Warwan Marwah Dacchan : The Last Inner Himalayan Wilderness

In the Inner Himalayas lies a beautiful Region so remote that most people haven't even heard of it forget about going there. Kishtwar itself is remote and always under the shadow of Kashmir but this part of Kishtwar which lies next to Kashmir on one side and the Suru Valley of Ladakh on the other side is probably one of the last great wildernesses in the Inner Himalayas. This is the Warwan- Marwah - Dachchan belt lies along the Maru Wadwan River or as its also known Warwan / Marwah (Marev) / Marsu Dhar River along different parts of its course,  which is a major tributary of the Chenab. These three sub parts of this Region all lie along the same River and offer a rare insight into how people lived maybe many years ago. Sandwiched between the Pir Panjals and the Great Himalayan Range this is a Region few outsiders have set foot.

My romance with this area began in 1989 when I was a student in Class 9 in the Burn Hall School, Srinagar. We were supposed to Trek from Daksum in Kashmir to Kishtwar via the Sinthan Pass. But at the last moment the original Trek was changed. Now we were to go from Daksum to Pahalgam via the Warwan Valley. None of us had even heard of Warwan Valley before but of course we had little choice in such matters. So off we went and on the second day we climbed up the Margan Pass and started to descend into Warwan Valley towards Inshan.

It was like walking into a lost World. The Houses were still made all of wood and the people still held that innocence. Of course the whole Village was excited as we were around 30 people. Technically though Warwan is in Kishtwar the people here speak the purest and the oldest form of Kashmiri. We happened to Trek for a few days in the Valley headed North and after reaching the head of the Valley we turned right and went over the Gulol Pass and descended onto the Sheshnag Lake to join the Amarnath trail. And of course we didnt take any pics at that time. But the memories were still there. And even today pics of these areas are very hard to come by.

The enchanting Warwan Valley, Kishtwar

The lesser know place which has fascinated me the most has been the Warwan Valley which could only be reached by trekking in the good old days. I happened to spend 5 nights in this enchanting Lost World. Being born in Kashmir and having familial connections in Himachal I have seen a lot mountains but Warwan was special. Nowadays there is a road which goes over the Margan Pass and takes you to Inshin, the main village in Warwan. As of now I am not aware of how further this road goes. Technically though Warwan is a part of Kishtwar and hence a part of the Jammu Region.

A special note on Warwan Valley : The people of this region are by some accounts the closest that come to the ancient Kashmiris. Their language is the purest form of Kashmiri. The Warwan River runs through this enchanting Valley. This Valley runs parallel to the Lidder Valley and is around 3 to 4 km wide and 30 km long at an average elevation on 8000 to 9000 ft. At a place called Sukhnis the Valley transforms into a Gorge and on reaching Rangmarg you have two options.Taking a left leads you to the Gulol Pass crossing which you can descend into Sheshnag. Going straight takes you to the Botkol Pass going over which you come down to Panikher in the Suru Valley (Zanskar). This is the same route taken by the indomitable General Zorawar Singh when he launched his expeditions into Ladakh. Interestingly there was a Government proposal to make a road from Pahalgam to Panikhar which would technically be 45 kms but would provide unparalleled beauty as for almost half that route would under be the shadow of the fabled Nun Kun Massif. A point of special note is that Warwan as such is not in proximity of the Line of Control as compared with Gurez or Lolab.