MACHHARAN DI KUD, ORIGIN OF JABBAR KHAD
Village Ladori, being situated in and around hilly terrain, one can easily find big, medium and small caves on either side of up stream Jabbar Khad heights and in the branches of Haathi Dhar Mountain Ranges, and also at the origin place of Jabbar Khad, some known, some unknown, some wide open while other caves have narrow and difficult approach to reach up to them.
On the way to Chikly Jabbar, at the beginning of the kuali descent, there is a big vacuum right down up to the Jabbar Khad bed, created due to massive landslide of 'Bheth', on the right side of the track, as a result of which, a big cave like cavity down below the track, was created, during early 19th century. Both human and animals like cows, oxen, sheep and goats can easily approach this cave from the mid way down the kuali, if needed, anytime especially during sunny and rainy days for shelter purposes. In those old days, we the children, also used to go and hide in this cave while playing 'luka-shippi' while some other grown-ups and shepherds used this place for resting, playing cards, singing, dancing, making merry and picnic, while others used the cave for stealthily drinking, smoking cigarettes and chillum in hiding!
In the down stream Jabbar Khad, many droplets of oozing water, were noticed by late Shri Shiva Nand Ji Maharaj of Udassi Panth co-incidentally, taking shape of miniature shiv lingams in a cavity a century ago, who later founded Trilokinath Mandir, which is considered the main attraction of this Mandir at Ladori, situated at the foot of the hillock on the west side of Chikly Jabbar.
Right in the opposite side of Trilokinath Mandir, there exists a cave in the middle of 'Pheth'(hillock) where occasional wandering sadhu babas take shelter for a while and then go on to their undecided destinations. One such Moni Baba lived here for months together and Ladori residents and people from around the area came to came to him for his predictions and blessings.
Few kilometers upstream north of Ladori village, right in the foot of Haathi Dhar valley, two small shallow streams of silvery white waters rolling down from opposite sides, meet in a 'V' shape, at a place called 'Domel', Domel means, meeting point of two unnamed khads. It is from this place that these waters jointly take the shape and name of Jabbar Khad.
At Domel, there exists a natural cave within a huge rock. This cave is locally known as 'Machharan-di-Kud' as this cave is always full of clouds of mosquitoes. Both shepherds and their animals take shelter in this cave while raining or to escape from prickly sun after creating lot of smoke inside the cave in order to get rid of the mosquitoes. At times, the cave is occupied by wild animals like wolves or jackals. Bats and mosquitoes are, however, its permanent residents!
From Machharan-di-Kud upwards north in Haathi Dhar, coal steam had been showing up in a particular area for the last almost two centuries. Local Gujjars, who live in the vicinity, fetch raw coal digging manually and carry it home on their backs, and use it for various purposes like cooking, warming and making hand tools and agricultural implements etc. in improvised home workshops.
More than six decades ago, lot of efforts were made by late Shri Udham Chand Sharma, writer's uncle, to persuade the concerned state government department to depute experts to visit the site, examine and assess the quantity and quality of coal reserves in the area and, if possible, to look into the feasibility to extract it on commercial basis. But all efforts went in vain on the plea that the coal reserve in the area might be too small and the cost involved for its extraction and on allied requirements would be astronomical. This assumption was, however, did not satisfy many and seemed vague and manipulative.
The coal is being extracted by the locals even today and used as usual. Shri Udham Chand Sharma was then in charge of coal mines in Kala Kot near Jammu who worked for M/s Jodhamal Kuthiala, Jammu/Pathankot for nearly whole of his life and retired as their General Manager at the ripe age of 84 years!
At Domel, there exists a natural cave within a huge rock. This cave is locally known as 'Machharan-di-Kud' as this cave is always full of clouds of mosquitoes. Both shepherds and their animals take shelter in this cave while raining or to escape from prickly sun after creating lot of smoke inside the cave in order to get rid of the mosquitoes. At times, the cave is occupied by wild animals like wolves or jackals. Bats and mosquitoes are, however, its permanent residents!
From Machharan-di-Kud upwards north in Haathi Dhar, coal steam had been showing up in a particular area for the last almost two centuries. Local Gujjars, who live in the vicinity, fetch raw coal digging manually and carry it home on their backs, and use it for various purposes like cooking, warming and making hand tools and agricultural implements etc. in improvised home workshops.
More than six decades ago, lot of efforts were made by late Shri Udham Chand Sharma, writer's uncle, to persuade the concerned state government department to depute experts to visit the site, examine and assess the quantity and quality of coal reserves in the area and, if possible, to look into the feasibility to extract it on commercial basis. But all efforts went in vain on the plea that the coal reserve in the area might be too small and the cost involved for its extraction and on allied requirements would be astronomical. This assumption was, however, did not satisfy many and seemed vague and manipulative.
The coal is being extracted by the locals even today and used as usual. Shri Udham Chand Sharma was then in charge of coal mines in Kala Kot near Jammu who worked for M/s Jodhamal Kuthiala, Jammu/Pathankot for nearly whole of his life and retired as their General Manager at the ripe age of 84 years!
No comments:
Post a Comment