BUA RAMKALI

 Dina Nath, popularly known as Dinu Tau in the village Ladori, was an old man of 70s, in fifties.  He was an habitual chewer of supari granules and taking Chayvan Prash.  A lean, thin old man of average height, Dinu Tau, as he was  known and addressed by all the children of that time, including me, was  a very good story teller.  He used to tell various tales relating to Raja-Rani, Dido-Pida, Tota-Maina and tales of important happenings concerning the village people of olden times which were used to be  interesting, entertaining and informative.

Dinu Tau was also a very good cook.  His Dal-Chawal and green mango chatni used to be mouthwatering and tempting.  We always wished that Tau gave us some dal-bhat to eat when we went to his house during lunch time!  But, he would, first of all ask one of us to bring a Batau of cool and fresh drinking water from Naun.  Tau was also a religious man and devoted maximum time, in daily morning prayers. Let us now go back to time space.  Dinu Tau and his wife lived in their Ladori house which was situated at the next door to Manjhol House.

Bua Sarvato was in Dadi's lap when Dinu Tau's wife was in family way and Dadi used to visit her twice a day and looked after her well being.  Dadi was very kind at heart.  When time of delivery came, unfortunately, all did not go well as expected and Tau's wife expired after giving birth to a girl child.  Now a grave problem stood before Dinu Tau as to how this child was to be raised alone by him!  Dadi brought that child home and both Sarvato and the adopted girl, named Ramkali, were brought up together, primary educated and married off.

 Ramkali Bua was married to Hans Raj of Nurpur.  He was a Patwari by profession who later retired as Kanoongo.  Fufa Hans Raj was a healthy, tall, handsome and pinkish gora. His heavy and echoing voice was amazingly loud, clear and also decisive.  His stiffened white Turredar Safa with coat-pant attracted people's attention where ever he went on official duty.  This made him 'Odd man out' in the congregation.

Ramkali Bua and Fufa Hans Raj had very happy family, if not quite well off.  Bua was a jolly natured woman.  She was lively, full of all smiles and laughter, her thunderous but enchanting voice like a mardani woman attracted and compelled neighborhood women and children to spend maximum leisure with bua.  She was so nice a lady that we would hardly see the one like her again in our lives! 

She, along with her big family lived in Lambi Gali of Nurpur Town. We the children, used to visit bua every now and then especially on occasions of functions and marriages. We also used to visit Narsingh Devta, our Kul Devta established under a huge Peepal Tree by our ancestors, behind Ramkali Bua's house.

 As luck would have it, a very bad time descended on this happy family stealthily.  Tuberculosis, a dreaded infectious bacterial disease entered into the family.  Father of Fufaji, who was a railway retired official was the first victim. After that slowly, slowly, whole family was taken into its tight grip and as a result,

Fufa, Bua, Shiv, Moksh, Ghatot Kachh, Billu, the little cute girl, all went to their heavenly abode one after the other! Only survived Behan Anjana lives in Chamba with her family and families of Bhai Shiv and Moksh are also living without their heads of families!

                                                        MANDIR KALYANRAI

 Maharaja Jagat Singh of Nurpur Kingdom was better known, amongst other things, for his religious nature and love for building and patronizing temples in his kingdom.  Apart from Brij Raj Temple at Nurpur, one such temple in village Khajjan, Tehsil Nurpur, has an interesting tale to tell.

 It is said that an ashatdhatu black image of Kalyanrai (Bansiwale) was being carried in a palanquin from Rajasthan for placement in a newly built up temple at Taragarh in Chamba.  When the palanquin bearers reached village Khajjan, they suddenly felt that the palanquin became heavier and that they found themselves unable to hold it any longer.  Eventually, they had to shout for an additional support but in vain.  The palanquin had to be immediately lowered and put down on the ground which  could never be lifted again.  Yes, it was without any doubt that Kalyanrai had chosen His home at Khajjan.  Khajjan is situated about three kilometers down northeast of Nurpur-Khajjan-Hindora Gharat-Sadwan-Suliali road. On the orders of Maharaja Jagat Singh, who visited the place personally, a makeshift temple was erected nearby and the image of Kalyanrai placed in it.

 The land where the palanquin laid stuck belonged to a poor Khajuria brahmin family who were later made the custodian and Pujari of the temple by an order of Raj Darbar.  Though the temple was slowly improved in the following years by the Pujari, it could not be constructed pucca for many years as a result of demise of the Maharaja.

 One of the ministers of the then Maharaja of Chamba who belonged to Soga family of Nurpur, is said to have fallen in love with one of the princesses.  When Maharaja came to know about this, he became furious with anger because the Minister was not a rajput and belonged to bania community.  He was ordered to be executed before  dawn next morning.  The minister felt helpless as none could come to his rescue at the time of distress.  As he always used to pay his reverence at Kalyanrai Temple while enroute to and  from Nurpur, he remembered Kalyanrai as a last resort and prayed for his life.  He said, "If he escaped from the clutches of Maharaja of Chamba, he would construct pucca Kalyanrai Temple at Khajjan".  With the help of some of his well wishers inside the palace, he got few guards bribed who in turn, let the minister escape from the Karagaar.  The Minister then collected gold coins and jewels and was out of the boundaries of Chamba before dawn.

 On reaching home safe,after hiding for quite some time, the minister had the Kalyanrai Temple constructed at its present location and also gave two shops located in Nurpur bazar to the temple in order to have some source of income to the Pujari.

                                                             NAGNI MATA MELA

 Ladori remained gripped in festival fever during June to August when Nagni Mata Melas are held.  People from places as far as Chamba, Chowari and other villages of Bhatyat region of Himachal Pradesh,  also used to visit Nagni via Ladori regularly.

 In those days, it took two to three days' time to reach Nagni on  foot with halts at a number of places on the way.  During the mela season, hundreds of families consisting of both young and old, clad in their best and colorful regional and traditional attires, walked through 'Hattian'.  A lot many used to stay in the Dharamshala situated in the middle of Hattian for an overnight halt to overcome fatigue.  Shop keepers and vendors of Ladori, during the mela season had a busy schedule with soaring business.

There used to be hustle and bustle in the village due to number of guests coming to the village during rainy season.  While some of them  came for enjoying trekking, sight seeing, making fun and frolic and for the purpose of excursion and picnic,  others came for paying obeisance at Nagni Mata Shrine on fulfillment of their wishes and yet there were still others who visited Nagni  with the intention of selling their wares and shopping for local novelties.

 Nagni has always been considered a sacred place as Nagni Goddess has blessed the people of the area with Her permanent abode here in a very beautiful downhill valley of flowers, fruits and springs surrounded by steep vertical heights, which is located on the Pathankot-Dharamsala highway near Bhadwar, about seven kilometers from historic town of Nurpur and at the similar distance from  Village Ladori via Bhadwar.

 Nagni shrine is famous and revered not only in the region but whole of Himachal Pradesh including North India.  It is believed that if a person bitten by a snake is brought to the Nagni shrine immediately, he would find himself fit and fine with the divine powers of Goddess within a weeks' time.  There has not so far any instance to mention where any death has occurred after the arrival of a patient at the Nagni Mata's Thaan!

 Besides kheel-vatashe, Karah Prashad (Sanctified Halwa) is distributed among the devotees and neighborhood, but unique and rare prashad of 'Mitti' is considered to be  more precious possession by all those who believe in the Goddess Nagni. It is believed that prashad of Mitti is meant for applying on the wound created  by a snake bite during intermediary period when the patient is being brought to Nagni Mata.

 There are altogether eight melas (Baar) at Nagni in the month of July-August, on each Saturday.  Hundreds of thousands of devotees from all over the country used to visit Nagni Mata throughout the year until recent past.

 Present day life style has, however, restricted people from  venturing out for events such as melas which were quite dear to everyone in their childhood!
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                                              KASHYAPS (JHEER) OF LADORI

 Kashyaps of Ladori who believed to have come from Chamba area, Himachal Pradesh, has always been laborious, hardworking and tough community who have also contributed their best in building and development of Ladori in terms of various services rendered towards their own and other communities of the  village.  Their first generation was almost illiterate with the exception that few of them could read or write Urdu or Taakri.  Apart from odd petty jobs, masonry, carpentry, blacksmith and catching fish, their main occupation had been to run Gharat (Atta Chakki).  There were number of gharats situated along Jabbar Khad in an area spread up to Telian-da-Pind on one side and Chakki River, downhill Mallkuwal, on the other.

 To name a few gharats would be interesting e.g. Dassuen-da-Gharat, Trilokinathan-da-Ghartat, Ghaluin-da-Gharat, Karkingere-da-Gharat, Hindore-da-Gharat, Tina-da-Gharat, Chakki-da-Ghatrat etc. etc.  These were generally makeshift shelters with thatched roof which used to be very cozy and cool from within. An improvised temporary 'bund' was used to be erected at an appropriate narrow point, upstream and excess water was thus diverted through a drain leading to the gharat.  At the finishing point, the water was allowed to fall down through a wooden channel from a measured height and gushing down underneath the GARD that rotated the stone wheel up inside the gharat.  These gharats functioned round the clock, sometimes for weeks, until otherwise not needed to.  Tik-tik musical sound made by the ghori while in contact with moving upper stone wheel made the lone attendant go to deep slumber as and when required.

When the gharat is not functioning or needed to be stopped, the water was diverted to the rivulet through another outlet provided a little short of the main inlet. Each gharat was run by a group of two or three families on mutually agreed terms and conditions.  Atta of a gharat was considered healthy, tasty, aromatic and nutritious.  There is a saying "Gharat da atta, Naun da pani, Nau par Nau rahe jawani.

 Waterwheels or gharats have ground wheat since 7th Centaury, but are now dying a slow death.  Traditional watermills or gharats, as they are called in the hilly region of Himachal Pradesh, were found in nearly every village.  Today these mechanisms that use running water to grind wheat, rice and maize and also occasionally to extract oil, have now been replaced by electricity run mills.".
Until few years ago, most villages in Kangra and other districts of Himachal Pradesh boasted of 3 to 4 gharats, many on the same stream.  Now, it is the older generation who speak about them. The younger generation lot, do not even recall seeing any!

The flour from the gharat is perceived to be healthier as the grinding is both slow and gradual. As a result of lack of water where river water is channeled by 'hydro power' that causes disruption, leaves the gharats with fewer takers every year.  Living proof of how energy can be harnessed without environmental degradation, these gharats need a new lease of life!.

 Gorkhu, Gosanta and Churo Ram of this community were known for their expertise in running the gharat at Ladori.  Not too long ago, when the spread of power chakkies reached Ladori and adjoining villages, these gharats had to be abandoned being uneconomical as people were attracted to power chakkies being situated at their door steps.

 Shri Yakko Ram, who had largest joint family, was considered wise and grand old man of the community who lived up to the ripe age of 110 years.  He was most sought after a person in decision making meetings (Panchies).

 Fikko, a tall, humble, soft spoken lady always clad in chooridars was a busy Dai Maa.  She was proud to have to her credit, the privilege of handling numerous births in the village including the writer's.  Everyone fondly called her Amma.

Second and third generation of the community is, however, well informed and educated.  Almost every family has one or more members in service.  Recently acquired OBC status, has indeed, thrown open more opportunities for them.  Living standard of the community has apparently improved as compared to the recent past. Sub Maj & Hony. Capt. Gian Chand is proud to be a member of the community which is constantly marching ahead!