After 1962: What remains of Martoli, Uttarakhand’s abandoned border village

Once upon a time, this remote Uttarakhand village of Martoli used to be a vibrant hub of cross-border trade, which stands in near silence. The sealing of the India-China border in 1962 abruptly ended centuries of commerce, forcing its inhabitants to leave. Today, only a few return seasonally, with a new guesthouse offering a fragile link to its past.

After 1962: What remains of Martoli, Uttarakhand’s abandoned border village
Once upon a time, this remote Uttarakhand village of Martoli used to be a vibrant hub of cross-border trade, which stands in near silence. The sealing of the India-China border in 1962 abruptly ended centuries of commerce, forcing its inhabitants to leave. Today, only a few return seasonally, with a new guesthouse offering a fragile link to its past.