Far up in the Himalayas, a couple of hours drive from the border town of Kargil, further north from the Grand Srinagar-Leh Highway lie the ruins of what once must have been a majestic fort. Rumoured to be taller and older than its famous cousin, the Leh palace, the Chiktan fortress is shrouded in many mysteries. Legends of its making, numerous sinister and violent events, magical tales of wondrous creations and a heart wrenching tailspin of destruction and apathy encompass the story of this fabulous fortress set in an almost fantastical location.
From the ancient times of Vedas and Puranas, or maybe before that, people have always turned up here, in search of antiquity, which lies in the beauty of this bottomland, hidden within the world's largest mountain ranges- Himalayas. The life existing here is quite like the mountains itself.....rough...but beautiful. Opening up our ears to this eerie silence, where the history still echoes of its time...
According to the maps, the region closest to Chiktan is Kargil. Lying between India and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), close to LOC, this region is quite famous all over India, specially after the Kargil War of 1999. The memories associated with this region is more often like a war zone. Earlier Kargil was known by the name of Sot Pashkyum. 75 kilometeres ahead lies the Chiktan Khar.
Chiktan Fort, or Chiktan Khar('Khar' in Ladakhi) was once considered one of the most important tourist destinations of Ladakh. Ajaz Munshi, Curator of Museum of Central Asian Trade and Artefacts claims that the identity of Kargil is because of Chiktan Khar. It is said that Ladakh faced acute shortage of food at that time, and the policy of Food for Work was implemented which led to the formation of this fort.
Musa Mohammed, a localite of the Chiktan village and an ex-IAF officer claims Chiktan to be a spot of paranormal activity, which he believes to be the reason why not a single soul is willing to reside there.
The story goes back to 8th and 9th Century, a place called Baltistan, lying beyond LOC. Thatha Khan, the prince of Baltistan, was quite a popular figure among his subjects, which aroused jealousy among his brothers, and they conspired to kill him. But some of his court musicians got to know of this, and they made the prince aware of the plan through reciting a song. Thatha Khan got up from his seat as an excuse for dancing and blew all the candels of his courtroom with his shawl, and escaped immediately.
The prince's escapade from Baltistan to Sot Pashkyum has a way more interesting climax. It is said that while the soldiers were after Thatha Khan, they came across a river, which was quite impossible for them to overcome it. The folklore says that the river miraculously froze during summer, and Thatha crossed it quite easily. By the time, the soldiers thought of crossing it, the river came back to its original form, and the soldiers were left on sight.
One day Thatha Khan on his way for hunting, reached Chiktan and decided to build a fort here. He invited Shinkan Sandan, the chief mason, and his son, from Baltistan for the construction of this fort. It took 9 years, 9 months and 9 days for the construction of this 9 storeyed castle. This father and son duo made Chiktan a master piece due to their sheer efforts and excellent architectural skills.
A wooden room called Dhabdhaber was made at the top of the fort, which was believed to be a revolving room in accordance with the direction of the wind. A storage house for food grains was built at the base of the fort which was called Bambur Chubjak in Ladakhi. Just above lied Sichnari Raksal which was basically the king's private courtroom only for royalty. A weapon room called Shingo Sheen was situated right beside the special court. The other two significant rooms were Shimori Chochak or the priest's room, and Tanka Tachub or the king's master bedroom.
It is said that Chiktan castle lay between two mountains which was connected through a suspension bridge, and was removable from one side, which made the entry of invaders totally impossible.
The story claims that Thatha Khan developed evil intentions after the building of the castle, and he did not want that the mason duo make a replica of this castle anywhere. He cut off their right hand and banished them from his kingdom. After this incident, Thatha Khan led a series of war, oppression, torture and bloodshed, which passed down to his generations.
A long tunnel with sharp wooden nails was engraved on the other side of the fort. It is said that whoever was given a death sentence by the king, was thrown alive into that tunnel, and the latter would get stuck between those nails, his body hanging till death.
Kachu Ishfyndar Khan, a retired IAS officer and the 35th generation of Thatha Khan claims that Chiktan castle was initially started by Thatha Khan in 8th-9th century, but it was finally completed in 15th-16th century by Tsering Malik.
The soliditary of this place heads back to the war of 1834-1835, which took place between Dogra Kings of Jammu and Chiktan royalty. Ladakh was annexed and the king was killed. The royal family was unable to survive any more and thus, they left the Chiktan Palace, making it abandoned forever.
The localite claims that Akbar Khan, the father-in law of the king got a contract of opening a dispensary in 1954. He took advantage of the King's situation and took control over the fort. The walls of the castle were broken down intentionally, so that the stones and wood pieces could be used for making that dispensary.
Hence thereafter 1970, the majestic fort of Chiktan got ruined completely. Neither the government nor the descendants of the royal family took over the rights of this castle. As it is said, that even history plays an unfortunate game. Chiktan, which was once a pride of Ladakh, now became a medium for the localites to gather stones and wood for their own purposes.
The localites claim that the bloodshed which occured in continuation from 8th-9th century to 15th-16th century made Chiktan a place of paranormal activity. The fort which was once the most important tourist destination of Ladakh, now counts as one of the most abandoned and haunted palaces.
It is quite heart wrenching to see such a majestic fort, the symbolism of pride and heritage, standing abandoned, but the silence still cries out its unheard secret. Under its ruins lies the tragic story of Chiktan castle, which got lost somewhere in the old books of history, which even time never bothered to open.
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