Mystery still remains unsolved, despite inquest to crack it
in july 2019. The reasons for which the foreign
travellers generally preferred a long circuitous route to explore Ladhak, Tibet
and Central Asia, through Gurez via Bandipor, more daring than other
available options the shortest and straight through
Zozila from Srinagar. Baffling still even the Trans Asiatic
Harrdt-Cintrogen halftrack motorised expedition from Beirut to Beijing
1931-1932’, selected, Gurais to cross the Himalaya Range
from Srinagar. However it did not prove a futile exercise, during search some
interesting narration of the travellers cropped up, interesting and
unbelievable in the present context which has become a history unheard
earlier.
Gurez is a part of Balawaristan falls in Krishanganga/Neelan valley the land of Dards . Stretching from Sharda Peeth in the west to Manimarg, in the east Mushkuk valley , Drass , Baghtor in the south . At present stands divided into two unequal parts post 1947, Gurez on this side, while Toabat to Sharda Peeth , the ruins ancient Sharda University located called Neelun District.Between Kamri and Minimarg as Astore District both of them under Pakistan. Gurez consists of two small narrow but distinct valleys Gurez and Tilel . Trigonometry survey of the area was conducted around 1856 by a British surveyor William H. Johnson. Later he was Wazir Wazarat of the Ladhakh for about 11 years. It is encircled from the east by Kaoal Gali, West by Kanzalwan , from South by Northern Kashmir Range and north right bank of Krishangana . Elevation rises from 2300 mts near Bagotre
to 5209 mts to
Kinari glaciers. Koabil Gali serves the watershed between Drass and
Guerz, a small lake Kaobal sar from which the peak derives its name
emerges and flows down, Kabulnar tributary flows down meets
Kinarigha to form the Krishanganga river. On its right banks, it receives
two prominent streams called Chhire Gha and Gautum Shey Nar and flows down
towards Chawali. Whereas Manimarg drains in Drass. The Razdan Pass
bifurcates it from the Kashmir valley. Makes it socially culturally
linguistically altogether different from Kashmiri and has retained it till
date. Shina language is spoken exclusively here. There are about 5,026 families, 37992 souls Cent
per cent rural, live
in wooden houses in 29 revenue villages
divided in to three blocks.
The valley because of the heavy snow it receives remains cut off for about six months at a stretch of the year. While winter is extremely harsh at the same time summer become loveable pleasant affair. During summer can be approached through a vehicular road from Bandipor crossing Razdan Pass at an altitude of 11,000 ft. Adventures traverse of foot from Drass through Kabul Gali, at 14,000 ft, some via Nichani Pass from Sonamargh.
It presents a most captivating unparalleled envious beauty. In such cases the often quoted Creator has brought every art at the command to give it a shape of the choice. A pilgrimage at least once in life for the Naturalists a must. Every third step while exploring is quite different than the first. Once known for Kuth fields, now attention focused on Black Zeera, many of the medicinal plants in the wild, presumed to be extinct, many are critically endangered.. Gurez's most formidable peak is Habba Khatoon, abound this pyramid shaped peak was named after the poet Habba Khatoon known as Nightingale of Kashmir. Foreign travellers on the basis of the language or from physiognomy have concluded that Dards are Aryan. Their economic activities included mining and trading gold led to the establishment of a trade route with Central Asia and China. One of the known silk routes. Active and enduring living in the most trying circumstances of climate, they are not oppressed or weighed down by them, but keep such cheerfulness as the inhabitants of the most favoured climes and countries may envy .
The disposition and
bearing of the Dards is independent and bold ; they will not endure to be put
upon, but stand out for their rights, and stand up against oppression as long
as possible. They are by no means soft-hearted; but they are not disobliging
when taken in the right way., are not bloodthirsty; meet one on even terms,
without sycophancy or fear on the one hand or impertinent self-assertion on the
other ;.
The dress of the Dards
is woollen consists of pyjamas, choga (or gown-coat), a waistband to confine
this, and lastly, a cap and chaussure, both of peculiar construction. The cap
is a bag of woollen cloth half a yard long, which is rolled up outwards at the
edges until it gets to the size to fit comfortably to the head, round which the
roll makes a protection from cold or from sun nearly as good as a turban. For
their feet they have strips and scraps of leather put under and over and round
the foot, and a long thin strip wound round and round to keep all these in
place. The head- dress is thoroughly characteristic of the Dards ; wherever
they are scattered, and with whomsoever they are mixed up with the one
exception of the Buddhist.
There are certain subdivisions of the Dard
race which may be called castes, (1) Bonu.(2) Shin. (3) Yashkun. (4) Eremin. (5) Dum. There is a peculiarity of manners most
strange and curious attaching to some of the Dards. The thing is this; they
hold the cow in abhorrence ; they look on it in much the same way the ordinary
Muhammadan regards a pig. They will not drink cow's milk, nor do they eat or
make butter from it. Nor even will they burn cow dung, the fuel that is so
commonly used in the East. Some cattle they are obliged to keep for ploughing,
but they have as little as possible to do with them; when the cow calves they
will put the calf to the udder by pushing it with a forked stick, and will not
touch it with their hands. A greater, more astonishing, contrast between their
way of looking at a cow and the consideration which the Hindus give to the
animal would be impossible to conceive. In some places I have found other
customs accompanying this. For instance, at Dashkin, 13 miles below Astor,
where the people are Shin, they will not eat fowls nor touch them; in this they
approach the Hindus. Here, too, was told that they have an objection to
cultivating tobacco and red these restricting customs are already dying out,
and that they exist mostly where there is a geographically isolated community
of Shin without the other castes. Formerly they had some kind of idolatry of
which know not much, nor do know at what period they were converted to Islam.
It is a fact that before Nathu Shah came (say in 1842) the Astor people used to
burn their dead, and not bury them as Muhammadans should. A curious remnant of
the custom still remains there ,when they bury they light a fire by the grave ;
it is true they will now tell you that they light the fire to keep off jackals
; this may be in some sense true, that is to say they could hardly reconcile
themselves to leaving the body in its grave undestroyed, so they lit the fire
as they had been used to, and this satisfied them in giving some security as
against the beasts of prey and at the same time making a link with the
past.." In matters of prayer and fasting they follow the Suni ways, but in
creed they are Shias. The Molais drink wine, the Sunis will not. Buddhist
Dards. who follow the Buddhist faith ; obey the Lamas as spiritual leaders.
They wear the pigtail as the Ladakhls do, and their dress is the same as
theirs, including the drooping cap figured are a dreadfully dirty people, far
more so than any other tribe I have ever met with; their faces are blotched
with black dirt, which they never think of removing. As a means of purifying,
instead of washing, they burn twigs of pencil-cedar, and let the smoke and the
scent from it come over them and inside their clothes; they do this before
eating, not perhaps generally but on feast-days, and at other times when they
think purification to be necessary. Earliest presence here has been traced of
the Achaemenian Empire (4th century B.C). National Institute of Historical
and Cultural Research of Pakistan view from the first known documented
in Chinese from the 8th century AD that "the name is
most probably derived from the title Patola, the Buddhist royal dynasty which
was powerful in the region from to 8th centuries AD. Hundreds of
carved inscriptions in Kharoshti, Brahmi and Tibetan carvings provide
insights into the early history of Buddhism. A council of Buddhism is
believed to have been held at Kanzilwan.
(Feedback at: blparimoo@gmail.com)
By- Bushan Parimoo
( the writer is a jammu based
environmentalist )