Darcha
Village in Himachal Pradesh, India
Darcha (elevation 3,360 m or 11,020 ft) is a pair of villages (Darcha Sumdo and Darach Dangma) on the Bhaga River in the Lahaul sub-division in the Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the northernmost permanent settlement in Himachal Pradesh along the Manali-Leh Highway. With the opening of the Atal Tunnel, Darcha is likely to see a large influx of tourists as it is now connected to Manali throughout the year. The Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road which is being constructed, will improve connectivity of Kargil, Zanskar and Leh District of Ladakh to Darcha.
01Demographics and amenities
Darcha consists of two adjacent villages, Darcha Sumdo and Darcha Dangma with a total area of 51.3 ha (127 acres). Information on Darcha from the Census of India 2011 is given in the table below.
| Measure | Darcha Sumdo | Darcha Dangma | Darcha (total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area (ha) | 10.6 | 40.7 | 51.3 |
| Population | 172 | 166 | 338 |
| Households | 38 | 34 | 72 |
| Scheduled Caste | <5% | Nil | |
| Scheduled Tribes | 41-50% | >75% |
Schooling from primary up to senior secondary (Class 1 to 12) is available in the village. There is a Primary Health Centre at Darcha. Drinking water is available, and the village has power and telephone connections.
02Transport
Darcha will be a station on the under-construction Bhanupli-Leh line. Darcha lies on NH-3.
Some buses between Manali and Leh stop for the night at Darcha where travelers sleep in tents. A new all weather steel bridge of 360 meters length has been built over the confluence of the Bhaga river and Jankar Nala on the Leh-Manali Highway. The village is the end-point of a popular trek beginning in Padum, Zanskar. Roadside stalls offer basic food.
All passing vehicles must stop at Darcha's police checkpoint for identification and passport checks.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Darcha”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Darcha New Darcha Villages Lahaul Oct20 D72 18310.jpg by Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Darcha Bridge.jpg by Shubhamoy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Darcha Bridge NW Lahaul Himachal India Oct22 A7C 03526.jpg by This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author. I would much appreciate if you send me an email tagooty@yahoo.com or write on my talk page, for my information. Please contact me before commercial use. Please do not upload an edited image here without consulting me. I would like to make corrections only at my own source to ensure that the changes improve the image and are preserved. Otherwise you may upload an edited image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract., CC BY-SA 4.0
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