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heritage A
sojourn in Singal Malot, the prettiest temple of the Salt Range that has withstood one millennium of minor geological changes, may collapse soon. Before that happens, it is essential to preserve it By Salman Rashid Sprinkled across the Salt
Range of Punjab, there are five temple-fortress complexes. Beginning with the
ruined Little is known of their history, but they were obviously built during a period of peace and tranquility. Between the end of the Central Asiatic incursions around the beginning of the first millennium CE and the advent of the Turkish raids, there were five hundred years of relative peace and the Hindu Shahya kings (themselves of Turkish extraction as their name suggests) ruled without the threat of invasion. Among other things, they built the temple-fortress complexes of the Salt Range which either doubled as universities or were simply holy sites. Sitting on the edge of a five hundred-metre high escarpment overlooking the Punjab plains and now also M-2, Malot was one that was purely a Shaivite temple. For the purpose of security, a fortification ran along the north edge of the hill it stands upon. Nothing but two ruinous turrets now remain of that wall. Constructed of locally
quarried red sandstone, Malot certainly is the prettiest of the lot of Salt
Range temples. Its Rudyard Kipling had never been to Malot, but in 'Kim' he comments on the continuation of the Greek architectural tradition introduced first by Alexander and more cogently by the Bactrian Greeks who came a hundred years after him. He wrote of buildings having been raised by "forgotten workmen whose hands were feeling, and not unskilfully, for the mysteriously transmitted Grecian touch." Through some two hundred generations, Punjabi stone masons had preserved the Hellenistic tradition and passed it down completely unspoiled. As one stands in front of the ruinous facade of Malot, one cannot but marvel at its striking Grecian aspect. In the Kashmiran tradition, the elevation of the temple was reproduced in miniature on all outside walls. Here too we see the same trefoil archway, the fluted pillars with the same capitals and bases. The only difference is the very impressive spire -- the sikhara that is missing in the main building. The spire once did indeed top the now flat roof, but it succumbed to some long ago earthquake. So long ago did this event happen that over the years the debris has been removed and perhaps gone into the building of the houses of Malot village. In 1810 the Sikhs under
Maharaja Ranjit Singh overran the Salt Range. In order to keep an eye on
their Janjua Across the temple to the east and separated from it by about forty metres is another ruined roofless hulk. This, according to Dr Saifur Rahman Dar, was the entrance. Dr Dar postulates that a timber walkway once ran between the entrance and the temple. The hill upon which Malot stands is riven with narrow chasms. This, according to geologists, is because Malot stands on an up-thrust that is imperceptibly rising. As it rises, the hill splits. One of these cracks ran very near the south side of the temple and in 1995 was grouted with cement on the orders of the then deputy commissioner. This was better than not doing anything at all. Now with the building of a number of cement factories very near Malot, we do not know how the unstable geology of the Salt Range will shape up. But certainly the round-the-clock running of heavy machinery and huge lorries can only adversely affect the region. Malot that has withstood one millennium of minor geological changes, may not have much more time left. Sooner or later it will collapse. But before that happens, it is essential that plans be made for its preservation. The Indus Valley School of Arts in Clifton, Karachi is housed in a building that once stood in Kharadar -- a building that was a protected monument because of its age and was threatened not by nature but by greedy land-grabbers. It was systematically dismantled, the blocks numbered and re-assembled in Clifton. Even if someone does not immediately dismantle and shift Malot, it is now time to prepare detailed drawing, number the building blocks in preparation for the time when the exquisitely beautiful one thousand year-old temple will have to be shifted to safer ground.
Folklore and festivals of Punial valley make an interesting study of the tribal culture By Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro Whenever I am in Gilgit,
either for research or on a private visit, I never miss an opportunity to go
to Punial. The territorial limits of Punial, an important tehsil of Gilgit, start from Biyarchi village not far from Gilgit town. People usually stop here for tea, lunch or dinner on their way to Singal. Many villages in Punial valley are famous for one reason or the other. Two villages, or rather towns, Sher Qila and Singol or Singal are worth-visiting. Sher Qila boasts of some buildings of historical significance, particularly the buildings that were once inhabited by the rulers of Punial. All these structures now stand neglected. The other town, which is the headquarter of Punial tehsil, is Singal. Surrounded by majestic mountains, it is two hours away from Gilgit. Four tribes namely Shin, Yeshkun, Syeds and Gushpur inhabit Singal. Shina is widely spoken in the area. Gushpurs are the descendents of the Raja who ruled over Punial valley. Ismaili and Sunni are two main sects in Singal. Singal town lies on Gilgit-Chitral road and is connected with Gilgit through a metalled road. It is a prominent tourist attraction for those travelling between Gilgit and Chitral. During the Shandur festival, tourists descend on Singal in great numbers to shop and enjoy. Punialis earn considerable amount of money during festival times. However, they lament the lack of tourist facilities in the town. Nadar Khan, a resident of
Punial, says that Singal abounds in natural beauty unfortunately neglected by
the Despite the lack of facilities, many people come here to see the waterfall and to go hiking in Singal Nullah. Singal is also popular with hikers. Nadar believes once the accommodation problems are solved, tourism would flourish. Up until now there is only one rest house located in the heart of the town where, mostly, government officials stay. Nadar Khan accompanied me to Singal Nullah which has some beautiful summer pastures namely Keenagah, Pilagah, Siragah Thapas, Kurgozo etc. where people of Singal, Gohrabad, and Gech take their livestock for grazing. The residents of Damas, Thingdas, Silpi, Golo Das, Gurnjo, Buber (a village famous for Buddhist remains), Gulmiti, and Japuke use Singal Nullah as grazing grounds. Nadar also informs that they took Kalan or Kalang (some charges) if the people of other villages use Nullah of Singal. However, they can't do anything against the people of Darel who frequently come into the Nullahs of Singal and steal the livestock. Darelis, according to him, are notorious for stealing cattle from Singal Nullah. The scribe has been documenting folklore, oral history and most of the festivals and customs of Punial valley in general and Singal in particular since 2001. Of these, however, Shisho Goth, and Duman Khia, are quite prominent festivals. The festival of Shisho Goth is celebrated either in the last week of May or in the first week of June. One or two days before the harvesting of crops, a Nambardar (headman) of the village announces that in the evening of the following day crops will be harvested. On this particular occasion, people bring grains of their crop particularly that of wheat and barley from fields and mix these in milk. Then the headmen of the household gives two drops of that milk to each member of his family. Special food is cooked the same day which is then distributed among the kith and kin. The crops are harvested the next day. Duman Khai is another important festival celebrated in Punial valley in general and Singal in particular. The festival is celebrated in the second week of November, when people gather or keep all the crops at home. On this occasion, the nambardar announces the Duman Khia (celebration of gathering crops) the next day. After that, people leave their livestock to graze in the fields and people cook special food in the evening. Traditional bread goli is prepared to be taken with meat and rice. After the meal, the head of the household gets up and take the axe and hits twice gently on the right pillars ( mostly houses has fours pillars) of the house. While hitting the right pillars of the house, he then utters the following words in his native language Shina while gently hitting the pillars: 'Shokhia sopia te nakhey bo' meaning 'you ate well, drank well now leave our home.' The head of the household addresses these words to the demon. He hits the pillars with axe again and utters following words in Shina 'Peshon pho nelto waps wa' meaning 'return back when the Peshon (type of flower that grows in the area in abundance) flowers grow.' Women wash the dishes in which they ate. The dirty water is taken out by the head of the household. He utters the same words there 'you ate well, drank leave, now leave my house' while throwing that dirty water. The ritual ends with aerial firing. In order to drive the demon out of the house, the head of the household has to dress in such way that he looks like the demon. It is believed that if he dresses so, only then he can see the demon and would succeed in driving it out from his house.
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Nandna fort and temple in the extreme southeast corner of the hill range,
there are Ketas, celebrated by the Hindus as a Shaivite sacred site, Malot,
Sassi da Kallara and Amb. Built by the Hindu Shahya rulers of Punjab, the
temples are known by that name and date between the late 9th century and the
early 11th.
beauty lies in the delightful synthesis of Kashmiran temple architecture with
Greek tradition. This is very curious: Taxila was moribund when Malot was
built. It is doubtful if any of Taxila's Hellenistic buildings then survived,
yet the architects and the stone masons at Malot were able to furnish this
temple with fluted Greek pillars and stylised pillar bases and capitals that
recall the Doric tradition.
adversaries, they built the ugly wart-like protuberance on the flat roof of
the main temple. During daylight hours, a Sikh soldier kept the watch from
that ugly cubicle.
Mansoor, my friend and host in Gilgit, always asks, "what attracts me
most in Punial?" My answer is, "its oral history, folklore, visual
culture, looming Hindukush mountains, verdant and sprawling villages, nullahs
(side-valleys) full of green pastures, gushing Gilgit River coursing through
Punial valley and, of course, .the hospitable people of the valley."
government. He suggests that in order to facilitate the tourists, the
concerned authorities should establish a hotel on the main road leading to
Chitral, furnishing people with guidance and information about the tourist
attractions in the Singal and its environs. He further suggests that not many
people know about the waterfall located north of the village on way to Singal
Nullah. A tourist hut at the main road can lead them to the waterfall to
enjoy the atmosphere there. A reasonable motel is also desperately needed
near the waterfall.