Ladakh & Life Lessons - Part 6: Magnetic Myth & The Confluence

 July 17th 2023, 11.20 AM Srinagar - Leh Highway

A little after quarter past eleven, we were at the famous Magnetic Hill. This location on the National Highway is famous, or should I say infamous, reputation for pulling vehicles up a slope and that too at 20 kmph!! It appears, every tourist to Leh, on their first visit will come here and 'gasp' at this phenomenon. Gasp, you will, not because of magnetism but because of the rarefied air. Let's take a few deep breaths and then investigate this astounding miracle!

Busting the Magnetic Hill Myth

According to the local myth vehicles parked in neutral with ignition switched off, will roll 'uphill' by themselves. There is painted box on the highway where you can park your vehicle and the feel it roll. It should roll from west to east, if it is going UP the slope. If you are that crazy type, you can even get off, pursue the runaway vehicle and hop on! Just that you should be able to run at 20 kmph, if the stories are to be believed. I wouldn't risk it because, suppose I did and ran after the vehicle at 20 kmph, at an altitude of around 11,500 feet (3500 metres), I would be on the ground rolling for breath in a few meters. I would be a victim of Acute Mountain Sickness and the vehicle would have rolled off the road at the end of the curve ahead. After all, I would have only had about 24 hours or slightly more to get acclimatised!

There are three explanations being bandied about to explain this extraordinary phenomenon. 

1. The first one is that the hill, that has this unique property, is believed to be a Gateway to Heaven and there existed a 'road' from top of the hill through which 'good' people went to heaven but 'bad' people wouldn't be able to. I'm only wondering; are all the cars filled with only 'good' people?! Maybe it is wormhole to another dimension. 

Personally, I think, with the current discord with my Gods, the Stairway to Heaven or more than likely the Road to Hell will be my option! (Please click the song names for some lovely music!) 

2. The second one attributes this phenomenon to a strong magnetic field emanating from the surrounding hills to the west that it pulls vehicles that are stationary. It is even said that planes avoid flying over this area due to magnetic interference. I am only wondering, how an airplane made predominantly of aluminum and composites, with less than 10% steel and flying between 35,000 to 40,000 above sea level will be affected by this. Starting to sound like Bermuda Triangle? Don't worry, no plane has crashed on the mountains here or disappeared through the 'wormhole' never to be seen again. I only have a simple question. Why didn't the coins in my pocket not fly out and get stuck on the hills? Are coins non-magnetic? Similarly, there will be so many small magnetic objects we carry on us. If a big 1 to 2 ton vehicle can be pulled, why not objects only weighing a few grams? A point to ponder.

3. The third explanation is that the obstruction of the horizon by the mountains creating an optical illusion that makes the road appear to be going upwards though it is actually going downwards. In any case, all three of us had good eyesight so we could see the road sloping from east to west. I feel, it is more of a case of 'been there, done that' for most travellers passing Magnetic Hill. A good yarn to spin after getting back home. 

We too joined the enthusiastic folk testing out the magnetism of the hill but I was only increasingly convinced that it is a hoax that has been fuelled up to have been made into a myth. Our car travelling from Leh was going downward on the slope. The point where the box for parking the vehicle seemed slightly level and further down the road slopes downwards again. Tsewangji parked our car in the designated spot and the car simply rolled downhill, not uphill!

While we were standing there a truck came labouring its way across the slope. It the hills were truly magnetic on top of the slope (east) it should have gone up the slope effortlessly, aided by magnetism! It is hard to believe that sensible people fall for this trick. 

The road, without doubt is visibly sloping downwards from east to west and it would require really bad eyesight to induce yourself to see it any other way. There certainly is no optical illusion either. If you feel there is, do come to us. Both, my wife and I happen to be ophthalmologists!

The Confluence

After the disappointment of Magnetic Hill, we drove further down the highway to the Indus - Zanskar Sangam (Confluence). Not too far away from Magnetic Hill, it is a 10 or 15 minute drive depending on stops in between. As you cross the army area, the road swings right and below the road, on the left, you will get your first look at the Indus river flowing at the bottom of the valley.

Standing on the road, the Indus doesn't look very impressive with it's placid looking flow. The recent rains and fast melting snow, had made the Indus the colour of coffee. Our visions of clear blue water were definitely muddied. Further up after the next curve you will realise why the Indus flows placidly. 

It meets the Zanskar river headlong and almost a right angles. You can differentiate the waters of both rivers by their individual hues. The Indus is mostly the dirtier of the two, and Sangam more cleaner and blue, but this time both rivers had muddy water due to the heavy rainfall and Indus more so. 

The Sangam is a very impressive sight when viewed from top, standing on the edge of the  Leh - Srinagar highway.  Before the rains strike the rivers are a fraction of their width (see picture below) with the sandbanks exposed. (Pic Courtesy: Vargis Khan) 

The Indus river system is one of the world's largest. The source of the river is in Tibet, from where it flows north-west into through the Chinese occupied part of Ladakh, into India. The Zanskar joins it first, and then the Shyok beyond Nubra valley, in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. This north-west flowing river takes a south-west turn in Pakistan and many tributaries join it along the way. The five rivers of Punjab, the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej join it before it flows south into the Arabian sea. (Pic Courtesy: burningcompass.com)

At Sangam the new road, along the edge of Zanskar, to Chilling is almost complete. It is from Chilling that the Chadar Trek (Link in name) starts. It is a deep winter trek of around 60 kilometres to be covered over a week or more. Temperatures can plunge to -20 degrees at night and it is not a trek for the faint hearted.  

There are two things you can do at the Sangam. Go to the cafeteria and refresh yourself and later, if mood, time and the crowd permits, go rafting on the river. Of course, don't forget the mandatory photographs before leaving back to Leh because it will be past noon by the time you finish the visit to the Confluence. You can explore the road to Chilling or beyond Nimmoo but it was getting too hot and it had been a tiring morning. The cafeteria didn't have anything to tempt us to go for an early lunch either so we would have to make a lunch stop on the way back. (More about food in Ladakh in a later post.)

We had one more stop before heading to Leh. That will be for a subsequent post. 

Link to the previous post is here