A VISIT TO THE ARYAN VILLAGES IN LADAKH : HANOO and DARCHIK.
Let me take you on a ride with me to a place with rugged and barren landscape under blue skies, lush green patches spread at some places in the valleys and a place nothing less than a paradise for nature lovers. Leh and Ladakh, indeed.
Many of us are aware about the fact that Ladakhi culture is mainly influenced by Tibetan culture due to it's geographical proximity to Tibet. But what many of us may not know is that in a few pockets of this beautiful valley, there are villages inhabited by the very last descendants of Aryans. You see, when Alexandra came to Indus, he left behind a few members of his army after his conquests. They settled in the valley and their descendants still continue to live here.(People there claim this but it needs more research)
You should visit this place if you love history and you should definitely visit this place if you don't. You will start loving it.
A visit to these villages was indeed one of the most memorable part of our trip to Leh Ladakh.
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| PICTURESQUE VIEW OF INDUS RIVER AND VALLEY |
They say that there is a total of four villages currently inhabited by the Aryan community. These are Dah, Hanu, Darchik and Garkon. Tourists are allowed to visit only two of these villages - Dah and Hanu and that too if you have the Inner Line Permit. These villages are nestled in Himalyan range of mountains on theKargil-Batalik- Leh- road. They are about 160 km from Leh.If you start from Leh, after crossing Khaltse, drive through Indus valley road. Throughout the journey, you can see Indus river running parallel to the roads, adding charm to the picturesque landscape. Resourcefulness of the Indus river must have been the reason for these settlements around this area.
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| View of Village Hanu en route. |
We were all the more mesmerised after visiting the village. People in these villages are not much exposed to the outer world but with the increase in tourism and the young generation reaching out to these places to study their culture and history, people here are now learning new things. Most of them have built new houses and left their old dwellings. Before, there was an entire area with streets and houses on either side of the streets, made up of stones. The Indian army discovered this deserted place, not long before. They have put in commendable efforts into cleaning and restoring the treasures of this place. Known to only a handful of people, this place is sure gaining a lot of popularity amongst tourists. It is definitely going to be a place of interest for many in future, especially for those who are interested in exploring history.
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| A closer look. The entire village was in the form of houses made of stone with amazing urban planning and underground sewage drainage system. The houses were made of stone to withstand the strong winds and harsh weather. The roofs were made low lying to keep the air inside the house warm during extreme cold. Inside of the house was all the more fascinating with separate rooms, kitchen, bathroom, storage spaces for grains and other commodities and outlets for ventilation. The more affluent households had separate rooms for servants and guest rooms with the best view of the valley! |
HOUSES FROM OUTSIDE
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| HOUSES FROM INSIDE |
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| Double storey houses |
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| Roofing system |
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| Wooden stairs |
We were quite impressed with the people of those times who had built pits for bathrooms, toilets and underground drainage systems. They were quite ahead of their times.
A government run school, showing a sign board with the name of village Hanu-Yokma.
The army has been actively engaged in the restoration of the Aryan village and it's various cultural aspects. Many things of historical interest have been collected from the old members of the village. A few were found during cleaning of the place. All have been kept there for the tourists to see and understand the culture of that time. Among the items are metallic weapons, cooking vessels, ornaments, kitchen articles, locks, jewellery, personal articles and many more.
The utensils
The metallic weapons
Looking at all these artifacts filled me with awe for the lives of people who lived here at some point of time. I could literally imagine women clad in intricate jewellery pieces with warm woollens, cooking food over the fireplace and the men going out for cultivation with their instruments and a small container for the local wine.
Our next stoppage was DARCHIK VILLAGE: Abode of Red Aryans.
'JULLEY' This is how they greet you. Julley in their language means hello.
They consider themselves to be the descendants of last Aryans and are called BROKPAS OR DARDS having peculiar Indo-Aryan features. It seemed like they had preserved their racial purity. Their non mongoloid features, tall built structure, fair complexion, high cheek bones and green eyes were quite prominent and distinct.
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| A BROGPAN COUPLE WEARING THEIR TRADITIONAL DRESS |
Women wear heavy long coats called Bachchi, made up of sheep wool or skin which keeps them warm in winters. They have a unique hairstyle with braids adorned with silver jewellery and peculiar wild orange flowers called Munthotho, grown locally.
They wear heavy necklaces made of stones and silver.Their main occupation is farming and they cultivate wheat, apricot and potato.They extract apricot oil and sell them. They consume sheep and yak milk.
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| ladies in their traditional dress |
Most of them follow Buddhism, celebrate their cultural festivals . They have their own traditional dance and music.
click on the following link for dance by Aryans; ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAurmxmKX3Q&t=4s
For more click on the following link: ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jF2Ghroug8)
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| PRAYER WHEEL IN VILLAGE HANOO |
Currently, the army personnel deployed there are handling the maintenance of this place. They plan to support the families of the village with the revenue that would be generated from the tourism. Indeed a thoughtful effort on behalf of the Indian army!
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| carpets weavers (army efforts) |
If you are planning to visit Leh soon, don't forget to add this to your itinerary. It's a place not worth missing and it's a chance to witness our glorious history.
