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Jammu, the ancient town, once the base of the fable
Silk Route, is today the winter capital of the state of Jammu and
Kashmir. Discover in its winding lanes and crowded bazaars, its very
interesting past.
When I first saw Amar
Mahal, I was surprised, to say the least. In a town of winding
alleys, temples and crowded bazaars one does not expect to see the
perfect replica of a French chateau. Just outside the city of Jammu,
on what is now the main highway to Srinagar, the terrain forms a sort
of saddle. On one rise is a thick scrub forest into which the ITDC
has carved a hotel complex- the Jammu Motel. On the facing hillock,
after a sweeping driveway and acres of unblemished lawn, is the Amar
Mahal-a country manor, that instead of overlooking the river Seine,
stands by the Tawi as it slowly cuts a watery swather to the Chenab.
Built for Raja Amar
Singh, this the highest point in the city of Jammu, is now a museum.
Apart from the grand throne of the former rulers of the state, the
other striking exhibits are the forty-eight miniature painting of the
Nala-Damyanti romance. With sensuous beauty, the tension of the love
affair is beautifully portrayed-the detail is unbelievable for the
finishing touches were applied by a brush that held a single strand
of hair! The museum also has a gallery of the works of the celebrated
artist, Shobha Singh.
In many ways, this
building epitomizes the city-its antiquity and culture, an anchor of
ancient roots, while the branches of the trees grow out into rapidly
changing times. The ancient temple of Kali Mata built by Bahu, a
powerful chieftain of the ninth century. The Kali temple was placed
within the walls of the citadel and, admirably fighting the wear of
time, still stands among the blackened ruins of the fort also built
by Bahu. With a commanding view of the city is a recently created
park, the Bagh-e-Bahu.
Bahu’s brother
Jamboo Lochan-after whom the city of Jammu is named was renowned for
his physical strength and famous for his colossal appetite. Like his
brother, he was fond of hunting and once in this region, is said to
have seen a lion and a goat drinking from the same water-hole.
Taking this as a
propitious sign, Jamboo Lochan decided to build a township around the
spot. The powerful man hefted a huge boulder, carried it across the
Tawi, installed it on the other side and the construction of a new
township began. The spot where a small portion of the embedded
boulder is still visible, is called kali janni, the once dark
boulder is covered with sindoor and a temple has been built
around it.
Through the middle ages,
Jammu prospered. Changes of rule at Delhi or Lahore, passed over
without disturbing the affluence of the town. Wealth was constantly
generated by the fertile cultivable land around and unlike many
medieval towns, Jammu was never depopulated. The town was also a
major stop-over for caravans on the trade routes to Kashmir, Asia
Minor and beyond-including being a base for the fable Silk Route.
Even today, the story is somewhat similar. Apart from the economic
(and physical) growth of the town and its own rich culture and status
as the winter capital of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, it still
acts as a starting point for tourists heading for Kashmir and
pilgrims bound for the shrine of Vaishno Devi.
The Dogras emerged as a
distinct community during the middle ages, and the
Rajaur-Jammu-Kangra-Chamba belt is the traditional homeland of these
breakaway Rajputs-the generic term Dogra comes from dugar or dogur
which means hill or mountain. Their schools of miniature painting
florushed-Kangra and Basohli have become famous the world over. The
somewhat dilapidated Dogra Art Gallery at Jammu has a representative
collection of these painting that are inspired by themes as varied as
the changing seasons, episodes from mythology or, Bhanu Dutt’s
love lyrics-Ras Manjari and the Raga Ragini sequences. Sculptures
excavated from Babor, Nillawar, Basohli, Ambaran and Akhnoor form a
part of the collection. One of the most striking exhibits is the
horse head recovered from Ghora Gali the valley of Horses-the
sobriquet earned from the large number of equestrian statues found
buried in the soil.
The first linguistic
survey of the Dogri language is believed to have been made by a
missionary from Serampore, William Carey. In the early 19th
century, Carely placed the language among the 33 important languages
of the country. He published the Dharam Pustak, a translation of the
New Testament in Dogri in 1926-this is regarded s the first printed
text in the language. Some fifty years later, Frederic Drew
identified 13 dialects spoken in Jammu and Kashmir.
As twilight lengthened
its shadows on the glory of the Mughal Empire, the Dogras wasted no
time in creating independent principalities. To telescope the years,
the next phase began with the death of the ruler of Jammu, Ranjit Deo
in 1780. the rising power of the Sukerchakia in the Punjab, brought
Jammu under the rule of Mahan Singh, father of the legendary Maharaja
Ranjit Singh. In the early 19th century, Gulab Singh, a
scion of a junior branch of the jamwal ruling family, obtained a
sanad from Ranjit Singh which conferred on him a loosely
controlled rule over Jammu Gulab Singh-in a history book phrase-began
consolidating his position. His general, Zorawar Singh conquered
Ladakh, Zanskar, Purig Baltistan, a portion of Gilgit and made an
aggressive foray into Tibet. Later Kashmir was purchased from the
British for seventy-five lakh rupees and an annual tribute of six
shawls and twelve shawl goats.
P.D.Bonarjee in 1899,
observed in his Handbook of the Fighting Races of India, The Dogra’s
soldierly qualities are essentially more solid than brilliant, for
while lacking in dash, he is full of quiet and resolute courage when
face to face with danger. There is also the somewhat unrelated quip
by Captain Sir Richard Temple, who visited the state in 1859, and
again, in 1871: Each infantry Regiment had little pieces of artillery
attached to it, called curiously, little wasps (zambura), lion cubs
(sherbachal) and tiger cubs (baghbacha). The cavalry
was chiefly employed as an escort to the Maharaja and the infantry in
collecting revenue.
Though apocryphal there
is the delightful story of a Maharaja parading his army seven times
in different uniforms to impress visiting dignitaries. Since then,
the spot is appropriately called Satwari.
In 1931- the year Yuvraj
(Dr.) Karan Singh- the table of Salute Princes and their order of
precedence was compiled. The state of Jammu and Kashmir came fourth
in the colourful panoply of Indian princes and merited 21 gun
salutes.
Mubarak Mandi, the old
secretariat of the princely government, is one of the most striking
buildings of Jammu. Architecturally, it is an admirable fusion of
traditional Hindu building principles of Saracenic practices. There
is a remarkable door with six paintstakingly painted panels that has
been shifted to the Dogra Art Gallery. INTACH-The Indian National
Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, has taken this three century old
complex under its protective wing.
Jammu is often called the
city of temples, which it undoubtedly is. The largest in terms of
size is the Raghunath Mandir with 21 lofty vimanas that create
a spectacular undulation of marble and gold-leaf over the skyline.
The Dogra rulers who
regarded in one of the labyrinthin caves that are carved out of the
crusted rock and overlook the Tawi.
A visit to Jammu brings
alive all the faith one can only experience or witness, rarely
express and seldom write about. According to the epic Mahabharata,
Jammu is regarded as one of the most sacred places of Hindu
pilgrimage. It is a city whose deeprooted history, charm and
character bear testimony to the 3,500 year old civilization of India.
It also speaks of changes in lifestyles and social mores of a culture
that has remained unbroken.
VISITING JAMMU
GETTING THERE
By Air
Indian Airlines operates
flights to Jammu from Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Srinagar. The
airport is 8 kilometrs from the city center.
By Rail
Jammu Tawi is an
important railhead on Northern Railways Trains connect it to all
parts of the country.
LOCAL TRANSPORT
Jammu has metre taxis,
auto rickshaws and a mini bus service.
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