Shyok River

{{Infobox river

| name = Shyok River

| name_other =

| name_etymology =

| nickname =

| image = Shyok river Ladakh.jpg

| image_size = 280

| image_caption = The Shyok River upstream from Agham, Ladakh, India

| map = Shyok.png

| map_size = 280

| map_caption = Course of the Shyok River

| pushpin_map =

| pushpin_map_size = 280

| pushpin_map_caption = Source of the Shyok River (marked on map)

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-zoom = 4

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = India, Pakistan

| subdivision_type2 = Territory

| subdivision_name2 = Ladakh (India), Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan)

| subdivision_type3 = District

| subdivision_name3 = Leh (India), Ghanche (Pakistan)

| subdivision_type4 =

| subdivision_name4 =

| subdivision_type5 =

| subdivision_name5 =

| length = {{convert|550|km|mi|abbr=on}}

| width_min =

| width_avg =

| width_max =

| depth_min =

| depth_avg =

| depth_max =

| discharge1_location = Yugo gauging station, Pakistan{{cite journal | last1 = Tarar | first1 = Zeeshan Riaz | last2 = Ahmad | first2 = Sajid Rashid | last3 = Ahmad | first3 = Iftikhar | last4 = Majid | first4 = Zahra | title = Detection of Sediment Trends Using Wavelet Transforms in the Upper Indus River | journal = Water | volume = 10 | issue = 7 | year = 2018 | page = 918 | doi = 10.3390/w10070918 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2018Water..10..918T | language = English }}

| discharge1_min = 859 m³/sec

| discharge1_avg = 1041 m³/sec

| discharge1_max = 1199 m³/sec

| source1 =

| source1_location =

| source1_coordinates = {{Coord|35.352739|77.618006}}

| source1_elevation = {{cvt|5000|m|abbr=on}}

| mouth = Indus River

| mouth_location =

| mouth_coordinates = {{Coord|35.228611|75.917222|display=inline,title}}

| mouth_elevation = {{cvt|2314|m|abbr=on}}

| progression =

| river_system = Indus River

| basin_size = {{convert|33465|km2|abbr=on}}{{cite journal | last1 = Farooq | first1 = Muhammad Umar | last2 = Kharal | first2 = Muhammad Ashiq | last3 = Bogacki | first3 = Wolfgang | last4 = Ismail | first4 = Muhammad Fraz | last5 = Mehmood | first5 = Asif | title = Estimation of component-wise runoff contribution using temperature index approach, in a snow- and glacier-fed transboundary Shyok River catchment of the Upper Indus Basin | journal = Arabian Journal of Geosciences | volume = 16 | issue = 8 | year = 2023 | page = 460 | doi = 10.1007/s12517-023-11583-y | bibcode = 2023ArJG...16..460F | language = English | url = https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12517-023-11583-y | url-access = limited | quote = Shyok River is a transboundary stream that has a catchment area of 33,465 km2 over three countries; Pakistan 28%, India 54%, and China 18%.}}

| basin_landmarks =

| basin_population =

| tributaries_left = Chip Chap River, Galwan River, Chang Chenmo River

| tributaries_right = Nubra River, Hushe River

| waterbodies =

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| bridges =

| ports =

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}}

The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh in India and enters Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, spanning approximately {{convert|550|km|mi|abbr=on}}.{{cite book | last = Negi | first = Sharad Singh | title = Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1991 | isbn = 9788185182612 | pages = 124–125 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/himalayanriversl0000negi/ | url-access = registration}}{{cite book | last = Kaul | first = Hriday Nath | title = Rediscovery of Ladakh | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1998 | isbn = 9788173870866 | pages = 30–31 | language = English | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC&dq=shyok&pg=PA30 | url-access = limited}}{{cite encyclopedia | title = Shyok River | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | language = English | url = https://www.britannica.com/place/Shyok-River | access-date = May 23, 2025}}

Etymology

The name Shyok is most likely derived from the Tibetan Sha-gyog (ཤ་གཡོག་), a compound of shag (ཤག་), meaning "gravel", and gyog (གཡོག་), meaning "to spread". This interpretation—translating to "gravel spreader"—is supported by linguistic sources and reflects the river's geomorphological behavior, particularly the extensive deposits of gravel it leaves during flooding. The form Shayog, a variant closely aligned with this Tibetan origin, may underlie the spelling Shayok, which was frequent in English-language texts until the late 20th century.{{cite journal | last = Peter | first = Friedrich A. | title = Glossary of Place Names in Western Tibet | journal = The Tibet Journal | volume = 2 | issue = 2 | year = 1977 | pages = 26–27 | publisher = Library of Tibetan Works and Archives | jstor = 43299854 | url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/43299854 | url-access = registration | language = English}}{{cite book | last = Cunningham | first = Alexander | title = Ladák: Physical, Statistical, and Historical; with Notices of the Surrounding Countries | publisher = W.H. Allen and Co. | year = 1854 | location = London | pages = 94–96 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/ladakphysicalsta00cunnrich | url-access = registration}}

An alternative etymology, sometimes encountered in modern literature, interprets Shyok as "river of death", based on an asserted derivation from Sheo, glossed as "death". This interpretation has been linked to the Yarkandi (Turki) dialect used by historical travelers in the region.{{cite journal | last = Kapadia | first = Harish | title = Lots in a Name | journal = The Himalayan Journal | volume = 48 | year = 1992| url = https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/48/18/lots-in-a-name/ | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190818164203/https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/48/18/lots-in-a-name/ | archive-date = 18 August 2019 | access-date = 25 May 2025 | language = English | quote = Shyok ('the river of death', Sheo: death)}} However, this explanation lacks corroboration in historical linguistic records and appears to be a more recent etymology without philological support.

A further hypothesis, noted in 19th-century sources, suggests that the river may have taken its name from the village of Shyok—spelled Shayok in those accounts—located along its course.{{cite book | last = Cunningham | first = Alexander | title = Ladák: Physical, Statistical, and Historical; with Notices of the Surrounding Countries | publisher = W.H. Allen and Co. | year = 1854 | location = London | pages = 94–96 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/ladakphysicalsta00cunnrich | url-access = registration}} If so, the Tibetan-derived etymology would be undermined, since a toponym originating from a settlement is unlikely to carry a descriptive meaning such as “gravel spreader”, and no linguistic explanation has been proposed for the village’s name itself.

While several theories exist, the derivation from Tibetan Sha-gyog, meaning "gravel spreader", appears to be the most linguistically substantiated and geographically appropriate explanation.

Course

The Shyok originates at the snout of the Central Rimo Glacier, located in the union territory of Ladakh, India.>{{cite map | title = Chulung | publisher = Army Map Service, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army | date = 1955 | series = India and Pakistan 1:250,000 | sheet = NI 43-4 | scale = 1:250,000 | url = https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/ni-43-04.jpg | access-date = 28 May 2025 | language = English}}>{{cite map | title = India and Adjacent Countries: Sheet 52 – Leh | publisher = Survey of India | date = 1916 | edition = Published 1923 | url = https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/india_1m/sheet-52-leh-1923.jpg | access-date = 28 May 2025 | scale = 1:1,000,000 | language = English}} The glacier descends from the Rimo Massif, a group of peaks in the Rimo Muztagh subrange of the eastern Karakoram.{{cite book | last = Kaul | first = Hriday Nath | title = Rediscovery of Ladakh | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1998 | isbn = 9788173870866 | pages = 30–31 | language = English | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC&dq=shyok&pg=PA30 | url-access = limited}} Near its source, the Shyok is joined from the northeast by the Chip Chap River, a tributary considered part of its headwaters system.{{cite book | last = Negi | first = Sharad Singh | title = Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1991 | isbn = 9788185182612 | pages = 124–125 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/himalayanriversl0000negi/ | url-access = registration}}>{{cite map | title = Chulung | publisher = Army Map Service, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army | date = 1955 | series = India and Pakistan 1:250,000 | sheet = NI 43-4 | scale = 1:250,000 | url = https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/ni-43-04.jpg | access-date = 28 May 2025 | language = English}}>{{cite map | title = India and Adjacent Countries: Sheet 52 – Leh | publisher = Survey of India | date = 1916 | edition = Published 1923 | url = https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/india_1m/sheet-52-leh-1923.jpg | access-date = 28 May 2025 | scale = 1:1,000,000 | language = English}}

File:Shyok River Headwaters System 1923.png

The river flows initially southeastward, west of the Depsang Plains. Early in this stretch, it receives the Galwan River from the northeast.{{cite book | last = Negi | first = Sharad Singh | title = Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1991 | isbn = 9788185182612 | pages = 124–125 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/himalayanriversl0000negi/ | url-access = registration}} Further downstream, it is joined by the Chang Chenmo River, from the east, and then encounters the Pangong Range.>{{cite map | title = Shyok | publisher = Army Map Service, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army | date = 1955 | series = India and Pakistan 1:250,000 | sheet = NI 44-5 | scale = 1:250,000 | url = https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/ni-44-05.jpg | access-date = 28 May 2025 | language = English}}{{cite book | last = Kaul | first = Hriday Nath | title = Rediscovery of Ladakh | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1998 | isbn = 9788173870866 | pages = 30–31 | language = English | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC&dq=shyok&pg=PA30 | url-access = limited}} There, it makes a broad V-shaped bend, reversing its direction to flow northwestward in a path nearly parallel to its initial course—a distinctive feature noted by several observers.{{cite book | last = Negi | first = Sharad Singh | title = Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1991 | isbn = 9788185182612 | pages = 124–125 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/himalayanriversl0000negi/ | url-access = registration}}{{cite book | last = Kaul | first = Hriday Nath | title = Rediscovery of Ladakh | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1998 | isbn = 9788173870866 | pages = 30–31 | language = English | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC&dq=shyok&pg=PA30 | url-access = limited}}

Continuing northwest, the river flows past the village of Shyok and enters a broader valley where it meets the Nubra River, a major tributary originating from the Siachen and Kumdan Glaciers. The confluence occurs near the village of Lakjung, just northwest of Diskit.{{cite book | last = Negi | first = Sharad Singh | title = Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1991 | isbn = 9788185182612 | pages = 124–125 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/himalayanriversl0000negi/ | url-access = registration}}{{cite book | last = Kaul | first = Hriday Nath | title = Rediscovery of Ladakh | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1998 | isbn = 9788173870866 | pages = 30–31 | language = English | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC&dq=shyok&pg=PA30 | url-access = limited}}

File:Shyok-River.jpg

Beyond this confluence, the river narrows and cuts through a steep gorge near the village of Yagulung before passing through the settlements of Bogdang, Turtuk, and Tyakshi.{{cite book | last = Kaul | first = Hriday Nath | title = Rediscovery of Ladakh | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1998 | isbn = 9788173870866 | pages = 30–31 | language = English | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC&dq=shyok&pg=PA30 | url-access = limited}} Entering the administrative territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, the Shyok continues west-northwestward and receives the Hushe River near the village of Ghursay; the Hushe is fed by the Saltoro River, which descends from the Saltoro Mountains. Khaplu, the main settlement in the region, lies slightly downstream.{{cite book | last = Negi | first = Sharad Singh | title = Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1991 | isbn = 9788185182612 | pages = 124–125 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/himalayanriversl0000negi/ | url-access = registration}}{{cite encyclopedia | title = Shyok River | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | language = English | url = https://www.britannica.com/place/Shyok-River | access-date = May 23, 2025}}

File:View of bridge over Shyok River, Khaplu.jpg, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan]]

The Shyok ultimately merges with the Indus River at Keris, approximately {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} southeast of Skardu.{{cite book | last = Negi | first = Sharad Singh | title = Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers | publisher = Indus Publishing Company | year = 1991 | isbn = 9788185182612 | pages = 124–125 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/himalayanriversl0000negi/ | url-access = registration}}{{cite encyclopedia | title = Shyok River | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | language = English | url = https://www.britannica.com/place/Shyok-River | access-date = May 23, 2025}} The total length of the river from source to confluence with the Indus is estimated at approximately {{convert|550|km|mi|abbr=on}}.{{cite encyclopedia | title = Shyok River | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | language = English | url = https://www.britannica.com/place/Shyok-River | access-date = May 23, 2025}}

Geology

The Nubra River, originating from the Siachen Glacier, follows a similarly unusual path. Before reaching Diskit, it flows southeast but turns northwest after meeting the Shyok. The parallel behavior of these two rivers may reflect a series of Paleolithic fault lines trending northwest–southeast, which likely influenced the courses of their upper reaches.

Tributaries

File:Shyok2.svg

The Chang Chen Mo River originates near Pamzal in the Changchinmo plains of Ladakh and flows westward until it merges with the Shyok.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

The Galwan River, located in the southern part of Aksai Chin, originates near Samzungling and flows westward to join the Shyok.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

The Nubra River, a major tributary, flows through the Ladakh region and joins the Shyok before the latter flows into the Indus.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

The Saltoro River begins near the slopes of Saltoro Kangri and flows southwest. Another branch rises from the western Siachen Glacier and joins the main stream near Dumsum village. North of the Ghursay Valley, it merges with the Hushe River, which originates near Masherbrum Peak, before flowing into the Shyok.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Valley

The Shyok Valley is the valley of the Shyok. It is near the Nubra Valley.

Khardung La on the Ladakh Range lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra Valleys. The Siachen Glacier lies partway up the latter valley. The valley was historically used as a trade route by caravans.{{cite journal | last = Trotter | first = Henry | title = On the Geographical Results of the Mission to Kashghar, under Sir T. Douglas Forsyth in 1873–74 | journal = Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London | volume = 48 | year = 1878 | pages = 173–234 | publisher = Royal Geographical Society | jstor = 1798763 | url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/1798763 | url-access = registration | language = English}}{{cite book | title = Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak | publisher = Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta | year = 1890 | pages = 749–750 | language = English | url = https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.43256 }}{{cite journal | last = Hayward | first = George W. | title = Journey from Leh to Yarkand and Kashgar, and Exploration of the Sources of the Yarkand River | journal = Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London | volume = 40 | year = 1870 | page = 33 | issn = 0266-6235 | doi = 10.2307/1798640 | jstor = 1798640 | url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/1798640 | language = English}}{{cite book | last = Warikoo | first = Kulbhushan | chapter = India’s Gateway to Central Asia: Trans-Himalayan Trade and Cultural Movements Through Kashmir and Ladakh, 1846–1947 | editor = Kulbhushan Warikoo | title = Himalayan Frontiers of India: Historical, Geo-Political and Strategic Perspectives | publisher = Routledge | year = 2009 | isbn = 9780415468398 |language = English | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=w_Z8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 | url-access = limited | quote = Those traders and passersby who opted to travel to Yarkand in winter would cross Digar La and follow the narrow and winding valleys of the Shyok river. This river, which was frozen during winter, was to be crossed and re-crossed several times.}}

Tourism

Siachen Base Camp tourist adventure, many monasteries, Pangong Tso etc. are tourism opportunities.

Gallery

File:Maitreya Buddha - Nubra.jpg|Maitreya Buddha statue at Diskit Monastery, facing downstream along the Shyok River

File:Shoyok and Nubra Valley map.jpg|Map-style road sign showing points of interest near the confluence of the Shyok and Nubra Rivers

File:Shiyok River.jpg|View toward Kharfaq and Yugo, villages along the lower Shyok River in Gilgit-Baltistan

References

External links

[https://www.harishkapadia.com/climbs-explorations/east-karakoram/on-death-trail-shyok/ On Death Trail – Shyok], a travelogue and exploration account by Harish Kapadia
[https://www.india9.com/i9show/Shyok-River-22248.htm Shyok River] at India9.com
[https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/ Index of U.S. Army Map Service topographic maps of India (1955)] – includes sheets covering the Shyok River region
[http://www.kultur-in-asien.de/Ladakh/nubra.htm Photo galleries of the Shyok and Nubra Valleys] (in German)

Category:Tributaries of the Indus River

Category:International rivers of Asia

Category:Karakoram

Category:Rivers of Ladakh

Category:Rivers of Gilgit-Baltistan