situated 3,657 m (11,998 ft) above the sea level
, in an isolated region of the Suru valley
in the Ladakh
region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir
in Northern India
. On one side are the colorful hills while on the other side are rocky mountains and glaciers, notably Drang-drung
.
Rangdum is located midway between Kargil
and Padum
. It is about 100 kilometers from Kargil. The road conditions are very bad near Rangdum. A JKTDC bungalow is available at Rangdum. Restaurants and hotels are also available here. There is no access to electricity, phone or internet.
"Rangdum, with its gompa and the attendant village of Juliodok, is the last inhabited region in the Suru valley
Suru valleyThe Suru valley is a valley in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, which is drained by the Suru River , a powerful tributary of the Indus river. The valley's most significant town is Kargil.-People of the Suru Valley:...
; it is also the destination of the nomadic herdspeople called BakarwalBakarwalBakarwal is a nomadic tribe based in the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountains of South Asia. They are mainly goatherds and shepherds. They are called as Dhangar in rest of India.- Etymology :...
s, who trek up every year from the Himalayan foothills near JammuJammuJammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, bringing their flocks of sheep and goats to grow fat on the rich summer growth of grass. From Rangdum the valley rises to 4400 metres and the Pensi-la, the gateway into ZanskarZanskarZanskar is a subdistrict or tehsil of the Kargil district, which lies in the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The administrative centre is Padum...
."
The country surrounding Rangdum Monastery
is very bleak and crops sometimes cannot ripen in the brief summer. The locals depend on their flocks and supplies from lower down the Suru Valley or over the pass from Zanskar.
The population of the Suru Valley as far as Parkachik are all Muslim. The spectacularly beautiful valley is, however, practically uninhabited past Parkachik other than a couple of tiny settlements. The small villages of Yuldo and Julidok, at the end of the valley are entirely Buddhist. The people are socially and culturally part of neighbouring Zanskar and support the 18th century Rangdum Monastery belonging to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
Rangdum has a tourist bungalow, three tea-houses and, around 2 km from the village, a summer-only camp offering accommodation for tourists in bedded tents.