Dras

Dras दरस
—  city  —
Dras Location of Dras in Jammu and Kashmir and India
Coordinates	34°27′N 75°46′E / 34.45°N 75.77°E / 34.45; 75.77Coordinates: 34°27′N 75°46′E / 34.45°N 75.77°E / 34.45; 75.77
Country	India
State	Jammu and Kashmir
District(s)	Kargil
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 3,280 metres (10,760 ft)

Dras (Hindi: दरस) is a town in the Kargil District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is often called 'The Gateway to Ladakh'.^[1] The town shot into prominence in the summer of 1999 following Pakistani-backed incursions into Jammu and Kashmir. The Kargil War saw the town being shelled by infiltrators and the war ended with the Indian Army recapturing the areas surrounding the town and the Kargil district.

History

Dras War Memorial with Tololing Ranges in Background

Dras is famous for the Kargil war which was fought in 1999. National Highway 1D passes through Dras connecting Srinagar and Leh. Tiger Hill and the Tololing ranges were captured by the Pakistani army and could directly block National Highway 1D. The famous three heights which were recaptured during the war were the Tololing, Tiger Hill and The Three Pimples. Throughout May and June the war was fought in these heights to eliminate the enemies from the heights which overlooked National Highway 1D.

Geography

Dras Valley

Dras is located at 34°27′N 75°46′E / 34.45°N 75.77°E / 34.45; 75.77.^[2] It has an average elevation of 3,280 metres (10,764 feet). It is 56 km from Kargil town on the road to Srinagar lying in the centre of the valley of the same name.

Trekking base

Dras is a convenient base for a 3-day long trek to the Suru valley across the sub-range separating the two valleys. This trek passes through some of the most beautiful upland villages and flower sprinkled meadows on both sides of the 4500m Umbala pass, which is along the way. The trek to the holy cave of Amarnath (in neighbouring Kashmir) starts from Minamarg below Zojila, takes three days and involves crossing a pass at 5200m. Dras also offers numerous shorter treks and hikes to the upland villages.

Climate

Dras
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     90   −8 −23     90   −6 −22     130   −1 −15     60   5 −6     10   14 1     10   21 6     10   24 9     10   24 10     10   20 5     10   13 −1     10   4 −10     50   −3 −19 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: Weatherbase
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.5   18 −9     3.5   21 −8     5.1   30 5     2.4   41 21     0.4   57 34     0.4   70 43     0.4   75 48     0.4   75 50     0.4   68 41     0.4   55 30     0.4   39 14     2   27 −2 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Winters are extremely harsh with average lows around -22^oC (-10^oF), and as low as -45^oC at the height of winter, which lasts from mid-October to mid-May. Summers start in June and go on up till early September, with average temperatures near 15^oC (60^oF) and little precipitation. Annual precipitation is almost entirely concentrated in the months from December to May when Dras gets about 360 mm (14 inches) of snow.

Climate data for Dras
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	5 (41)	6 (43)	10 (50)	18 (64)	25 (77)	30 (86)	33 (91)	31 (88)	29 (84)	25 (77)	15 (59)	9 (48)	33 (91)
Average high °C (°F)	−8 (18)	−6 (21)	−1 (30)	5 (41)	14 (57)	21 (70)	24 (75)	24 (75)	20 (68)	13 (55)	4 (39)	−3 (27)	9
Average low °C (°F)	−23 (−9)	−22 (−8)	−15 (5)	−6 (21)	1 (34)	6 (43)	9 (48)	10 (50)	5 (41)	−1 (30)	−10 (14)	−19 (−2)	−5
Record low °C (°F)	−50 (−58)	−43 (−45)	−33 (−27)	−25 (−13)	−17 (1)	−8 (18)	−5 (23)	−6 (21)	−7 (19)	−20 (−4)	−29 (−20)	−46 (−51)	−50 (−58)
Precipitation mm (inches)	96.5 (3.799)	99.6 (3.921)	137.1 (5.398)	104.1 (4.098)	60.9 (2.398)	22.3 (0.878)	15.2 (0.598)	16.2 (0.638)	17.7 (0.697)	20.3 (0.799)	32.5 (1.28)	53.3 (2.098)	675.7 (26.602)
Source: BBC Weather

Demographics

Inhabitants of Dras, like many of the people of Gilgit, are Dard, Indo-Aryan people believed to have originally migrated to Ladakh from Central Asia. They speak Shina, a Dardic language. The small town has a Muslim majority and a few Buddhists. The local population is of 64% male and 36% female. In total the population of Dras is 1,201^[3]

The Dras valley starts from the base of the Zojila pass, the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh. For centuries, its inhabitants have been known to have negotiated this formidable pass even during the riskiest period (in late autumn or early spring, when the whole sector remains snow-bound and is subject to frequent snow storms) to transport trading merchandise and to help stranded travellers traverse the pass. They thereby established a monopoly over porterage during the heyday of the pan-Asian trade. A hardy people enduring with fortitude the harshness of the valley's winter, the inhabitants of Dras can well be described as the guardians of Ladakh's gateway.

Places of interest

• Dras War Memorial (also known as Bimbat War Memorial)
• Dropadi Kund - 18 km from Dras
• Sando Top / Sando Base - Pakistani posts are visible from Sando Top, and Tiger Hill is located in front of Sando Top (1 hour from Dras).
• Mushko Valley - very popular for various wild flowers during summer season in the deserted Ladakh region
• Brigade War Gallery - information relating to the 1999 war.

References

1. ^ Page on Dras from ladakh-kashmir.com
2. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Dras
3. ^ Page 4. Rambirpur (Drass)

External links

• Drass
• Kargil area