Sapphire Trek (Gulabgarh - Padum)

History of the route:-

 

Zorawar Singh Kahluria (1786-1841) was born in a village of Kahlur State (also called Bilaspur ) in modern Himachal Pradesh. His family belonged to the Kahluria clan of Rajputs—they migrated to the Jammu region where, on coming of age, Zorawar took up service under Raja Jaswant Singh of Marmathi (modern Doda district). In 1817 he joined the army of the ambitious Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu and was placed under the commandant of the Reasi fort (Bhimgarh fort).He was later made governor of Kishtwar (Kishtavada) and was given the title of Wazir.

 

To the east of Kishtwar  are the snow-clad mountains of the upper Himalayas — the rivers of Zanskar, Suru, and Drass rise from these snows, and flow across the plateau of Ladakh into the Indus River. Several petty principalities in this region were tributary to the Gyalpo (King) of Ladakh — in 1834 one of these, the Raja of Timbus, sought Zorawar’s help against the Gyalpo. Meanwhile the Rajput general had been burning to distinguish himself by expanding the kingdom of Raja Gulab Singh , also at that time, according to the Gulabnama, Kishtwar went through a drought that caused a loss of revenue and forced Zorawar to extract money through war.

 

On the first, of the four Ladakh campaigns, Zorawar’s army enterered Ladakh through the source of the Suru River where his 5000 men defeated an army of local Botis. After moving to Kargil and subduing the landlords along the way, Zorawar received the submission of the Ladakhis — however Tsepal Namgyal, the Gyalpo, sent his general Banko Kahlon by a roundabout route to cut-off Zorawar’s communications. Zorawar double-backed to Kartse where he sheltered his troops through the winter — in the spring of 1835 he defeated the large Ladakhi army of Banko Kahlon and marched his victorious troops towards Leh. The Gyalpo now agreed to pay 50,000 rupees as war-indemnity and 20,000 rupees as an annual tribute.

 

The Sapphire Mines of Paddar:-

 

The existance of sapphires, in considerable quantities in some part of the North-West Himalayas was first brought to light in 1881-or in early  1882, when some were brought into Shimla by traders from Lahaul, who stated that they had been obtained from a spot among the mountains on the borders of Zanskar where a landslip had laid bare the rocks beneath the soil, and disclosed the presence of the gems. Early in 1882 a few specimens of the gems were sent down from Shimla to the Indian Museum, and examined by Mr. F.R. Mallet, who published a full account of their mineralogical and chemical characters. In the year 1887 the Kashmir Durbar, finding that the revenue from the mines, which had been worked by them with considerable profit since the first discovery, was steadily diminishing, applied to the Government of India for a geologist to examine the mines, and To D. La Touce, Deputy Superintendent of Geographical Survey of India, was deputed to visit and report upon their condition. He visited the small upland valley in 1888, where sapphires are found is about 1,000 yards long by 400 yards area, broad at its lower end; the floor rises at an average angle of about 20° to the north-west, narrowing to a point, and is thickly covered with loose debris fallen from the surrounding cliffs. It is from a narrow strip of this debris, averaging about 100 feet in width, along the northern side of the valley, that the sapphires were obtained.

 

Scenario:-      Location:- Starting in Distt Kishtwar, at Paddar on to Machail, the trek crosses the famous Omasi La pass to Acting in the Zanskar valley.

Administrative Areas:-Distt Kishtwar,  Gulabgarh - Paddar, Machail -                                                    

Paddar,     Ating -Zanskar, Padum-Zanskar.

Trekking Distance:-       82 Kms of High Altitude Terrain.

Road Head:-                   Gulabgarh - Paddar & Ating –Zanskar.

                        Duration of the trek:-     2 weeks

 

 

Terrain / Peaks:-

 

The route of the trek is wide spread over an area of various physical features in the state of J&K. Kishtwar is a plateau at an altitude of 1600 mts, while as 64 kms ,east of  Kishtwar is Paddar, a rocky 3000 mts high area, famous for sapphire mines. Galahr, en route is the starting point for approach to peaks like Agysol , Barnaj-I & Barnaj-II. After reaching Gulabgarh, in Paddar, the route leads to Chasoti (approach for peaks like Arjuna, Chapra, Crooked Finger, Flat Top, Gulap Kangri & Hagshu ) and finally to Machail, famous for Machail Yatra, Machail also being the approach point for peaks like Shivling. From Machail on to Bujwas Gnd, and then to the two Hi altitude glacier camps of Kachibansa (camp 1 ) & Rhua (camp-2), the Omasi -La pass at 5360mts is the highest elevation on the ridge, one has to cross, to reach the other side of the glacier at Nabbar. After Nabbar on to Shomphu and finally reaching Ating, in Zanskar.

Kishtwar Himalayas comprises of many 6000mt peaks, many of them still to be explored.

 

Following is the list of the peaks in the Kishtwar Himalayas:

 

Sickle Moon (6574 m) Eiger (6001 m) Cathedral (5370 m) Charcha (6065 m) Namtse (6000 m) Lhalung (Durung Glacier).

 

In the Nanth Nala Region

 

Brammah-I (6416 m) Brammah-II (6425 m) Brammah’s wife (5297 m) Crooked Finger (5630 m) Flat Top (6100 m) Dereikant (5890 m) Eckpfeiler (5710 m) Gur (5709 m) Kalidhar Kishtwar (5835 m)

 

In the Barnaj Nala Region

Barnaj-I (6100 m) Barnaj-II (6290 m) Arjuna (6200 m) Agyasol (6200 m) Shiviling (6000 m) Chapra (Bhazum Nala) (6500 m) Tibetsi (5600 m) Hagshu Janam peak (6330 m) Charol (6000 m) Chering peak (6107 m) Mardi Pabrang (6062 m) Cerro Kishtwar (6200 m) Tupendo-I (5700 m) Tupendo-II (5600 m)

 

Of all the massifs in the Kishtwar Himalayas, Brammah, comprising of four peaks, is the most striking and challenging.

Listed in order from west to east:

·        Brammah I, 6,416 m (21,050 ft), first ascent 1973

·        Flat Top, 6,103 m (20,023 ft), first ascent 1980

·        Brammah II, 6,485 m (21,276 ft), first ascent 1975

·        Arjuna, 6,230 m (20,439 ft), first ascent 1983

 

Brammah II is the highest of the group, contrary to usual practice. While Brammah I is not the highest, it is the most dramatic, as it is situated at the western end of the massif, above a low base.                                                                                                                                             

 

Brammah I is particularly notable both for its huge rise above local terrain and for its being the site of the first successful major climb in the Kishtwar Himalaya. Famed British mountaineer Chris Bonington, along with Nick Estcourt, and aided by the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, made the first ascent of Brammah I in 1973 via the Southeast Ridge. Estcourt notes that "it is not the highest peak in Kishtwar, but it is the most obvious and elegant.

 

The second ascent of Brammah I was also made by a British group, comprising Paul Belcher, Duncan Nicholson, Jon Scott, and Anthony Wheaton, in 1978. Unfortunately Nicholson and Scott perished on the descent.

Images of Sapphire Trek taken by Google Earth

 

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