A century ago, Nanabhai Davar and his wife undertook an arduous nine-month journey to Ladakh via Kashmir. Their experiences were published as a series of articles in a Gujarati newspaper and later in the form of a book in Gujarati, Vichitra Ladakhmaa Tran Maasni Manjal or Three Months’ Sojourn in Wondrous Ladakh. In this three-part series writer Aban Mukherji retells the Davars’ travels and travails. The first part, "The woman who returned alive,” which appeared in the October 21-November 6, 2023 issue of Parsiana, noted the wife’s indomitable spirit while traversing the inhospitable terrain.
The village of Panamik in the Nubra Valley is an important stop for travelers proceeding towards Central Asia and Turkistan. It has a large government granary from which people could buy provisions for the long and punishing journey ahead. From there on, nothing but barren lands would greet Nanabhai Davar, his wife (unnamed) and their entourage. A message had been sent from Leh to the officer in charge of the granary to assist the travelers in every way.
Preparations to cross the Saser Pass commenced in earnest. It was nigh impossible to obtain pack animals on hire. Very few owners would take that risk as animal mortality was very high. With great difficulty the Davars managed to obtain five sturdy mules. The lady declared that she would be willing to ride on the back of a yak if that was the only way she could reach Shyok Dam!
Nubra Valley Contemporary photo to reflect the terrain
Nubra River flowing through fertile plain
Contemporary photo to reflect the terrain
The porters were gripped with fear. To cross Saser La was the last thing any of the locals wanted to do. Its very name conjured up unimaginable terrors. Finally, the Davars decided to take only one bearer, as the terrified cook and sweeper could not be trusted to remain with them. Everything was very costly and they carried the bare minimum with them — a tent, mattresses, warm clothes and blankets in one holdall, plus two cooking pans and plenty of tinned provisions. The khansama (cook) was ordered to make as many bhakris (millet flatbreads) as they could carry, and a dozen scones. A bundle of firewood required for heating water for tea and their hot-water bottles were also included. These items could not be obtained after leaving Panamik.
When the party departed from Panamik the sand was hot under their feet, but as they began to climb it began to rain. Streams hurtled down the rocky mountainsides. The mountain had narrow paths and 35 hairpin bends. But the spectacular scenes that unfolded made it all worthwhile. Alluring valleys spread out fan-shaped below. Near Thalambuti they met the British officer who had wanted to proceed to Yarkand but had not managed to get a permit to do so. He showed them many photographs of Shyok Dam that he had taken, and gave them useful advice.
After the Thalambuti descent they arrived at Umlung and proceeded with difficulty to Durzum. They halted at a campsite which was barely a strip of the narrow mountain path hugging the slope that had fanned out a bit to afford a semblance of shelter. There was a huge mound of gobar (cattle dung) which had accumulated over the years, and a one-and-half-foot tall heap of dried grass used as fuel by people who traversed these paths.
It was bitterly cold. Moreover, all the night soil in the commode had to be emptied by digging a hole. This unpleasant task fell to the lot of Davar’s wife as the Ladakhi porters refused to do such demeaning work; though as Davar mentions: "Their own bodies are washed only twice during their lifetime — once when they are born, and again at the time of death.” To make matters worse, the bitter cold caused them severe headaches and made sleep elusive.
The road from Thalambuti was littered with the carcasses of mules and ponies. The stream beside them gushed with full force. The scene was "frighteningly beautiful.”
The tehsildar of Leh had flagged off their journey with dire predictions of the difficulties they would have to encounter on the way. Sure enough, no sooner had they left Durzum they were caught in a landslide. Soon they witnessed an avalanche crashing down. Huge boulders hurtled down the mountainsides striking the ground with a deafening roar, like cannons fired in battle.
The Davars made their way to Tutialik, a little green meadow at the base of the mighty Saser Pass. The Thalambuti River flowed past it and on the opposite side loomed the snout of the Mamosthang glacier — a huge snowcapped mountain that sparkled in the sunlight. The word mamosthang means "thousand sheep.” Ladakhi names are picturesquely descriptive. The advance guard of a Mongol invasion had perished there, killed like sheep by avalanches. In 1923, "the Khumdan Glacier had broken with the might of the water confined behind it and the Shyok suddenly came down in a flood in late October.” The flood swept away the great suspension bridge at Tirit, nearly a 100 miles from the Glacier.
The paths here were full of melting snow. Avalanches continued rolling down the slopes. The Davars looked with awe and wonder at these majestic sights that demonstrated the might of nature pitted against puny man.
The land was exceedingly wet. Firewood would not ignite, and the temperatures dipped below freezing point. At 3.30 a.m. on the morning of July 27, 1931 the climb to Saser began. Though only 17,480 ft in height, compared to Karakoram’s 18,300 ft, it is much more difficult and dangerous to cross. The pass remains open for only four or five months of the year, unlike the Karakoram which is open all year through. It is the most perilous pass of the Central Asian trade route. Many travelers from Yarkand (now in China) take the longer route via Chang La to avoid crossing it. "Zoji La’s length, Changla’s height and Khardong’s bad roads put together, are not half as difficult to cross as Saser,” maintains Davar. It is so treacherous that even Bactrian camels cannot traverse it. It is often described as the "Charnel House (a building or chamber in which bodies or bones are deposited) of Ponies.” Animal bones are strewn all across the way.
To be continued