Garkon

Garkone Garkon
village
Map credit Garkone Location in Ladakh, India Show map of Ladakh Map credit Garkone Garkone (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 34°38′06″N 76°25′58″E / 34.634905°N 76.432720°E / 34.634905; 76.432720
Country	India
Union Territory	Ladakh
District	Sham
Tehsil	Aryan valley
Area
• Total	202.7 ha (501 acres)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,287
• Density	634.9/km2 (1,644/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	194103

Garkon (Alternative spellings: Garkone, Garkhon, Garkun, Garkhun, and Garkhono.) (Wylie: gar ku nu) is a Panchayat village located on the Bank of Indus river in the Aryan valley tehsil of Sham district in Ladakh, India.

Geography

The village is located on the right bank of the Indus River below Dah. It is at an altitude of 2748 meters. It has six hamlets: Changra, Fantola, Haroo, Rama, Sirchangarh, and Thamtse. It also includes a hamlet named Gurgurdo, which lies five miles west of Garkone.

The stream descending from the adjoining mountains (called Baroro stream or Garkon Nala) provides water to its fields for agriculture, and drains into the Indus. The stream is neighboured by the Gurgurdo stream in the west, which drains into the Indus at Batalik, and the Yaldor stream to the east, which joins the Indus at Dah. All three streams are accessible from the Ganokh valley to the north, by crossing mountain passes.

The village is very close to the line of control (LOC) with Pakistan-administered Baltistan (in Gilgit-Baltistan), which runs along the ridge separating the Ganokh valley with Gurgurdo, Ganokh and Yaldor valleys. Garkon, Hordas, and Batalik on the Indian side and Marol on the Pakistani side are important villages along the Indus from east to west.^{[need quotation to verify]} Gurgurdo, Garkhon, and Yaldor were focal points in the Kargil War because of their strategic location.

These villages grow apples, apricots, mulberries, and grapes. Apricot trees in particular are prevalent as in most of Ladakh, as the trees are long-lived and drought-resistant, and usually do not require irrigation, fertiliser or pesticides.

History

At Gurgurdo, the border between Ladakh and Baltistan was set up in the 17th century followed by the battle between the kingdom of Ali Sher Khan Anchan and Gyalpo Jamyang Namgyal. It has a sequence of seven strategically placed watchtowers, now in ruins, which previously guarded the frontier.

After the Dogra general Zorawar Singh annexed Ladakh and Baltistan, Garkon was placed in the Kargil ilaqa (subdistrict), along with Darchik and Sanacha. Gurgurdo and other northern villages remained in the Kharmang ilaqa under the administration of its traditional raja.

Shepherds from Garkon were the first to note and report the intrusion of armed Pakistani men in the 1990s, plus they were instrumental in alerting the Indian Army personnel of the Pakistani raids, which started the Kargil War in 1999.

The presence of the Indian Army along the nearby line of control has greatly affected the traditional way of life in Garkon. For example, villagers own fewer goats due to military occupation of the high alpine summer pastures, but more donkeys; the men of the work as porters for the army, hauling supplies up to the border posts, and sometimes bringing bodies back down

Administration

Garkon is the headquarters of a gram panchayat in the Sham district, which administers Garkon and some villages.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Garkone has 242 households. The effective literacy rate is 60.31%.

Maps

• 
  SoI map, 1916
• 
  SoI map, 1928
• 
  SoI map, 1946, showing the 1948 LoC
• 
  AMS map, 1955

See also

• Geography of Ladakh
• Tourism in Ladakh