Kargil is the main town in the historical region of Purig, which consists of the Suru river basin. It was not the historical capital of the region. This place is mainly well known for Kargil War (1999).
Kargil is a town in Kargil district and the joint capital of the Indian administered union territory of Ladakh. Kargil is the second largest town in Ladakh after Leh. It is located 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 from Delhi to the south. Kargil was the location of centre at the time of Ladakh wazarat till 1979 which consists of 3 prominent places that are Skardu, Kargil and Leh.
How to reach ?The only way to reach landlocked Kargil is by roads. You can take a Taxi or Bus or Tourist cars. The main pass between Srinagar and Kargil is like to to be blocked by snow from November to May. However the road between Kargil and Drass is open almost throughout the year and also the road between Leh and Kargil too is open almost throughout the year.There is Domestic Airport at Leh with regular flights from Delhi, Jammu and Srinagar.The road into Suru Valley is functional around the year till Sangra. After Sangra it is prone to landslides between December and March.The main pass to Zanskar is blocked from November to mid June. During this period it is possible to walk on the snow (or the frozen river) between Kargil and Zanskar depending on weather conditions.When the roads are functional government buses ply between Kargil and Padum (Zanskar) on alternate days to most places in Suru Valley (Upto Panikhar) twice a day and to places on the national highway at least once a day. The bus to Zanskar serves Rangdum as well. The road to Sangra Panikhar – Zanskar is closed between November and June. The other roads are functional more or less throughout the year.
By Air - From Leh airport it is 220 km or from Srinagar airport it is 260 km
By Train - Nearest railway station in Jammu Tawi railway station Jammu, it is 440 km from Kargil.
By Road - From Leh it is 220 km or from Srinagar it is 260 km.
Places To Visit:Drass War Memorial:
Located in Dras village, this war memorial is built of pink sand stone and has an epitaph dedicated to the valiant soldiers. The soldiers are the ones who sacrificed everything, even their lives during the Kargil war in 1999 and recaptured the states where Pakistan troops took control over.
The war continued from 8th may to 5th July 1999 and during this time several army men died. There is a gallery named "Manoj Pandey gallery" which showcases the photographs taken during that time, weapons and artillery discovered during the war. Your visit to Dras memorial not only would be a gesture of respect for the Indian army but it surely will leave you overwhelmed with the patriotism.
In the mid way from Kashmir to Leh there is a place where people can enjoy snow sports along with snow throughout the year.
These are main place to visit. There are also Suru Basin, Mulbekh Monastery, Kargil main street etc.
People mainly enjoy the Bike Ride from Kashmir to Leh via Kargil.