We descended down a steep, slippery, and snowy slope to reach the village. An eerie silence cloaked the grey houses made of stone and mud. This was the deserted Hundarman village in Kargil district. A village trapped in a time warp, where time seems to have literally stopped. The Hundarman village is also referred to as Hunderman Village.

The deserted village stands as a poignant and grim reminder of the effects of war on common people. The grey stones of the deserted houses seem to shriek in agony and tell stories of life suddenly being disrupted or brought to a halt by war.

Hundarman Village – The Deserted Village of Kargil, Ladakh

Kargil in Ladakh is a destination with many untold mysteries waiting to be discovered. Contrary to popular belief it makes for an amazing winter destination too. With snow all around and the opportunity to experience winter sports Kargil in winter, assumes a fairytale avatar. So it was in winter that we found ourselves in Kargil, and one of the most fascinating places that we visited in Kargil was the Hundarman Village.

Read on to know all about our experience of visiting the Hundarman Village Kargil, the story of this deserted village, and of course, the, Unlock Hundarman Museum of Memories, which is a unique initiative of some members of the community to keep the memories of the past alive.

Visiting The Hundarman Village Kargil

It was evening by the time we left the bustling and historic Balti Baar in Kargil town to head into the hills to visit the Hunderman village. We drove up a winding road on the steep slopes of the Hunderman hill. Snow shone on the dark brown cliffs as we drove uphill. We seemed to be driving into nowhere, the setting sun was playing hide and seek with clouds, alternatively casting light and shadow on the brown and barren hills with specks of snow.

The road took sharp bends and sometimes we faced a rock face bang in front of us and a steep drop to our left, our driver nonchalantly wielded the steering with the expertise born out of practice.

Soon we arrived at our destination. We were atop a plateau of sorts and down below stretched out the Hundarman Village or specifically the Lower Hundarman village. A narrow, rocky path led down to the village. Recent snow had made the path slippery.

It was not a path to be taken by the faint-hearted or those not firm of the foot. We made our way towards the deserted village, gingerly navigating the slippery path and reached the edge of the Hunderman village.

We stood before a terraced settlement of mud and stone houses, which were apparently in ruin and deserted. Our local guide pointed towards the settlement and took us back in time to when it was a bustling village filled with sounds of children playing, men chatting, and women singing.

Hundarman Village Kargil Story

“The border with Pakistan is just behind the hill at a distance of about 0.5 kilometres.” said our guide pointing towards the nearby hills. He went on to tell the story of a village that has perpetually lived in the crossfire of the war between the two countries, India and Pakistan.

Hundarman Village actually has a twin. The twin villages of Hundarman and Brolmo stand as an agonizing reminder of the tragedy of war. While Brolmo is part of Pakistan, Hundarman is in Indian territory. Families united by blood found themselves divided overnight by an international boundary.

The ruins of the deserted Hunderman village is known as Lower Hundarman or Hundarman Broq (Old Hunderman). A new settlement is located in the upper reaches and is called Upper Hundarman. Upper Hundarman houses some 200 plus families, survivors of war.

Some of the dilapidated houses of the deserted Hundarman village are used by the villagers as storehouses for cattle feed and other purposes. These houses once housed entire families. The Hundarman village has been literally on the edge ever since India’s independence. In 1947, Hundarman village became a part of Pakistan, right on the edge of the LoC. The 1971 war is known for the creation of a new nation, Bangladesh. However, not many know of a mini-partition happening on the edge of the LoC, when Hundarman Village became part of India and its twin village, Brolmo continued to be in Pakistan.

Hundarman Village occupied a strategic position during the time when the iconic Silk Route was active. It was known to be a resting ground for travellers on the route that connected Kargil to Skardu.

Today the ruins of Hundarman tell the story of the past lifestyles of the people of the region. As our guide mentioned, the stone and mud houses were representative of the houses in the Kargil region, before modernisation wrought its changes.

Unlock Hundarman Museum of Memories

It is dark as we unlock the door to one of the houses in Hundarman Village with a special key. As we do so, we also unlock hundreds of memories that come alive inside the house. The museum is an attempt by Roots Collective to keep alive the heritage and the memories of the village. The museum is housed in what was once the home of Ilyas Ansari, who along with others from the local community help in keeping alive memories from the past.

Inside the museum, it is dark as there is no power, the light from our mobile phones cast eerie shadows, as we look at the exhibits. A wooden box with a glass cover houses the fading identity documents of people, the frayed photographs the only vestige of the memory of people whose fate remains unknown.

A broken comb, a mirror, and other household items lie there, never to be used by their owner. A can of Polson Coffee takes the form of a requiem for an unknown lover of coffee who must have once enjoyed his coffee gazing out at the hills, but today is lost to obscurity.

Dim light flows in from the sole window which is a small aperture on one of the walls. The light falls on a frayed carpet which our guide informs is the original carpet that was part of the house, when it was abandoned. In another box are some coins and currency notes, money that will never be used by the people who had worked for it. A rusted gun hangs on the wall beside a water pouch.

Broken parts of ammunition serve as a grim reminder of the consequences of war and how it has affected the people of the village.

A visit to the Hundarman Museum of Memories is sure to touch the core of your heart and illustrate in grim fashion the futility of war.

How To Get To Hundarman Village | Hunderman Kargil

• The Hundarman village is about 10 kilometres from Kargil town in the Union Territory of Ladakh, India
• You can visit Hundarman Village easily from Kargil town
• The nearest airport to Hundarman village Kargil is Leh which is at a distance of about 225 kilometres

If you are thinking of travelling to the magical land of Kargil and visiting the intriguing Hundarman village. You can book a cheap flight right here through TripAdvisor or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline right here.  if you are thinking of a road trip in Ladakh or anywhere in India check out the rental car and bus options.

Where To Stay At Kargil

There are many options for stay in Kargil Here are some of the resorts and hotels in Kargil. Please note that the options may be limited if you are visiting in the winter season.

• Rangyul Resort Kargil
• PC Palace Kargil
• Hotel The Kargil

If you are looking to book these or any of the best hotels in Kargil, Ladakh to book, you can do that right here. You can book your hotel in Kargil or your hotel in Leh through TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline conveniently right here!

Other Places To Visit In Kargil Ladakh

• Kargil War Memorial
• Balti Bazar
• Draupadi Kund
• Kartse Khar Buddha Statue
• Aryan Valley
• Chiktan Khar
• Suru Valley
• Sangnag Chosling Monastery
• Mulbekh Buddha Statue

We hope you are intrigued by the village of Hundarman that lies right near the LoC and touched by its traumatic story. Do let us know your thoughts through our comments section. For more interesting content from us, do subscribe to our blog and follow our social media handles.

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