THAKUR KASHMIRIS OF CHINIGAAM, KISHTWAR
"Chinigaam is located on the Kishtwar -Sinthan( also spoken as Simthen ) highway and about 40 km from Kishtwar town. I am not a baker. Since there are no jobs, I learnt this activity here in Jammu at a Kashmiri bakery shop. I have done graduation from IGNOU . I belong to Chinigaam in the Inderwal area of Kishtwar. It is just below the Simthen pass that connects Kashmir with Kishtwar by bus. We reach Srinagar in 4 hours. We speak Kashmiri. I am actually Raina. We came to these mountains during the dark days of Afghan rule in Kashmir. My grandfather has told me that we are from the Anantnag district. We became Thakur here. We perform Shivratri Puja like Kashmiri Pandits using walnuts. Many Kashmiris write Sharma now. There are Thakur Rajputs as well in our area.
The Chingam Nallah flows through our Village. This stream joins the River Chanderbagha or Chenab near Bhandarkoot. At Bhandarkoot, another river coming from the Marwah and Warwan valleys and originating from Nunkun glacier joins the Chenab River. So, Bhandarkoot Sangam is very sacred for us. We used to call it Ganga Prayag. Shiva is worshipped by us. We have the Ashtadasha Bujha Mata Temple in the Parna village. She represents child Durga.
We prepare Roth like Kashmiri Pandits on Ganesh Chaturthi. In our marriage functions, we prepare Dam-alu, Rajmah, Yellow Paneer, Roganjosh, Yakhni, Mutsch and almost all Kashmiri dishes. Nadru, we don't have over there. We observe Janam Saptami, Pitra Paksha and Shraddha. Our ladies didn't wear the Dejhur, but now many young women wear it. We have family priests. We perform Mekhla like Kashmiri Pandits. We go to Mattan on Mal- Maas/ Bhaan- Maas or to perform Pind-daan. When there was no road, our elders would go on foot. It was a 9-hour journey. We have special Rajmah in our area. We have walnuts, fruits and Chinar trees. We have snowfall in winter. In our village, we have some Kaul families apart from Raina and Razdan. I know some Zutshi families also. We use Kangri during the winter season. We also grow Monji-haak( Kohlrabi ) in our kitchen garden. The Muslims in our Village also speak Kashmiri. Most of them have come from Anantnag district villages during famines. Unfortunately, many people think that we are only bakers, cooks and domestic help. "
Prof R L Shant has this to add:
"Chingam was just a hamlet of a few mud houses in 1983-4, during a foot hike to Daksum- Kishtwar along with my teacher-colleague Prof. TN. Bhan and a group of students of A.S.College during our trans-state-hike. We sat to relax by a rock outside the village, chatting with curious children and their elders and distributed some medicines like paracetamol, cough syrups and digestive pills among them, most of whom were "old Kashmiri Pandits" and were " very neglected" by the "ruling party".We smelt tobacco smoke coming from a group of women chatting a few yards away. They wore like dogra folks and spoke some dialect, that I guessed, was Kashmiri heavily mixed with dogri...Yes they are remnants of our fleeing ancestors during the last 500 years of torment and persecution meted out to us in Kashmir."
( Avtar Mota )
PS
Sinthan Pass, or Sinthan Top, is nestled at an altitude of approximately 3,748 meters (12,300 feet). Located on the border of Anantnag district (Kashmir Valley) and Kishtwar district (Chenab Valley), the pass is one of the most stunning yet unexplored mountain passes in Jammu and Kashmir. The road passes through snow-draped peaks, winding roads, and vast alpine scenery while acting as a vital link between the two culturally and geographically distinct regions. There are no shops, eateries, or shelters at the top. Sinthan Pass is a remote location and demands proper preparation. Petrol pumps are available only in Anantnag or Kishtwar.
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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