 Situation | The village of Ichar is situated at an altitude of 4000 metres and approximately 25 kilometres Southeast of Padum, in the valley of Lungnak, on the right bank of the river Tsarap.
Nowadays, one can reach it, from Padum, in half a day. One must first travel by " Tata Sumo " (cross-country vehicle) along the "jeepable" track, which, for the time being, comes to a halt at the village of Raru. In several (?) years time, this track will lead from Zanskar to Darcha, crossing the pass of Shingo La, at an altitude of 5096. The inhabitants of Ichar expect this track to reach their village in 2008 or 2009!
For the time being, it takes two to three hours to walk from Raru to Ichar. Two paths are passable, one on the left bank of the river, the most commonly used. The other, on the right bank, more aerial but shorter and presenting more beautiful views of the landscape. The inhabitants of Ichar generally take the second one. In both cases, one must cross the river, on well-built bridges, since the village is on the bank opposite Raru.
Ichar is erected on the mountainsides, partly on a rocky spur that dominates the valley. It used to be fortified to defend itself against enemies who could arrive by the South, by the Shingo La. |
| Life in the village | The village now has 36 houses (17 of which are " big houses "), for a population of nearly 200 inhabitants who essentially live on cultivation of barley and peas, and yak, goat and sheep breeding. .
Nowadays, those who work in Padum or, further away, in Leh, in the Indus valley, help to financially complement these traditional resources. Some are soldiers in the Indian army (particularly in the elite unit of the Ladakhi Scouts), or are civil servants (teacher, nurse,...) working for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the Summer, several inhabitants of Ichar leave their village to work for trekking agencies. They are guides, cooks or " horsemen ", with their own horses. In the Winter, some also become carriers on the frozen river Tchadar to earn money.
Nearly each family traditionally sends at least one son to the nearest monastery. The boys enter the monastery towards the age of 7, where they have a general and religious education. Around the age of 18, most of them choose to stay there for good. The young boys from Ichar mainly go to the monastery of Phuktal, higher up in the valley of Lungnak. Some of the girls go to nunneries, but their social status is less enhanced.
Only a few years ago, one inhabitant of Zanskar out of five was in the holy orders. |
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|  | |  | |  | | The village on its rocky spur |
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| | | | Succession customs | In the villages of Zanskar, when the eldest son gets married, he settles down with his wife in the " big house ", the family's main house, and he acquires most of the family land.
His parents and some of his single brothers and sisters then go to live in a "small house" and cultivate the related land.
Some brothers can also remain in the "big house" by marrying the same wife as the eldest brother. This system, polyandry, is, in theory, forbidden by Indian law and is more and more rare, but still subsists in some villages in Zanskar. |
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