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visit Reconstructing
hope A first time traveller to Khaplu wondering why he did not come here before By Aoun Sahi On a recent one-week trip
to Skardu, I had the chance to visit the most beautiful places of the region
including Khaplu, district headquarter of Ganche district, is situated 103 kilometres east of Skardu towards the Siachin Glacier. The road to Khaplu is in very good condition and passes along the Indus River and the Shyok River. Wazir Hamayat turned out to be the most interesting host and tour guide. He knew the area, the people and the culture like the back of his hand. I was informed about the significance and history of different places along the road from Skardu until we reached Khaplu. About 50 kilometres from Skardu lies the small town of Kiris. Two great rivers of Baltistan region -- the Indus and the Shyok -- meet near this town. This 'meeting point' of the two rivers is known as Chumdo. A very interesting fact about these rivers is that, locally, Shyok is labelled as the female river (Mocho) while the Indus is the male river (Focho). This is because the Indus overpowers the Shyok at this point. The view point of famous Masherbrum peak is also situated at this road. This 7821m peak is ranked amongst the most dangerous in the world. Masherbrum was first sumitted in July 1960 by two American mountaineers while it took 23 years before a second ascent was made by two Japanese mountaineers in August 1983. It is also known as K1, a name given by the British survey team in 1856 while identifying the peaks in Karakoram Range. After four hours journey by
car, we reached Khaplu city. Khaplu is amazing not only for its physical
beauty (it is Khaplu was the second-largest kingdom of Baltistan. Being the neighbour of Ladakh, it guarded the trade route to Ladakh along the Shyok River. In the past, Khaplu had close trade and cultural ties with Ladakh. Many of the residents still have their relatives in Ladakh. These are the descendants of migrants from Baltistan, having settled in Ladakh when the Ladakhi Buddhist ruler Jamyang Namgyal (1555-1610) married Gyal Khatun, daughter of Yebgo Sher Ghazi, the Muslim prince of Khaplu. Gyal Khatun is said to have brought along with her a number of Baltis in her retinue. Before 1949, they used to visit their relatives in Ladakh and vice versa freely but now it is almost impossible for them to visit Ladakh. "To meet a relative who lives just 50 kilometres from my village, I need to have a visa and travel thousands of kilometres," says Abbas Hussain, a 60 year old resident of Ghursay village. He demands that both Pakistani and Indian governments should reopen this border. The natives of Khaplu
including the new generation are very simple, friendly and greet everybody in
the old Balti Our first stop in Khaplu was the PTDC motel. Situated at the bank of the Shyok River, it is unquestionably one of the most spectacular PTDC motels in Pakistan. Inaugurated back in 1998, the building is made up of precious and beautiful deodar wood and local white stone. The courtyard of the motel was full of different plants with colourful flowers. According to Jalal-ud-Din, in-charge PTDC motel, the motel remains open from April to October because "in the extreme winter season, all the PTDC motels in Baltistan region are closed. " The number of visitors to Khaplu as well as his motel was never much but since the last five years even this number has been dropping constantly "especially the foreigners." Consequently, the government has also included this motel in the list of 26 PTDC motels that are to be privatised. This will really be a setback for tourists in this area as PTDC motel is the only nice and affordable accommodation in Khaplu. "Khaplu has all the ingredients to become the tourists hub in Pakistan. Only if government markets it properly," says Wazir Hamayat Hussain. He admits that the majority of Pakistanis do not even know the name of this historical city. He thinks such beautiful places should not be sold, instead these should be promoted to attract the tourists. Another interesting thing about Khaplu was the name of the localities. In the old city, these localities were named by Rajas according to the professions of their residents. The locality of carpenters is known as Shinggrong (shing means carpenter, grong means locality), Mongrong (mong means music) is the name of musicians' locality, Kwagrong is the locality of butchers while Khsergrong is the locality of jewellers. Although majority of the residents of these localities have changed their professions, the name of localities have not changed. Wazir Hamayat told TNS that Khaplu was well-known for its musicians and that is why there was a different locality reserved for them by the Raja "but these days you will hardly find a musician in Mongrong. They have changed their professions, some are working as carpenters, other as cobblers and labourers." Passing through narrow streets we finally reached our destination to eat the lunch of local dishes. Rice, meat and yogurt is the favourite food of Baltistan. A traditional Baltistani food is incomplete without these. But I find local spinach the most delicious. I found that Balti place meat, spinach and yogurt with white rice and eat it with chappatis. You have to get used to the taste to enjoy it. The water of Khaplu is considered the safest in the region to drink and comes from Ghanche glacier (from which the district is named) through Ghanche stream. Our next stop was the famous Chaqchan Mosque, the largest and most impressive among the old Balti mosques. It is one of the earliest mosques in Baltistan (1504 AD), attributed to Syed Ali Hamdani, the first Islamic preacher who came to the area. According to the locals, a Buddhist temple was replaced by this mosque. It has two storeys, the upper one is used during summers while the lower one serves as a winter mosque and as lodging and meditation place for visitors. A richly decorated, arched veranda surrounds the building on four sides. The prayer room houses four slim, pillars with cross-bracket capitals and bases with cusped arched panels in high relief. Several superimposed richly carved corbelled cornices form the transition to ceiling. Made of wood, the mosque is a fine example of Kashmiri architecture. The word Chaqchan is derived from Balti word Chaq meaning chain. There are two chains installed at the main door after which the name Chaqchan was given to the mosque. Khaplu Khanqah was to be visited next. This marvellous piece of Tibetan architecture made of wood is also the largest Khanqah in Baltistan region. It has six huge columns with square bases and large brackets capitals with more than twenty additional smaller columns in support of the weakened roof beams, eight hujras (mediation rooms) and a four metre wide veranda, which counts ten richly decorated arches topped by varying panjira latticework. Adjacent to this Khanqa is the 300-year old Astana of Syed Mir Muhammad, a locally venerated saint which is also worth-seeing. Last destination of the day was great palace of Raja of Khaplu. My host thought I had missed the amazing lakes, green valleys and two great pastures situated within 10 kilometres radius of the Khaplu. While on a visit to Baltistan, you cannot afford to miss Khaplu, otherwise you have missed much in Baltistan as well as in life. aounsahi@gmail.com On the lines of Shigar Fort Raja's palace undergoes restoration work to eventually serve as hotel and museum The Raja's palace of Khaplu -- a magnificent 19th century building -- is the largest palace in Gilgit-Baltistan region. Erected on a flat piece of land, the Khaplu Fort lies near an earlier mud fort constructed on a hill. A rectangular type Baltistan palace, it is constructed of stone masonry, reinforced with timber members and rendered in lime plaster. Richly embellished with three storeyed timber balconies, verandahs screened with intricate perforated timber jalis (screens), carved timber posts, fascias and fenestrations make a magnificent symphony of solids and voids, shadow and light. The lintels, jambs and frames of most doors and windows are richly embellished. Khaplu Fort has an inner small courtyard and a lager garden. Its courtyard is surrounded by a series of double rows of more than fifty rooms for the Raja and his family's residential needs, including stores, kitchens, stables and prisons. Both the inner and the outer courtyards are planned and embellished in Mughal garden style including still water pools, flowing water channels, eye-catching fountains and spectacular baradaris. The most intriguing element of the fort is its half-octagonal timber entrance, which becomes a balcony at the second floor and a guest room at the third floor. In late 1970s the family of Raja shifted from this palace to other places after abolishment of Raja system of governance in this area. The palace started deteriorating thereafter when no one was left to look after the huge palace. According to Wazir Hamayat, it was liveable until the mid-1980s after which the residents of the city and visitors started stealing the precious and historical goods from the palace. "Raja used to have a huge staff to look after the palace but all those people also left this building and started private jobs and in less than a decade after the Raja system was abolished, the palace turned into ruins." In 2005, the Raja family requested AKCSP to take control of this majestic palace for conservation purposes. It started the restoration work in 2006 which is expected to be complete around 2011. "We started conservation work here on the request of the family of Raja. H.H. Aga Khan is taking personal interest in such projects in this region," Abbas Ali Khan, manager marketing AKCSP, tells TNS. The fort is being restored by the Historic Cities Support Programme. According to him, AKCSP is conserving it on the lines of Shigar fort. "The front part of the palace will be changed to a hotel while the original building will be converted into a museum," Abbas adds. He hopes the conversion of the palace into hotel and museum will help the tourism industry in Khaplu flourish. "The income of this hotel and museum will be shared with the local community and a good chunk will be spent on their welfare." -- A. Sahi
AKCSP is 'rescuing' the historical heritage of Khaplu through its architecture The Aga Khan Cultural
Service in Pakistan (AKCSP) is doing a commendable service in Khaplu to
restore and According to Sher Ghazi, Program Manager AKCSP, the restoration of Astana and the adjacent settlement took six months. "Khanqah is one of the eight old settlements in Khaplu town situated at a height of 2,600 meters, which are still inhabited. Khanqah settlement is home to 40 families". According to him AKCSP discovered in 1999 that residents of such settlements had started either abandoning them because of deteriorating conditions or were using modern construction material to rebuild their houses in these hundreds of years old settlements. "Both these trends were alarming for environment and heritage. Those who were leaving such settlements started to construct homes on green terraces used to grow grain, fruits and vegetables while usage of modern building material and machinery catalysed the process of deterioration of old and historical buildings. Because all these settlements are situated around historical buildings we want people to known the importance of these buildings and settlements" he tells TNS. He says that AKCSP is trying to spread awareness among the locals regarding the treatment and significance of traditional building material. So far they have restored two such settlements in Khaplu. "Traditional construction material and unskilled labour was provided by the locals while rest was done by AKCSP. We spent a total of Rs 30,000 only on restoration of a house to its original shape in such settlement" he says. Now, according to Sher Ghazi, there is a greater awareness among the people about the use of traditional materials and maintenance of buildings in their villages. The community members have realised that such buildings can be conserved through simple technical inputs. "Ever since the completion of this project in 2000, it has triggered a community-oriented process in Khaplu to upgrade and improve individual building in the surrounding of traditional settlements.". AKCSP has also paved roads, constructed public toilets and separate places for washing clothes in these settlements. "Earlier the people used water from the main channel to wash clothes polluting it with detergent and consequently causing health problems to people living down stream" says Ghazi. Kacho Hussain, a 65 year old resident of this settlement tells TNS that as much as 50 percent of population of this settlements either had migrated or was planning to do so before AKCSP's intervention in 1999. "Not only the migration from this area has stopped but some of the migrated families have returned to their homes." -- Aoun Sahi
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Kachura Lake, Satpara Lake, Shigar Fort and Deosai Planes. The last three
days of the trip were to be spent exploring the Shangrila Resort. Luckily,
one of my local friends Wazir Hamayat Khan offered me a trip to the green and
beautiful Khaplu. This was hardly motivating in Baltistan which itself is so
green and beautiful. I accepted his offer, nonetheless, thinking its better
than sitting idle in the hotel room.
undoubtedly the most beautiful city in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, to me
even more beautiful than Karimabad) but because in Khaplu one feels to be in
a real Baltistani city with all traditional flavours
style by bending their heads and raising the hand. Modern buildings and
houses are visible in the city but still many of the people live in old
styled small and inter-connected Tibetan houses made of stones. Most of the
settlements of such houses are around 200 years old while some are even 300
years old. In such settlements scores of houses are connected to each other
in a small piece of land, making them cosy in winters. The streets in such
settlements are narrow and covered with wood and stone. This old city allows
a peep into the past of Baltistan, its culture and lifestyle, a link
regretfully missing in big cities. Modernity has overcome the past lifestyle
which is still preserved in old buildings and broachers in other cities of
this region.
conserve the cultural heritage of the city. It started working in Khaplu in
1999. In 2000 they restored the historical Astana of Syed Mir Muhammad -- a
successor of Amir Kabir Syed Ali Hamdani, the first Muslim preacher in
Baltistan. The local community with the help of his descendants built this
Astana about 300 years ago in his memory. This finest of the Astanas in
Baltistan, is situated in Khanqah settlement. The Astana as well as this old
settlement was in on the verge of being collapsed in June 1999, when AKCSP
took charge of it for rehabilitation and restoration. This project was
awarded UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Heritage Award (2003) for Culture Heritage
Conservation.