“ That is not sold over here . Sir you are possibly trying
to purchase Kalaadi of jammu
.This is a Chapaati type of kalaadi. Gujjars make it over here .”
So said the shopkeeper at Shopian when i asked for Kulchaa
type Kalaadi . I could only find Chapaati type Kalaadi at his shop. Kalaadi is specialty
of jammu hills
. It is as solid as Cheese .Gujjars make it from Milk. It tastes something in
between Curd and Cheese. Just Fry it in
the Pan and take it . It pours
out Ghee or fat of its own. I have
relished it at Samroli on Jammu
Srinagar Highway . I have also tasted it at
Udhampur town in Singh Cafeteria .I have also bought the fresh Stock of
Kalaadis from Pehalwaan's shop in Gandhi Nagar Jammu for friends in Srinagar .
How tasty !
This was our visit to shopian in september2009 . I visited
shopian again in 2010 ., 2011 and 2012.
Shopian is a historical town about 52Kms from Srinagar city .It was in 1979 that Pandit
Swaroop Nath saraf headed an all party action committee which started an
agitation demanding that Shopian be made a District .Gh Nabi Azad’s Government finally accorded a district status
to this area in 2007. This district has two assembly segment namely Wachi and shopian .
Mughals would enter kashmir through Shopian only, trekking
through what is now known as Mughal
Road by crossing the Sidau or Budil Pass (
14000 feet ).This road has now connected kashmir with Poonch and Rajouri
districts of Jammu.Owing to shortness of this route , it was the most preferred
route of kashmiris to move in and out of Kashmir
valley. From this route one could go straight to Sialkot via Akhnoor or to Lahore via Bhimber . Some
Beautiful places in this area are Seadow , Forests range of Kungwattan, Lake Kounsernaag
Mughals camped in this town while visiting kashmir after crossing Pir Panjal
Mountains
"Come in . This is a place for offering Prayers to
Allah Subhaan o Tallah . I am none to stop you. Please be comfortable ."
said the Muazinn when i sought permission to go inside Jamia
Mosque located in Shah Mohalla , in the heart of the town . What a beautiful
structure the mosque is ? Imposing entrance ,wooden Pillars , Spacious Halls
for prayers , A spacious and clean courtyard inside and artistically decorated
brickwork , the mosque reflects elegance of Mughal era.The famous Kapalmochan
Teertha of Hindus is also located in this area .People speak Kashmiri , Gojri and Pahaari over here .Horses are used as a mode of transport in this hilly area.
Shopian is also home to apples and walnut . Ambri variety of
apple is grown in this area only. Walnuts are grown in Shopian and Kupwara area
of kashmir . Delicious, American and kullu variety of apples is also now grown
in plenty in this area . A fruit Mandi has also come up in the outskirts of the
town. Trucks are directly loaded from this Market for Delhi and other fruit markets of the country .
Maharaja Ranjit Sigh’s forces marched from lahore and defeated Afghans in a fierce battle in this town in 1819 A D . This decisive battle ended the
rule of Afghans in Kashmir valley . The rule of Afghans had given lot of
pain and suffering in kashmir . The subsequent rule of sikhs did not bring the
much needed relief . Enjoy the views and
permit me to quote some lines from Tawarikh e Hassan with regard to misrule of
Pathans in kashmir .
"During the reign of KarimDad Khan( 1776-1783A D ) the
entire country remained plunged in absolute misery and fear .During this period
everybody high or low , poor or rich , was fleeced of all he possessed. He
ruined the chastity of a thousand girls of both Hindu and muslim communities
and ruined their lives for ever .Many people migrated out from the country
.Heavy fruit Tax was imposed on people who could not meet this demand and they
cut down fruit trees and sold the wood to meet the demand of the government .
In this way the beautiful gardens laid by Mughals around Dal lake were denuded
of all fruit trees."
( Autar Mota )
saturday ,19th January 2013.... Time 11.50 PM . Good Night .
CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
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