Dras
Dras (also spelt Drass, ISO transliteration: "") is a hill station in the Kargil district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. It is on the NH 1 (former name NH 1D before renumbering of all national highways) between Zoji La pass and Kargil town. A tourist hub for its high altitude trekking routes and tourist sites, it is often called "The Gateway to Ladakh". The government's official spelling of the town is Drass. Etymology. Traditionally, Dras is known as "Hem-babs", which means "snow land" with the word "Hem" meaning snow. The average temperature of Dras in  winter is -20 degrees Celsius. Geography. Dras is often called "The Gateway to Ladakh". It is at a height of Dras lies in the centre of the valley of the same name (Dras valley). Dras is 140 km from Srinagar and 63 km from Sonmarg. Kargil town is further 56 km after Dras on the national highway NH 1 from Srinagar towards Leh. History. In the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir (1846–1947), Dras was part of the Kargil tehsil of the Ladakh "wazarat". During the invasion by Pakistan in 1947-48, the reinforced Gilgit Scouts, having gone over to  Pakistan, attacked the Kargil area on 10 May 1948. The Indian army, which was by now in charge of the defence of Kashmir, sent reinforcements. However, they could not reach Dras in time and Dras fell to the Gilgitis on 6 June 1948. Kargil and Skardu also fell in short order. In November 1948, the Indian Army launched Operation Bison, supported by tanks, and retook Dras and Kargil. Skardu, however, remained under the control of Pakistan. The 1949 ceasefire line runs 12 km north of Dras through Point 5353. The ceasefire line was renamed the Line of Control in the  1972 Simla Agreement, by which India and Pakistan agreed to respect the line without prejudice to their stated positions. However, in the early months of 1999, Pakistani soldiers, masquerading as "mujahideen", infiltrated into the area and took control of the peaks overlooking Dras and the highway, in particular Tololing, 4 km from Dras, and Tiger Hill, 8 km from Dras. They directed artillery fire at Dras and the highway, leading to the Kargil War. The Indian army cleared the Tololing and Tiger Hill peaks by July 1999. Climate. Dras is the coldest place in India, experiencing an altitude-influenced Continental  Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsb). Winters are cold with average lows around −20 °C (−4 °F), and as low as −23 °C at the height of winter, which lasts from mid-October to mid-May. Summers start in June and go on up till early September, with average temperatures near 23 °C (74 °F) and little precipitation. Annual precipitation is almost entirely concentrated from December to May when Dras gets around water equivalent of snowfall. There is a popular claim as well various signs/boards showing Dras being second coldest inhabited place in the  world. However, there is no reliable weather data to substantiate the claim. Demographics. The major ethnic groups are the Shina people, who speak the Indo-Aryan language Shina, and the Balti people, whose language, Balti, belongs to the Tibetic group. The small town has a majority of people following Islam Sunni Islam (60%), Noorbakshia Islam (20%) and Shia Islam (20%) . The local population is 64% male and 36% female. In total the population of Dras per the 2011 Census is 21988. Out of this, 14731 are males while 7257 are females. This block has 2767 kids in the age bracket  of 0–6 years. Among them 1417 are boys and 1350 are girls. Culture. Many of the inhabitants of Dras farm, cultivating primary crops like barley. The locals also raise livestock like cattle and ponies. Common foods comprising the diet of the people include potatoes, barley, beef, and drinks like tea. Tourism. Dras has been developed as a tourist destination since 1999, following the Kargil War. This new facet of the local economy initially took the form of visitors specifically arriving to see the war zone. Notable places include: "Thasgam Valley: is also known as valley of junipers is a small  beautiful vallage situated on the bank of Drass River. This beautiful village is surrounded by mesmerising mountains and glaciers. We can witness two beautiful brooks on each side of the village. This is the only village one can witness Sufi sect of Islam, the village is rich in fauna flora like Himalayan brown bears, ibexes, Himalayan foxes, wolves junipers, wild tulips and many more varieties. This is one of the best places for trekking, hiking, rafting and camping.