboration with the Rangdum Monastery. He would take care of the pregnant horses from the monastery, and in return, he was allowed to keep the foals as his service charge.
Besides the horses, until about twenty years ago, Zanskar was home to many donkeys, but their numbers have since diminished. Namgyal observes that, unlike horses, donkeys show little variation in performance or market value, though they can be distinguished by their color and size—large or small, black or gray. Additionally, donkeys are categorized by the appearance of their noses and snouts, with two specific types known as Kha Nakpo and Kha Karpo. The decline in donkey populations can be attributed partly to the increasing use of vehicles for transportation and labor, which have replaced the donkeys previously employed for these tasks. Additionally, there has been a significant surge in demand for donkeys over the last ten years, as many donkeys have been purchased from Zanskar by contractors in the Kargil region for government construction projects. According to Namgyal another contributing factor, though not the main reason, has been attacks by Brown bears, which pose a threat to the remaining donkey population, most of which are left unattended in the open.
Ating village is also known for producing high-quality butter. It seems that the popularity of Zanskari butter is a relatively recent phenomenon as in the past Namgyal's father like many in Zanskar used to source butter from Paddar. As mentioned, Zanskar, which was much colder in the past, had fewer grazing sites and therefore less livestock and less butter production. According to Namgyal, the best butter in Zanskar comes from Ralakung village in Stod region. Other places known for good-quality butter are Paldar Lungpa and Rangdum. Namgyal has visited these areas with an Amchi: Traditional Medicine-man, who would come to Zanskar every year to source Man-saa, the medicinal plants for his medicines. The cattle feed on these medicinal plants, which is believed to contribute to the fine quality of Zanskari butter.
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