26th July 1999 : On this very day, we had successfully completed Operation Vijay. After a 2 month long battle, the Indian army stray away the enemy from peaks and regions that they claimed to be theirs, which were captured by pure betrayal. They had infiltrated strategic points on the Kargil border, breaking the Shimla agreement which was signed to keep peace at that particular border. These points were re-captured by the Indian Army and today, soldiers stand unmoved in adverse conditions, guarding those peaks for our security.

Celebrated as 'Kargil Divas' 26th July is a very important and special day for all Indians. We must remember all those soldiers who sacrificed their lives so we live ours peacefully. 

My visit to Kargil

4th – 5th July 2023

KARGIL

“The reason behind our flying Indian flag is not the wind behind it, but it is the breath of each and every soldier which keeps it flying high.” 

Disclaimer: This is written from a tourist’s perspective. Every detail in this article is from what I have heard at Kargil from the civilians, military, and the museums. Details might differ.  

On my recent visit to the north, I had an opportunity to visit a very patriotic district of India – Kargil. LA01. Located amidst several mountain peaks, some Indian while some not, Kargil is a beautiful place with amazing natural beauty. The outskirts of the city are adorned with several military activities in the mountains. Kargil was a one-night stay on the way to Srinagar from Leh in my journey. It was barely a 12-hour stay. However, I was lucky enough to have the chance to visit the Hunderman LOC viewpoint, the Kargil war memorial (newly opened), and the Kargil war memorial in Drass.

Kargil District

The Hunderman LOC viewpoint was half an hour’s drive from our resort. The place sent shivers down my spine as we were shown around the several military base camps, ours and the enemy’s. The mountains are not an easy terrain to stay in. Not in the summers, when the sun directly hits the mountain top or the monsoon when the stones roll off with the rainwater causing landslides, or in the winter when the tops are snow-covered taking temperatures as low as -40 degree Celsius.

LOC viewpoint is a tourist spot now, enabling the many citizens of the country to see the struggle that our soldiers go through to keep us safe. On the way to the viewpoint, we drove alongside the Suru River, originating from the Suru Valley and the Shingo River, originating from Pakistan and flowing through Kargil. Our driver gave us a detailed historic idea about the place that we were in. The silk route was alongside the other bank of the river. The Silk Route, used for early trading in China, India and Pakistan was an open door for several spies from Pakistan. This was known to the Indian Army at the time of war. Post which, no spies have been captured and the Silk route was no longer used.

Silk Route along the Suru River

We saw a military base camp several feet above the Silk route, in a sloppy terrain accessible only by foot or mules. We were also shown a kitchen a little below the base camp, which was where the food of the soldiers was made and carried to the camp on horses by Kargil civilians each day till date. The climb for delivering food begins at 5 am and reaches the army around 1pm. During the time of war, the citizens of Kargil have immensely helped the army and have gained their trust. Kargil is also a district with zero crime.

As we ascended, we saw several mountain peaks that were captured and recaptured more than once in the wars of 1947-48, 1971, and 1999. We saw a dargah on the other side, which was just a few meters from one of the Pakistani military base camps. Three villages – Hunderman being one of them, were taken back from the capture of Pakistan in the 1971 war. It was a very patriotic feeling as you hear about the capture of each and every point from the guide as the tricolour waves just above you. On one of the peaks, we could see our tricolour fly with naked eyes, with utmost glory. The place brought goosebumps.

Mountains housing the military base camps

Pakistani Dargah near their base camp

"BHARATMATA KI JAI"

On our way, we came across the bridge that was destroyed by the Pakistan Army in 1999 to stop the transport of the Indian army, along with the ammunition centre. They had also attacked the Srinagar-Leh highway compromising transport of the army. Our taxi driver shared with us that he was a witness to those blasts. An interesting fact about Kargil is that, no ‘JK’ (Jammu and Kashmir) cars are allowed to the LOC or any other viewpoint, only local cars/taxis of Kargil are allowed in that region.

The green bridge was destroyed

As we descended, we talked more about the wars. Kargil is a city filled with apricot trees and apricot oil is one of the famous products there. We had the opportunity to get our hand on fresh raw apricots that were very sweet.

Next, we went to the Helipad Kargil war memorial, which is a newly opened spot for tourists only a month back. Along with it, Pt 13620 (mountain peak captured back) is also open for tourists. However, we were unable to visit it due to the time crunch. Kargil war memorial at the helipad is located only a few minutes away from the vast military hospital with several facilities. We were a little late to reach the war memorial, however were allowed in for a tour. We were introduced to a soldier (PROUD PROUD MOMENT) who guided us, answered several of our questions, and eased our curiosities about the army.

The helipad is used for the transport of soldiers mostly during winter from the snow-capped peaks to the hospital in case of emergencies, when basic medical facilities wouldn’t have sufficed. A soldier when posted to a snow mountain, must stay there for 6 months until the snow melts. The soldier can only leave the place in case of a medical emergency. The Indian flag fluttering high was brought down at the time of sunset at the war memorial.

Furthermore, we saw military bunkers of several types – the ones where they hide underground and the ones from where they fight underground. Some bunkers are above the ground, used for hiding and fighting and also staying in difficult terrains. The bunkers have several layers of protection that would reduce the impact of cannon balls that are fired. Moreover, there was also a captured bunker of the Pakistani army which was used in the war. The flag of Pakistan was upside down on the bunker, as it is a rule to show the flag upside down on captured war articles. The memorial displayed several captured weapons as well as blasted bombshells.

The walls had slogans and quotes said by several soldiers during war. Each and every slogan when read aloud sent shivers down my body from head to toe and made me want to salute each and every soldier standing out there. The soldier talked to us about how times have changed from war to today, with change of government as well as facilities. Mountain peaks accessible only by foot were now a distance of one hour by car because of the construction of roads. Furthermore, we were told about the various American, Russian and German-originated artillery used by the army. When we left from the memorial, our hearts were filled with pride, and our bodies had goosebumps. The place is phenomenal.

On our way back from the memorial, we could not stop thinking about the many sacrifices of our army. As the cold set in, our minds continuously thought about the soldiers at the mountain tops who stand there unmoved, to protect us. We had lit a bonfire to soothe the surrounding temperature and sat around it, listening to songs and having fun. We were in a place amidst the mountains and any place you see there are gigantic mountains staring back at you. On one such occasion, we all saw an orange light emitting from between two mountains.

“Woah what’s that bright light?” someone asked.
“Probably from the city or from some military activity.”

“Possibly, or the moonland area reflection.” Everyone laughed it out. The conversation ended and everyone was engrossed in their own activities. 5 mins later we all saw a bright orange semi-circle right in that spot. IT WAS THE MOON, looking like a sun. Slowly, the moon emerged from between two mountains. It was Purnima that day. We stared at the spot blankly for 5 minutes flat, until the moon became a full illuminating orange circle. It was a beautifully rare phenomenon, that couldn’t be captured as beautifully on a single camera. Satisfied with the day, we all went to bed.

The moonrise

The next day we left for Sonmarg. On the way, we stopped at the Kargil war memorial in Drass. ‘Drass sector’ is infamously heard in movies like Lakshya and Shershah. A small area surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks, second coldest place in the world and coldest in Asia. Tiger Hill, an infamous battlefield is visible from this memorial, on a clear day. We could only see some part of Tiger Hill as it was covered with fog. We were lucky enough to be able to see Point 5140, the capture of which gave birth to the victory slogan of Vikram Batra ‘yeh dil maange more’ and also Point 4875, now known as Batra top where Vikram Batra gave his life’s sacrifice during the war of 1999.

Mountain peaks as seen from the Drass memorial

Kargil War Memorial, Drass

We stood there in the very soil where our soldiers shed their blood to protect us and stray away the enemy, I had literal goosebumps. A soldier guided us through the memorial talking about all the battles, one after another capture and showing us the peaks simultaneously. The place was peaceful. The peace today made me salute every headstone that was lined up there, all sacrifices, old and recent just so that we sleep peacefully today. There is also an Amarjyot in the war memorial, illuminating in extreme temperatures. We were told that it is not allowed to sit anywhere in the entire memorial except for the place where they show us an 8-minute documentary about the 1999 war. This was to respect every soldier who had lost his life in that sacred space. Moreover, we are forbidden from walking on the grass there the reason being, the place is at an altitude where it is quite difficult to find water and a proper environment for maintaining the grass, the soldiers there believe that the grass grown there is in the name of all the martyrs, and hence it is to be respected. 

The memorial also has several models depicting the geography of the mountains and some war scenes before the capture of specific points. The undying spirit of every Indian soldier in the past, today and in the years to come makes the country a safe place.

‘Veerbhumi’

Amarjyot

It was a coincidence that we visited the memorials on the 4th and 5th of July, the time when the battle (3rd May– 26th July) was fought 24 years ago. The memory of this place will always remain with me as my blood will race faster every time I hear ‘BharatMata ki Jai’, ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. I tell you of this because the memorial walls said:

“When you go home, tell them of us and say – For your tomorrow, we gave our today.”

Jai Hind

Bharat Mata ki jai 

Vande Mataram 

#proudtobeanIndian

- Shaivee Chokshi  

09.07.2023