Salt, Rolex, Ladakh to Calcutta.

Rigzin Namgyal and Tashi Namgyal

Rigzin Namgyal, 89 as of 2021 from Sakti village in Ladakh, India, spent his early youth as a successful trader, undertaking biannual journeys, Yar-Gun—summer and winter trips—to Changthang and Tibet. Much of this time was dedicated to trading in western Tibet until the Chinese occupation disrupted traditional trade routes.

In summer, Rigzin Namgyal engaged in Yar-tsong or summer trade, traveling to distant regions including Rudok, Rawang, Thok, and Hundur. Rudok, a picturesque town with a monastery and a fort, was home to about 60 to 70 families. He and his companions carried goods like Phating, Chuli, Phey, rice, and eggs. To protect the eggs from breaking, the Ladakhi traders employed an innovative technique, carefully packing them in Pakphey (wheat flour). These items were exchanged for the prized Bal and Lena in Tibet. In winter, he frequently visited Maga, a vast grazing land near Rudok that provided pasture for horses from Sakti and Chemrey. Maga was expansive enough to support thousands of horses, yaks, and other livestock, and he fondly recalled seeing around a thousand Kyangs, along with yaks and Raluks, in that area.

During his journeys, Rigzin discovered several salt sources, particularly at Rajok Tso, where salt was harvested and dried in the sun. His travels in Tibet also took him to gold mines like Munak Thok, Rathok Thok, and Myanmo Thok, located about ten days east of Rudok. Although gold panning, as was common throughout the Himalayas, was not particularly lucrative, it provided a livelihood for many impoverished miners, who paid a tax known as ser-go-thal, amounting to 10 annas (with 16 annas equating to one rupee). Aba Rigzin continued his trading trips to Rudok until 1962, when the Chinese invasion disrupted the region.

In Ladakh, salt markets in Chemrey and Sakti were held twice a year, during the summer and autumn months. Buyers traveled from distant places like Shigar and Skardu in Baltistan. Rigzin Namgyal could easily distinguish Shigar Baltis from Skardu Baltis by their complexions, noting that Skardu Baltis generally had fairer skin. The Baltis traded items such as Phating and mulberries. The summer market was hosted in Dabung in Sakti village, where a Beakon office now stands, while the autumn market took place near Chemrey Monastery in fields known as Thaka Zukhan. The exchange rate for salt and barley fluctuated; standard quality salt was typically equivalent in quantity to barley, though poor-quality salt could require three battis (approximately 6 kg) for one batti of barley.

During this period, Hor traders entered Ladakh through the Changla Pass. Many Ladakhis in Sakti and Chemrey spoke the Hor language, enabling residents like Ajang Tsewang and Tokpo Skalzang to communicate with them. The Hor traders brought Phingpa, Kaleen, tea, and Chakman. They traveled with horses, camels, and donkeys, always on the lookout for grazing grounds for their animals. People in Sakti and Chemrey would trade local grass for the prized Central Asian items brought by the Hor traders, creating a vibrant trading opportunity for all. 

Rigzin’s friend, Tashi Namgyal, 84, as of 2021, reminisced about European explorers arriving in the Rong area with advanced equipment, drilling into rocks and building chain bridges across the Indus River, while locals carried their belongings in palkis.

In those days, government teaching positions were plentiful due to a shortage of educated Ladakhis. Rigzin Namgyal secured a role in the education department, teaching in various locations in Changthang, including Kyungyam, Hemya, and Shara. Between the late 1950s and early 1960s, while stationed as a government school teacher in Chushul, he witnessed significant events in Indian military history, including the return of Deputy Superintendent Karam Singh after the Hot Springs incident. Following the 1962 war with China, Aba Rigzin  travelled with the team tasked in a mission to retrieve the remains of the legendary Major Shaitan Singh and his men from Rezang La, becoming one of the first to reach the site of Major Shaitan Singh's martyrdom.

A notable episode in Rigzin's trading career involved a cheque for 6,000 tibetan currency from a business partner in Tibet. Unable to cash it in Leh due to foreign currency issues, he traveled all the way to Calcutta, where the only bank that could handle the transaction was located. After struggling to find a guarantor, a Nepali trader at the Mahabodhi Society where Aba Rigzin was staying offered assistance. While in Calcutta, Rigzin seized the opportunity to purchase expensive Rolex and Omega watches, along with Sheaffer and Parker pens, which were highly valued among the rich in Tibet. He also made trips to Amritsar and then to Kashmir to buy rice, which he transported for trade in Changthang.

The above interview was conducted in 2021.

100 years of Ladakh : Aba Mohd Hassan

Mohd Hassan

Born in 1922, Mohd Hassan, a resident of Leh, Ladakh, India, attended a school that was started by the Shia community of Leh, in Chutey Rantak, Leh, in 1915. Mohd Hassan recalls the teachers of that time: Bah Nabi, Munshi Hussain (the father of Dr. Ramzan), Kharmangpa, Akhon Ahmed ( Sheikh Mirza’s father ). These teachers were paid Rs. 5 per month. According to Mohd Hassan, his school years were marked by a mixture of progress and setbacks. He admitted that he often alternated between passing and failing and frequently dropped out and re-enrolled, reflecting the challenges of staying in school during that era. 

Mohd Hassan cherished his school days and deeply appreciated the efforts of the community to sustain the school in Chutey Rantak. Unfortunately, the school faced severe financial dificulties in the 1940s. In an attempt to save it, the Muslim community of Leh pooled together a significant sum of Rs. 40,000. This money was used to purchase Bal and Lena from the local market, and a man named Sheikh Ali, a native of Baltistan, was entrusted with selling the stock in Kashmir to generate additional funds for the school. Sadly, Sheikh Ali never returned, and the school was forced to close in 1945.

In between, after finishing class five, Mohd Hassan’s parents decided to continue his studies and enrolled him in a middle school in Leh, where the late Shri P. Namgyal, one of Ladakh's foremost political leaders, was his classmate in Class 6. His other classmates included Wangdan,Togochey, from Stok who was in boarding, Sonam from Phyang Gondarey, and Maj Tsetan Phunsok from Hunder. Shri P. Namgyal’s elder brother, the legendary Col Rinchen, was also in school with them in Class 7. Zomdey Ka Tashi Punsok, who had been posted as a teacher in Skardo, Shigar and Kharmang, was Aba Hassan’s tuition master. At that time, there was no school beyond Class 8 in Ladakh, and anyone interested in further studies had to go to Srinagar. Mohd Hassan didn’t pursue further studies and was soon inducted into the Army. Later, as circumstances allowed, he joined the Ladakh Police.

Mohd Hassan has fond memories of Changthang, where he was posted for many years. In 1952, while in service, Jawaharlal Nehru visited Ladakh in a Dakota plane that landed in a remote region. Nehru was accompanied by Indira Gandhi, who was a young girl at the time, along with Sheikh Abdullah and some senior ministers of the Government of India. This was the first time Mohd Hassan tasted mithai (Indian sweets), which was distributed by the local administration. He also recalls that at one time, Katcho Mohd Ali Khan from Kargil was the SDM in Nyoma.

Once while in Changthang with Tashi Namgyal of the Bandepa family and a two-star officer named Ghulam Rasool they went to Phobrang village to meet  the Goba (the village Headman) named Chopel, a very wealthy man with over 1,000 raluks (goats and sheep). To their surprise, none of the 15-20 families were at home. Only one elderly woman remained in the village. She informed them that a Lama Chenmo (a senior Lama) had come to visit the village, and all the villagers had gone to attend his teachings. When Mohd Hassan and his companions arrived at the gathering, they found the villagers listening to the Lama and asking him questions. The session lasted until 4 p.m., after which it was Ghulam Rasool’s turn. The Lama looked into a khatak (ceremonial scarf) and told Ghulam Rasool that there was a gathering in his house in Leh and that he should prepare for unpleasant news. After returning to Phobrang village, Goba Chopel insisted on slaughtering a goat for the group, but Ghulam Rasool was not in the mood for a celebration and insisted on returning to their base in Chushul. They reached Chushul that night, around 2 a.m., where a message was waiting for them that a member of Ghulam Rasool’s family had passed away. Mohd Hassan and Ghulam Rasool quickly borrowed two horses from the Kotwal and traveled back via the Muglib route.

Mohd Hassan is one of the few people who witnessed a little-known event in Ladakhi history. Somewhere between the late 1940s and early 1950s Ladakh saw the sudden arrival of hundreds of Kazakhs fleeing from atrocities. They were armed and arrived with their families, women, children, and livestock. According to Aba Hassan, they also had valuables, apparently looted from Tibetan monasteries and nomads during their journey to India. Soon they were allowed to set up temporary camps at Choglamsar, Skara Yokma Spang, and Shey. Desperate and tired, they were willing to barter generously with their possessions. Mohd Hassan would go to Skara with chunpo, for which he would receive one sheep. He would buy yaks and horses from the Kazakhs, purchasing a yak and a horse for Rs. 2 each, and then selling them for Rs. 3 and Rs. 3.5 in the market. One sheep was exchanged for a single roti (bread). In those days, law and order were maintained by Col Abdul Majid of the Kashmir government. After a few months, in early 1950s in the month of October or November, the Kazakhs were shifted on foot, out of Ladakh, through the Zojila Pass. Many of them died on the way, but a few managed to reach Baltal in Kashmir, and it is believed that they were later settled in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Years later, while in Srinagar with Ramatullah of the Sergar family and Wakhapa Rigzin, Mohd Hassan, along with another person from Kargil, visited Col Abdul Majid, who had retired and settled in Resham Khana near Batamaloo, Srinagar. Majid’s house was decorated with expensive Kazakh items, which he claimed to have bought from the Kazakhs.

Before 1947, traders known as Hors (from Xinjiang) and Karjapas (from Himachal) would visit Leh. The Hors would visit Leh in ston (autumn) and would buy olthang (grass fields) in places like Horzey, Kyokpey Olthang, and Choskorpe where they would keep their camels, horses, and donkeys. They would set up small markets in Leh and sell carpets, wool, charok, kampis, basho, and almonds. They would even sell horses; a horse was sold for Rs. 25, and Rs. 1 was paid as a commission to anyone who helped with the sale. Mohd Hassan still remembers how the Hors would announce “Nye da Baram” in the Uyghur language, meaning “Where are you going?” and “Nye may Kalem,” meaning “What are you doing?”. 

Mohd Hassan believed that Hors after crossing the Karakoram Pass, would part ways in Shyok valley: some moved to Leh through Khardung La or Chang La, while others moved toward Baltistan along the Shyok River. Aba Hassan also heard strange stories from Ladakhis, especially Chushotpas and Nubrapas, who traveled with the Hors to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO). They claimed to hear the sound of galloping horses at night, which the Hors attributed to King Gesar’s horses. They also reported seeing dead bodies that appeared lifelike but would turn to dust when touched. Then there were tales of people finding treasures left behind by the Hors. One story involved someone finding a horjon (a double bag used by the Hors on horseback) containing traditional kulchas (small breads). When each kulcha was broken, a gold coin was found inside. The Hors reportedly carried these coins to avoid customs at the Karakoram Pass. 

Besides the Hors, the Karjapa traders would travel on horses with their servants, selling smandok (medicinal ingredients), kuram, cha, ras, tarchok, pabbu, and das (rice). Unlike the Hors, they would stay near the mountains for 6-7 days, setting up their tents in Gangles, Chomchala, Kugala, Lgeuma, and Smanla, where their servants would take care of the horses.

Reminiscing about the time when Leh was the summer capital and Skardo was the winter capital of Ladakh, Mohd Hassan recalled the Darbar shift system. One of his tutor’s friends, Katcho Raza of Skardu, would accompany the commissioner from Skardu in May and return in October. Even the dogs were carried on palkis. The team included the cooks, office kanungo, munshis and other officers, in total about 20-30 people. The commissioner was the highest-ranking official. They would stay in Leh for six months, similar to the Darbar shift in Kashmir. This practice was discontinued after India’s independence in 1947.

Before 1947, Leh had a very small deployment of forces under the Dogras. According to Mohd Hassan there were only 15-20 sepoys at Zorawar Fort, who were responsible for guarding the government Treasury. A similar number of sepoys were stationed in Kargil Treasury. Mohd Hassan recalled hearing that before Zorawar Fort was built, a ruined fort had stood in its place. He had also heard stories of Mirza Haider, who invaded Ladakh in the 1530s, destroying the fort by flooding it. Mohd Hassan remembers that when he was a young boy, the fort was repaired, and laborers were paid a daily wage of 4 annas for their work. 

In Leh, there was a Kotwal (police officer) who earned Rs. 8 per month. Mohd Hassan remembers one Kadir, from the Kalam family, who was a one-star officer. If transferred to Skardo, the Kotwal’s salary increased to Rs. 12. The same applied to any official transferred from Skardo to Leh. Initially, the thana (police station) was located in the new bazaar, but it was later shifted to Hors Sarai Kongma, which had been used as a Sarai (inn) by the Hor traders. The Sarai Yokma was taken over by the armed forces and eventually converted into quarters, which were constructed by an engineer from the Marstelang Cho family. Mohd Hassan also recalled that there was a Charas godown near Chutey Rantak, which was later given to Munshi Isa and Pir Sahib in exchange for land taken from them during road construction. In those days, the Hors bought Charas, which the Karjapa traders would then transport on horses to the plains. Mohd Hassan mentioned that there was a customs godown near Balkhang where Charas duties were collected, but he was unsure of its fate. Other customs sites in Ladakh included Balukhar in Khalste and a site near the present-day Khardongla Hotel, close to Chubi and Chutey Rantak. A Bangey Munshi (scribe) used to reside near Hemis Labrang.

Mohd Hassan also fondly remembered the days of Dosmochey, a festival. Three days before the festival, Skutaks from Leh would go to Stok to invite the Stok King to the Leh Palace. On the day of the festival, the Skutaks of Leh would welcome the Aba Gyapo (the king) and Abhi Gyamo (the queen) with a grand Kalchor and Spos. The Skutaks would follow them on 50-60 horses. This would be followed by a dance at Khardok Chenmo and a Larna.

Two rounds of interviews over three years with Mohd Hassan le revealed many fascinating and lesser-known aspects of Ladakhi history. His life is a treasure trove of experiences from early 20th-century Ladakh, and his memories provide valuable insights into the culture and history of the region. His rich experiences should be professionally documented, as few people in Ladakh have lived such an extraordinary and impactful life.

Traders of the Chelong Valley, Ladakh

Gulam Jaffar at his shop in Panikhar

For generations, traders from the Suru Valley in Kargil, Ladakh, have journeyed southwest from Panikhar village, in Suru Valley, passing through the picturesque Chelong Valley to reach the Warwan Valley in Jammu and Kashmir. Panikhar, which serves as both a hub for trade and commerce and the entry point to the Suru Valley from Chelong Valley, has long been a key stop on these trade routes. Today, this historic route has become a popular trekking path and is even being considered as an alternative access to the Amarnath Shrine. 

Following the tradition of his ancestors, Gulam Jaffar, 82 years, from Panikhar spent many years making annual treks for trade to Warwan and Pahalgam. In Warwan, Jaffar would exchange young Dzhos (a hybrid between yaks and domestic cattle) from the Suru Valley for fully grown Dzhos from Warwan. Typically, he traded two young Dzhos for one adult. On some occasions, he would trade one young Dzho along with some money for a fully grown Dzho. The adult Dzhos Jaffar brought back were either used for meat or sold to buyers from Kargil, particularly those from the Sod area, who would then sell them in distant places like Leh. Over time, some of the young Dzhos he had traded in Warwan would mature into adults and return, creating a continuous cycle of exchange. This practice had survived for many generations.

Gulam Jaffar was actively involved in trading Brangsee (honey), which he sourced from the villagers of Warwan. The hives were ingeniously constructed within the walls of village huts, with the main hive located inside the house and a small hole-like opening in the wall connecting it to the outside. These hives were placed in wooden cases, referred to by Jaffar as Shing Dongmo. The cases were plastered with mud, leaving only the small external opening for the bees through the wall of the hut. Remarkably, the villagers shared their living spaces with these hives, sleeping in the very rooms where they were kept. To harvest the honey, smoke was used to drive the bees out of the hives. The honey was then manually collected through a meticulous process that required nearly 10 days to produce 20-30 kilograms. After collection, the honey was ground and filtered by hand before being packed into skin cases known as Kyalba. At that time, the honey was sold for Rs 20 per kilogram, a stark contrast to the current price of nearly Rs 2800 per kilogram.

In the days before electricity or kerosene oil, Gulam Jaffar would gather a type of wood called La-shee from the Warwan forests. This wood, which burned like a large incense stick, with its glowing tip casting a faint light that lasted less than an hour, was a vital source of illumination during the dark nights. In later years, Jaffar would carry 5 liters of kerosene for six families from Pahalgam through the Chelong Valley. This kerosene was used to light their homes, with each family carefully rationing less than a liter to last the entire winter. They would finish their dinners and sleep early  to conserve the oil. At that time, the market price for kerosene was Rs 3 per liter.

Gulam Jaffar also recalls the difficulties of paying taxes like Bhaps and Jinsi to the revenue officials. The entire family would clean their crops meticulously, and his father would transport them to the revenue office in Kargil. Despite their hard work, corrupt officials sometimes rejected the crops, making those days feel like Zulum (oppression). The burden of these taxes was so heavy that some families in the Suru Valley were even forced to sell their fields Zhing (fields) and gardens Tsas (gardens) to pay them.

During winter, the Chelong Valley was cut off for six months due to snow. At the age of 40, Jaffar once took the Umbala Pass route to Dras and then onward to Kashmir. This route, which directly connects the Suru Valley to Dras and bypasses Kargil, took him two days to travel—a journey that now takes just three hours by car. On the first day, he camped overnight at Umbala Pass, and on the second day, he stayed in Lamochan village before continuing to Dras. From there, he traveled to Zojila Pass and Sonamarg to purchase rice (Bras) at Rs 1 per kilogram.

Habbibullah

Habbibullah, 77 years from Panikhar traveled 3-4 times through the Chelong Valley to purchase butter from the villagers in Warwan, Kashmir. In Warwan, the villagers would prepare 3-4 kilogram butter doughs and pack them in skin bags called Kyalba. Once back in Panikhar, in the Suru Valley, the women in his family would transfer the butter from the Kyalba into utensils, separate the liquid portion from the dough, and purify it. They would then shape the butter into 3-4 kilogram balls. Habbibullah would then take the butter to Kargil for sale in September and October. The butter that Habbibullah purchased at Rs 12 per kilogram would be sold for Rs 24 per kilogram in Kargil.

 Salim Khan, Haji Gulam Mehdi and Ali Jaan

Haji Gulam Mehdi, a resident of Panikhar, spent much of his life engaged in the meat trade. In his younger days, he made yearly journeys to the Warwan Valley in Kashmir, traveling through the Chelong Valley for trade. On one occasion, he embarked on a three-day journey to Sukhnai, a village in the Warwan Valley, to purchase livestock. There, he bought 400 sheep, which he later sold in Kargil. In the past, the road from Panikhar to Warwan was so narrow that horses sometimes fell into the river. Currently, a road is under construction, extending about 10 kilometers into the Chelong Valley from Panikhar. Haji Gulam believes that if the road were improved and a tunnel built at Boban glacier, it would transform life in the Suru Valley. 

In addition to his trading activities in Warwan Valley and Kargil, Haji Gulam has fond memories of the years he spent at cattle camps, known as Doks, at a site called Raygun in the Chelong Valley. The Dok was particularly renowned for its clean water, drawn from the Dok-Chu Chesma spring. Each year, Haji Gulam spent 3-4 months there, caring for livestock and gathering wood, juniper (Shukpa), shrubs (Burtse), and cow dung (Sherang or Shilang) to use as fuel. His family members would visit him in the Doks, collecting surplus grass, shrubs, and cow dung to take back to the village for later use. Whenever possible, Haji Gulam continued his trading from the Dok, exchanging young Dzhos for adult Dzhos with Warwan traders who visited the camps, sometimes paying them in cash.

Life in the Doks, however, was not without its challenges. Wild animals like snow leopards, brown bears, and wolves often posed a threat to their livestock. Despite these dangers, Haji Gulam lived this way for 10-15 years. Haji Gulam eventually stopped traveling through the Chelong Valley and now owns a popular grocery shop in Panikhar. After 20 years, he returned to the area with the author, reflecting on his memorable days as a trader.

Every year, Bakarwal nomads like Ali Jaan and Salim Khan from the district of Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir visit the Chelong Valley, which they refer to as Do Naldu. From Kathua, they travel to Ramban, cross the Banihal Pass to reach Anantnag, and then make their way to Kishtwar before crossing a glacier to finally reach the Chelong Valley in the month of May. In good weather, the journey from Kathua to Chelong takes about 15 days. They stay for three months, grazing livestock and trading sheep and wool with traders who visit them from different parts of Ladakh before returning to Kathua via the same route. When the author met them in the Chelong Valley, Ali Jaan owned 200 sheep, while his cousin Salim Khan had about 250 sheep.

Haji Gulam regularly purchased sheep and wool from the Bakarwals visiting the Chelong Valley. Despite the declining demand for wool, which once sold for Rs 65 per kilogram but has now dropped to less than Rs 10, Haji maintained a strong and supportive relationship with the Bakarwals. Among them, he had particularly close ties with Ali Jaan and Salim Khan, whom he knew through their parents—long-time friends of his. Their bond was so strong that, during their visits to Panikhar, the Bakarwals often stayed at Haji Gulam's home, where they were treated like family members. Through his shop in Panikhar, Haji continues to extend credit and provide rations to the Bakarwals when needed, further solidifying their connection and mutual trust.