Hardas
Village in Ladakh, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hardas[a] is a village in Kargil district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh, close to the India–Pakistan border (LOC). The village is located 10 kilometres north of Kargil, the district headquarters, on the left of the Dras River.
Hardas | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Interactive map of Hardas | |
  Hardas Location in Ladakh, India  Hardas Hardas (Kashmir)  Hardas Hardas (India) | |
| Coordinates: 34°36′19″N 76°05′46″E | |
| Country | India |
| Union Territory | Ladakh |
| District | Kargil district |
| Tehsil | Kargil |
| Area | |
• Total | 71.2 km2 (27.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 1,480 |
| • Density | 20.8/km2 (53.8/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi, English |
| • Spoken | Balti |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 194103 |
| Census code | 974 |
Geography
Hardas is on the left bank of the Dras River, shortly before its confluence with the Suru River. The village is laid out on a large alluvial plain formed by a mountain stream. The villagers had built a three-mile long aqueduct to channel the water from the steam to water the farms and gardens of the village, which was described with much admiration by Alexander Cunningham.[2]
Closer to the confluence of Dras and Suru is the hamlet of Kharal,[b] on a small alluvial plain inside the wide bend of the Dras River as it joins the Suru. During the British Raj period, there was a rest house at Kharal.[3] There was also a bridge over the Dras River, called "Kharol bridge", which was a necessary part of the route from Kargil to Skardu as well as Kargil to Drass (and Kashmir beyond it).[3][6]
The present highway between Srinagar and Kargil runs on the right bank of the Dras River. The road to Skardu continues to exist but breaks at the Line of Control just before the Gangani village of Baltistan.
Demographics
Most of the population of the village are Balti.[7] According to the 2011 census of India, Hardas has 233 households.[1] The literacy rate of Hardas was 76.24%. In Hardas, Male literacy stands at 87.86% while the female literacy rate was 64.25%.
| Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1480 | 739 | 741 |
| Children aged below 6 years | 247 | 113 | 134 |
| Scheduled caste | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scheduled tribe | 1335 | 674 | 661 |
| Literacy | 76.24% | 87.86% | 64.25% |
| Workers (all) | 305 | 247 | 58 |
| Main workers (all) | 134 | – | – |
| Marginal workers (total) | 171 | 139 | 32 |
Transport
Hardas is well-connected by road to other places in Ladakh and India by the Srinagar-Leh Highway or the NH 1.
The nearest major railway stations to Hardas is the Srinagar railway station located at a distance of 223 kilometres.
The nearest airport is at Kargil located at a distance of 18 kilometres but it is currently not operational. The next nearest major airports are Srinagar International Airport and Leh Airport located at a distance of 219 kilometres and 225 kilometres.
