Turtuk

Turtuk
Village
Shyok river at Turtuk
Turtuk Turtuk Show map of LadakhShow map of IndiaShow all
Coordinates: 34°50′49″N 76°49′37″E / 34.847°N 76.827°E��� / 34.847; 76.827Coordinates: 34°50′49″N 76°49′37″E / 34.847°N 76.827°E / 34.847; 76.827
Country	India
Union Territory	Ladakh
District	Leh
Tehsil	Nubra
Government
• Type	Panchayati raj
• Body	Gram panchayat
Population  (2011)
• Total	3,371
Languages
• Official	Balti, Ladakhi, Urdu/Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	194401
Census code	913

Turtuk is a small village in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. Turtuk is one of the nothermost village of India, second only to Murgo Village, the northernmost village of India. Turtuk is situated in the Leh district^[1][2] of the Nubra Valley. It is 205 km from Leh, the district headquarters, and 2.5 km from the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. Turtuk is also the headquarters of the eponymous community development block.

Turtuk is located on the banks of the Shyok River.^[3] Geographically, the village is in the Baltistan region, which is administered by Pakistan except for four villages which are part of India, one of which is Turtuk. These villages form the only region in India populated by Balti people.^[4][5]

Turtuk was under Pakistani control until the war of 1971,^[6] when the Indian Army captured the village.^[7][8] Turtuk is the last outpost of India's Ladakh(Indian Sentinel in the North), after which Pakistan-controlled Gilgit-Baltistan begins.^[9] The village is one of the gateways to the Siachen Glacier.^[10][11] Turtuk is known for its varieties of fruits, especially apricots.^{[citation needed]}

The area came under India after disloyal Bengali major of Pakistan Army deployed in Turtuk sector fled the area, Allowing the Indians to enter village without any resistance. Pakistani authorities later sent letters to the villagers inviting them to settle in Gilgit Baltistan, some moved to Pakistan while others remained in India.^[12]

Geography[]

Turtuk lies in the region of Baltistan, a region almost completely controlled by Pakistan. Turtuk is one among four Baltistani villages under Indian control, the other three being Tyakshi, Chalunkha and Dhothang.^[13] It is the largest of these four. The village is in the Chorbat section of the Shyok Valley , which straddles the Line of Control between the Indian- and Pakistani-administered portions of Kashmir.

History[]

Brogpa Era[]

The earliest known tribe which inhabited Turtuk were a Dardic tribe, locally known as the Brogpas,who are believed to have migrated from Chilas, a place now in Pakistan. The lived in Turtuk from an unknown time till, mostly probably, 13th century AD. At some point around the 13 century AD, two warriors named, Chuli and Yangdrung, came to Turtuk. They killed the King and eventually mostly of the locals fled Turtuk, along the stream, across the mountain, to the villages now called Hanu, Dah and Domkhar. Right now, majority of the population in Turtuk are the direct descendants of Chuli and Yangdrung. As time passed on, people from outside came to Turtuk in search of work, bringing in more diversity. Turtuk is believed to have remained an independent principality till the conquest of Baltistan by the Sikh Empire.^{[14][verification needed]}

The people of Turtuk were followers of Bon religion before Islam came. That is why Bon rituals can be seen both in the tradition as well as the architecture. Islam came to Turtuk due to the famous Persian Sufi poet and preacher, Syed Ali Shah Hamdani. People in Turtuk, like in other places in Baltistan practice the Sufi sect Sufis Noorbakshia, named after a disciple of Shah Hamdani, Syed Mohammad Noorbaksh. But by the nineteenth century, dominant sects from outside, such as Shia, Hanafi and later Wahabi started converting the Sufi Noorbakshia of Baltistan, and similarly, the Noorbakshias of Turtuk too. More recently, the Hanafis of Turtuk have also been converted to the more extreme subsets of Sunni. Right now, only half of the population practices Noorbakshias while the rest practice, either Sunni sect or Wahhabi sect.^{[14][verification needed]}

Yabgo dynasty[]

The Chorbat-Khaplu region of Baltistan, including Turtuk, was ruled by the Turkistani Yabgo dynasty for one thousand years. Their rule started when Beg Manthal came to the region from Yarkand in the 9th century and conquered Khaplu,^[13][15] splitting it off from the Tibetan Empire.^[16] The region was dominated by Buddhism until the arrival of Islamic scholar and poet Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani in the 13th century.

After the First Anglo-Sikh War, the British established the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under Gulab Singh. Gulab Singh's Dogra dynasty ruled the region until 1947 under the suzerainty of British Raj.

Indo-Pakistan conflicts[]

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, the Gilgit Scouts based in Gilgit overthrew the Dogra administration and subsequently invaded the Baltistan region. At the end of that war, Turtuk came under the control of Pakistan along with most of Baltistan.^[13][15]

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, this area was the site of the Battle of Turtuk. India's Ladakh Scouts and Nubra Guards, under the command of Brigadier Udai Singh, entered the village after Pakistani forces had retreated a day earlier.^[17] Singh and his second-in-command Major Chewang Rinchen were both honoured with a Maha Vir Chakra for their gallantry and a street is named after Major Rinchen in Leh.^[18]

Local Balti residents on Pakistani side claimed that commander in charge during the fight in Turtuk was Major Bashir, a Bengali major of Pakistan Army who was no longer loyal to Pakistan and instead he defended Indian interests because at the time Bengalis were fighting against Pakistan for freedom in the Eastern Sector and Indian government was supporting them.^[19]

Thang,Tyakshi small villages in Turtuk sector are surrounded by high mountains peaks which are all under Pakistan Army control and Indian Army being deployed on lower heights this gives advantage to Pakistan as Pakistani troops can disrupt the Indian activities in the village but Pakistan has shown no interest in regaining the village.^[20]

Since 1971[]

In 1999, the two countries once again had a major conflict around this area during the Kargil War. There are a few memorials built in memory of soldiers on Main Road going towards the zero point of the India–Pakistan Line of Control.^{[citation needed]}

Balti scholar Senge Sering states that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has attempted to introduce jihad into this area. The local people are unsure of their loyalties because they have lived under both Pakistani and Indian control, some of them having served in the Pakistan Army before India's take-over. Many of them also have relatives living across the Line of Control who are subject to intimidation by the ISI. During the Kargil infiltration by Pakistan, some of the local people were suspected to have assisted the infiltrators. The Indian Army took some of them into custody, but later released all of them. The local people are said to be grateful for the consideration shown by the Army and currently support the Army's initiatives such as Operation Sadbhavana.^[21]

2010 floods[]

In August 2010, the village of Turtuk was impacted by floods which occurred throughout the entire region of Ladakh.

Tourism in and around Turtuk[]

Turtuk was opened to tourists in 2010.^[15] The village offers views of the Shyok Valley.

There are a few gompas located on the plateau above the Shyok River and there is an old royal house to see in the village. Turtuk is one of the few places in India where one can witness Balti culture, and one can find a few homestays and guest houses in the village. It is the last major village where tourist activity is allowed before the Line of Control.^[22]

Its attractions include:

1. Natural cold storage

2. Historic polo ground

3. Ruins of Brokpa fort

4. Balti Heritage House and Museum

5. Royals house and Museum

7. Water mill

8. Blacksmith

9. 16th century mosque

10. Monastery

11. Traditional handloom

12. Waterfall

Demographics[]

According to the 2011 census of India, Turtok has 384 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 82.53%.^[23] The residents of Turtuk and its adjoining villages speak the Balti language along with Ladakhi and Urdu.^[24]

Demographics (2011 Census)^[23]

	Total	Male	Female
Population	3371	2429	942
Children aged below 6 years	343	154	189
Scheduled caste	0	0	0
Scheduled tribe	1766	839	927
Literates	2499	2115	384
Workers (all)	2274	1953	321
Main workers (total)	2047	1840	207
Main workers: Cultivators	371	200	171
Main workers: Agricultural labourers	2	1	1
Main workers: Household industry workers	1	1	0
Main workers: Other	1673	1638	35
Marginal workers (total)	227	113	114
Marginal workers: Cultivators	50	7	43
Marginal workers: Agricultural labourers	3	3	0
Marginal workers: Household industry workers	0	0	0
Marginal workers: Others	174	103	71
Non-workers	1097	476	621

See also[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Turtuk.

• Chewang Rinchen

References[]