Kargil is the second largest town in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is the headquarters of the district of Kargil. Kargil was once spectator to the most chaotic bartering among traders of different faiths and nationalities. It is situated 60 km and 204 km from Drass and Srinagar to the west respectively, 234 km from Leh to the east, 240 km from Padum to the southeast and 1,047 km to Delhi in the south. This town has an average elevation of 2,676 metres (8,780 feet), and is situated along the banks of the Suru River. As per 2001 Census of India, Kargil had a population of 9944. Males comprise 61 percent of the population and females 39 percent. Kargil has an average literacy rate of 73 percent, higher than the national average of 59.5 percent.
People in Kargil are of diverse Dard and Tibetan descent. The inhabitants of Kargil were adherents of Tibetan Buddhism until the 14th-15th centuries when Muslim missionaries began to proselytise to the local people. At present 90 percent of Kargil`s population are Shia Muslim, 5 percent Sunni and 5 percent Tibetan Buddhist. The architecture of older mosques in Kargil is an amalgamation of Tibetan and Iranian styles, while the newer mosques architectural styles have a tendency to follow those of modern Iranian and Arabic styles. Kargil town lies in the lower Suru basin. Two other rivers that meet here are Drass and Wakha Chu. All around there are thriving green fields of barley and wheat, vegetable beds and rows of poplars and willows. Kargil is well-known for its apricots and mulberries.
There are several places of tourist interest in Kargil town. Situated 45 km east of Kargil on the road to Leh, Mulbekh (3230m) is a typical Buddhist village. Many monuments of the early Buddhist era dot the landscape and are accessible from the village. Perched atop a rocky cliff, the Mulbekh gompa (monastery) dominates the valley. Like all monasteries it is adorned by frescoes and statues. Shergole is a small village right of the Wakha brook on the Kargil-Leh road. Visible from afar as a white speck against the brown granite, the monastery here literally hangs out of a cliff. The hilly land Kargil, has its own appeal to the travellers for the near to heaven surroundings with the snowy vicinity that takes the minds of the travels to a distant place where the beauty of Himalayas catches the eyes of the beholder.
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