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Friday, February 9, 2024

Valley of Ganji... Abode of Fairies

 


If my readers join me in this writing, I would like to introduce a village that, according to my claim, is not only a paradise-like valley but can also be called the abode of fairies. If that valley is explained and interpreted geographically and touristically, it will be as our friend Muhammad Mir Sahib has already identified it as "Fairyland". Today, we want to call that valley "Abode of Fairies" in simple words. To prove our point, there are many mythological stories associated with this valley that are known to everyone and if they are written down, we will have a good amount of literary material in our hands.

By the way, Gilgit Baltistan is no less than a paradise as a region. Every valley here is unique in its beauty. Just mention Deosai and the point will be clear. This is an area which is called the roof of the world. A group of international researchers want to conduct research on the strange shape of this roof. While every major power in the world wants to keep a close eye on the world scene through this roof. It may be that those powers also have ulterior motives. Anyway, Deosai is such an abode of mythological stories that many of its pages are still far from being studied. It is a pity that we are not aware of the deep secrets of research.


Major powers like India, China and America are well aware of the importance of Deosai. India strongly claims that the entire Gilgit Baltistan is its eternal part. I am ignoring the name of Russia because I have not yet heard any rumors of Russian interest in the Deosai plains. If any well-wisher wants to provide any kind of information in this regard, I will definitely be grateful. The only specialty of America the brave is that it considers it its duty to interfere in the political, geographical and military affairs of others. Surely, he would also like the famous vast plain from the roof of the world to be within his reach so that it would be easier for him to interfere in the affairs of the world. The claim that the eagle eyes of international researchers are on this roof (Deosai) and some powers have conspiratorial designs on this roof, we do not have any experimental and observational evidence for this. We have made the above claim only keeping in mind the assumptions and hearsay. Since this writing is not a research paper, we do not need a lot of references to prove the authenticity of each sentence. It is written only and only from a tourist and geographical point of view, so the explanation of that point of view is our real intention.


Now, we want to introduce you to the abode of fairies, instead of presenting a lot of examples of heavenly valleys. As we pointed out at the beginning of our discussion, there is also a valley in Gilgit-Baltistan that is known for its natural beauty and is also known as the abode of fairies.

Yes, we are definitely referring to the Ganji Valley. This valley holds a prominent and unique place in the Rondo district due to its vast and extensive forest. Several tribes are settled here. The population is estimated to be around four hundred. (There is a possibility of increase or decrease in the number) There is a lack of mental harmony among these tribes. But despite the considerable differences, these tribes have been living together for centuries. Each tribe has its own cultural and civilizational temperament. But one fact cannot be ignored in any way that all families and tribes represent the same entity in the performance and observance of customs and traditions. The people here are very fickle-minded. Sometimes they are extremely friendly, humble, and compassionate, and sometimes they become harsh and indifferent. Perhaps this is why it is easy for them to make a big deal out of a small matter. From my point of view, it is a common thing to find such behavior in different societies. In fact, it is necessary to promote constructive competition for intellectual growth and overall development. For example, your indifference makes the person in competition feel inferior, and as a result, that person considers hard work as the only cure to remove the shame of his inferiority. Sometimes, paying too much attention to a person also encourages that person's laziness and indolence. He shuns hard work and always prefers to live on someone else's support. The people of Ganji are lovers of modernity, but not in the sense that they completely ignore the traditions of their ancestors, nor are they so conservative that they wear traditional things around their necks as amulets. It is the individual characteristic of the people here to move forward according to the time and circumstances. They are also quite mature in terms of political understanding and awareness. In the political history of Constituency-4 Rondo, Ganji Valley has an edge over other valleys. So far, the political representatives of this valley have represented the people of Rondo in the Legislative Assembly and now the Provincial Assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan and are still doing so at the time of writing. Although the trend of acquiring religious knowledge is slow, but if we keep in mind the overall enthusiasm and passion, we can hope for a strong future. The late and forgiven Sheikh Jabbar Ali's educational and missionary efforts were the beginning of this series, and now the passion of various personalities towards religious knowledge will be its end.


Overall, the trend of education and learning in Ganji is more than expected and beyond expectations. If my claim is not wrong, then I would like to say that the number of educated people in Ganji Valley is the highest in Rondo district. It is possible that my claim is wrong. But we have heard many friends say that the trend of education is the highest in Ganji Valley. This is a saying that we have heard with our own ears, whose truth and authenticity both meet the standards of modern "ilm al-rijal".

Abundance of water is a great blessing of nature. The people here do not face any water shortage at any time of the year. However, there is a slight shortage of water in some specific places. This shortage is not due to compulsion or scarcity of water, but can be attributed to lack of attention, negligence, and laziness. Speaking of water, it is also important to mention that there are two important streams in Ganji Valley. (In addition to the presence of several lakes, there are also hundreds of clear and transparent springs.) You can observe the different conditions of these two streams when you visit Gilskam (Gi Lis Kam), located a few furlongs (20 minutes driving distance) from the main highway (Skardu Road). The name of this sparsely populated area is also ambiguous. The modern name, as we have said, is Gilskam, while it is reasonable to assume that the name of the place should be "Gas Kam". That is, the place where the "Gas" family lives. It is said that "Gas" is the name of an elder from the distant past, and "Kam" means family in the local language. Collectively, the full meaning of the two words is "the place where the Gas family settled." It seems that due to frequent use, the letter "l" has been added to the noun "gas" and the letter "a" has been deleted from "kam". Thus, the short pronunciation became "Gilskam".


As soon as you turn towards the upper part of Ganji from this place, you will see a large stream on the left side which is called "Malki Geh". This stream is the most important and largest source of life for Ganji. It has been flowing for years and its quantity is likely to increase or decrease depending on the four seasons. That is, in the spring season, its quantity increases slightly from its previous state. With the increase in the flow of the stream, its color also starts to change and its clear and transparent form turns into a muddy form. While in the summer season, it is in full swing, and sometimes floods also occur, which can damage the population near the stream. While in the autumn and winter seasons, this stream gradually becomes clear and transparent. On the right side of the same area, there is also a small stream called "Musni Geh". It is heard that Malki and Musni are used as terms for people living in two different parts. That is, the term "Malki" was used for people living towards the upper part, while the term "Musni" was used for people living in the lower part. The increase and decrease of the Musni Geh stream is related to the abundance and scarcity of snowfall. In the year when there is heavy snowfall, the Musni Geh stream is able to increase its volume, and if there is less snowfall, then this stream certainly loses two-thirds of its existence. Despite going through the ups and downs of abundance and scarcity, this stream has been doing a good job of saving lives and giving new life to the people of Ganji Valley for centuries. The geographical shape and nature of Ganji Valley is triangular. This will be clear from the map below.

OVERVIEW MAP OF VILLAGE GANJI

The more you travel towards the upper parts of Ganji, the geographical shape will appear wider. As you move towards the lower areas, this part of Ganji will appear to be shrinking. You can see in the map. The most important and proud thing of the upper part is the lush green forest. This forest, spread over several hundred acres, can be considered the first source of human population in Ganji. We do not have historical evidence on the basis of which we can say that human population in Ganji started from this forest. But the study of human nature proves the claim true that in the beginning, man started his life from forests, caves and caves. Attention to the plains became possible with the passage of time. Otherwise, at first man was not familiar with technical skills like agriculture. He was just a hunter who hunted various kinds of animals to get his daily food. Many stories are associated with the forest of Ganji, on the basis of which we called Ganji "the abode of fairies". Our conversation is also related to those mythological stories. Below we take a brief look at those selected stories.


1. Bare Zhilatur (Fairies' Meeting Place):

It is said that the fairies had a meeting place in the upper part of Ganji and there was a regular discussion about their mutual affairs. Like women in general, fairy women also liked to gather in one place and milking goats together was their favorite pastime. This place is still known as the abode of fairies. However, it is not known whether the fairies who tried to adapt to the lifestyle of old humans are still waiting for some human to come and try to know their life closely. And today's human will also be in this separation that when will the lot of visiting that meeting come out in his name. This desire will lead to the completion of an important aspect of research.


2. Lilo Paye Gutum (Special Herbal Plant Growing Place):

This place is located in the middle of the forest. The gist of the mythological story associated with it is that the wife of a giant genie one day sank into the ground. The genie kept calling out, and the lady sometimes answered from the front and sometimes from the back. The genie would dig up the ground wherever the voice came from, creating a deep hole. The search did not stop and the digging of the ground continued. So much so that the genie had dug many holes and the lady was still not found. We can say that a lover did not even hesitate to travel to the depths of the earth in the separation of his beloved. Just as Shah Jahan's building of a magnificent palace in the memory of his wife can be a symbol of love, so can our forest's Shah Jahan (the genie) digging holes after holes in love for his wife. The signs of this immortal story of love and longing are still present in the middle of the forest. How much truth there is and how much truth there is, is beside the point. We have fulfilled the responsibility of quoting.


3. Seer Khan Chato Chis (Seer Khan's Statue):

This story is about a human and fairies. Seer Khan was a human and was associated with the hunting profession. It was his hobby to sift through the dust of forests and mountains in search of game. One day he happened to climb the peak of the hill standing on the left side of the starting point of Ganji forest. It is the specialty of a hunter that he tries to reach every place where no other hunter has access. Although this idea of Seer Khan was fruitful, but it was not even in his wildest dreams that he would meet another creature at the end of the summit, different from humans. As soon as he stepped on the end of the summit, what did he see that a group of fairies was busy in their daily affairs at one place. Tired Seer Khan was stunned. He was engrossed in seeing with his eyes wide open that the fairies' eyes also fell on Seer Khan. As soon as their eyes met, the atmosphere resonated with the laughter of the fairies and they started saying: "Aha ha! Seer Khan has come." On the other hand, as soon as the laughter stopped, Seer Khan's body turned into a statue in the form of a statue, that is, Seer Khan turned from a human into a statue. Even today, that hill is known as "Seer Khan Chato Chis". Which means the hill where Seer Khan became a statue. Similar stories can also be seen in Hollywood movies. The story is over but it left many questions. The writer has put the burden of these questions on the general readers. If we ask ourselves questions and try to find answers ourselves, then the door of discussion will be closed.



All these stories are an aspect of traditional practice. The tradition of passing on these stories from generation to generation and from heart to heart is still common. But no one has done enough research to see if every heard and told thing can be true. People's love of listening to stories has sometimes given rise to such fabricated events that are completely beyond reason and human imagination. This is the case with the above stories. The human mind does not believe that such events can also happen. But the places that have been identified are still famous for these events. If they are taken more as stories than as reality, then a little bit of ambiguity can be removed.

















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