Ashish Chouhan
Flanked by the Mighty Himalayas in the North, Kishtwar is the largest district of the Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory in terms of area. Endowed with many beautiful rivers, peaks, meadows, and lakes, this place is of great antiquity. One can often find the name of this region in the ancient texts of Bharat viz. Rig Veda, Mahabharata, Puranas, Milinidapanho and Rajtarangini by varied names. Great quality saffron (Kesar) which grows in some pockets of the region, has stapled Kishtwar, the name of Lohit Mandal in the epic Mahabharatra. Rajtarangani, a 12th-century text of author Kalhana, calls it Kashtavat while the book Milindapanho of Monk Nagsen gives reference to some other places of Kishtwar. The oldest river, Chenab, known by the name Askini in the Vedas also flows through this district with great majesty. During its course, it kisses many other ancient tributaries of which Bhot Nalla and Marusudhar are prominent. Marusudhar which has its origin in the Nunkun Glacier in the north is known by the name Marud Vridha in the world’s ancient text Rig Veda.
Flowing through the Warwan, Marwa, and Dacchan tehsils of Kishtwar this river meets Chandrabhaga at Bhandarkoot, which is also a historical place in the district. There are many places surrounding Marusudhar River where our sages of ancient Bharat dwelled. The name Rikiniwas in Warwan is a distorted version of Rishiniwas, a place where ancient sages (rishis) lived. Besides, there is an ancient sacred shrine of Hud Mata along the Ananth Nala region of Dacchan Tehsil in Kishtwar District. Revered by many devotees in the length and breadth of J&K, the legend of this shrine goes back to the time of the formation of Shakti Peethas which sprawl pan-India today.
Dachhan is a big Tehsil of Marwa subdivision of Kishtwar District. From Ikhala in Dachhan to Hanzal in Marwa, this region is home to 27 plus villages and about 25000 souls. Sandwiched between Kishtwar and Marwa-Warwan, this region has suffered a lot post-independence. Sometimes by the petty politics of the then Governments and sometimes by terrorism. It is very difficult though to imagine that a cultured place like this would once be infested by terrorists. Yet it did and Dacchan faced the brunt of it. Many people lost their lives when terrorism was at its zenith in the valley.
Development of this region stalled, and education got heavily impacted. Deterioration in the quality of life began. You can gauge the level of underdevelopment from an example that it took almost 70 years since Independence for the road to reach Sondar, a prominent village in Dachhan where Tehsil headquarters are situated. Today there are 2 Higher Secondary Schools in Dachhan, one is located in Sondar and the other is in Panjdhara. Still deprived of college, students come to Kishtwar and Jammu to pursue their higher education. Moreover, there is still a monotonous approach to the improvement of Primary and secondary education in some areas of the tehsil.
Of the 9 Panchayats that are there in Dachhan, Chichha has hit the most. There is one High School in Kiyar whose building is in shambles. Two-three roomed, privately owned this building of mud and thatched wooden roof is catering to the student population of 5 villages of this Panchayat. Please do not think of the toilets, which are meant for good schools only.
Memoranda shuttled many tables from Kishtwar to Jammu for the construction of a new school building on the state’s land but all in vain. There was a lack of political will, otherwise, a new building would have been constructed there in the beginning and generations would not have toiled in that wooden hut for ages. Kiyar Nalla which emerges from the tallest Sickle Moon Peak (Bharnazar) and flows through this Panchayat is fed up with the gloomy state of affairs and is yearning for change.
It is due to the valued inputs of the nationalist population of Dacchan and the strict and earnest efforts of our Army that India today succeeded in eliminating terrorism from the face of it. Now there is an era of peace in the region. Two big hydroelectricity projects have been envisaged on the Marusudhar River viz. Pakkal Dam and Bursar Dam. Construction on the Pakkal-Dool Dam at Pinjradi-Dangduroo started at a breakneck speed a few years ago but Bursar Dam in Marwa has been enveloped by a controversy. A mammoth 1000 MW Pakkal Dool, rock-fill dam is now providing employment to hundreds of locals in Dacchan. Infrastructure is enhancing and the lives of people are improving.
Dachhan paid a price though, the local population in Sohrabatti village got shifted to another place giving in space to the quarters and other buildings concerned with the Project. Large scale impact of such projects on nature cannot be ignored but looking at the backwardness of the region such projects truly become harbingers of change. Our first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru called these dams the temples of Modern India.
Engulfed in controversy and protests, construction at Bursar Dam of 800 MW capacity at Marwa could not start. Locals believe that the damage that its construction will cause to the economy of villages and the environment is incalculable. Environment Impact Assessment has been done in the past and it is up to the authorities now how they go ahead with it.
But one thing is worth probing into here, whether the local population there has come out of the “aadhi Roti Khayenge, sar nhi jhukayenge” mindset and whether the stalwart leaders are ready to think beyond their personal interests, is a thing to watch. It has been said that this was the kind of sloganeering that happened in Marwa when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited there during her tenure to announce the Kishtwar-Dacchan-Marwa-Warwan Road. It is said that this sloganeering offended her profusely and she left the place instantly thereby personally stalling the construction of the road till the 2000s. Who is to blame here?
Dachhan is blessed with three beautiful Nallas viz. Kibber Nalla, Ananth Nallah and Kiyar Nallah and one big, Kishtwar National Park. Hud Mata Yatra which is about to begin on the 20th of June this year is one of the largest pilgrimages that happen in the area. Started in 1983 from Geeta Bhawan in Jammu by Late Sh. Dina Nath Ji of Kiyar Dacchan, this annual pilgrimage has now swelled to become the largest with the number of devotees increasing year after year. Hud Mata Shrine which is located in the Ananth Nalla is a 5-6 day long trek from Kishtwar. From Kathua to Cirkoot Temple in Kishtwar to Starcheen meadow at the base of Brahmma peaks, it halts at various places viz. Sondar, Dilgoot, Gaukooth and Kaikooth. Trisindhya and Brahmsar are some other significant sacred places that devotees visit on their way to Hud Mata. This entire circuit should be developed with modern facilities.
Things have changed drastically and so are the people in Dacchan. Now what they want is infrastructural development. From education to culture and from health to tourism, no area should be left untouched. Recently 3rd Tourism Working Group Meeting of G20 was concluded successfully in Kashmir. A very big message has been delivered to the world that J&K is now ushering into a new era of change and development. Here at Kishtwar, the bridle of change is in the hands of young and dynamic Deputy Commissioner Dr.Devansh Yadav and active DDC Chairperson Ms. Pooja Thakur who also happens to be from Dachhan.
Many great things are happening in Kishtwar. Tourism is making great strides in the District. From organizing the Vibrant Baisakhi festival at Paddar to the snow festival at Sinthan, a lot of other positive things are visible on the ground. Now is the time of pilgrimages in Kishtwar. Hope the footfall of devotees in Hud Mata Yatra will increase this year. Moreover, how educational infrastructure improves in Dachhan will be an interesting thing to watch. Dachhan has got enormous touristic potential. Kishtwar National Park which is located in Dachhan, is awaiting the presence of tourists. From, the tallest Brahmaa Peaks to the Sickle Moon and Arjuna there is much to explore in the valley.
Now what is needed is an extra push for Dacchan in Kishtwar from all sides. Hope things will change for the better!
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