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COM

Vahali State a gem in the Salt

Range

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Resham Bee and Haji Nazar Mohammad, the two senior citizens of the village.

Though the entire area of the Salt Range is scenic, the nature
has been more generous on Jhangar Valley. The fascinating
valley is a vast hilly area located on the left side of Choa Saidan
Shah. Dotted with historic sites such as Kussak, Makhialah and
Nandna forts, the valley is also blessed with the highest point
(Chehal Abdal) in the districts of Chakwal, Jhelum and
Mianwali.
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Mianwali.

All the villages located in this belt attract visitors but the most
fascinating is Vahali Zer village located on the left side of
Basharat Road.

The village situated on a hilltop has fertile fields in front of it.

The people of Chakwal have little knowledge about the history of
Vahali. Even the villagers themselves offer scanty account about
the history of their village.

In the backyard of a small house lives Resham Bee. Having a

feeble body and a face riddled with pimples, this 107-year-old
woman spends her life on a small cot. And there is also Haji
Nazar Mohammad who is the age-fellow of Resham but can still
be seen walking in the rundown streets.

The historic mosque built with the help of a Hindu trader named Ramtar.

A majestic house (called Chobara), which is still well-kempt, is

also visible in the village due to its splendid height and
construction. Though the gate of the house carries the name of a
Muslim owner, the typical construction style shows it was built
by a wealthy Sikh. A few yards away stands the crumbled
building of a grand house (locally called Mari). The plaques of
sandstone installed on the walls of wells, the historic buildings
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sandstone installed on the walls of wells, the historic buildings
of two primary schools (one for boys and the other for girls), the
imposing ceiling of the central mosque and the ruins of a Hindu
temple and a Sikh gurdwara show that Vahali was not only once
populated by Sikhs and Hindus but also its old natives were
amongst the richest. These people were known as the Sardars of
Vahali, who in 1909 were declared as the largest landowning
family - 14,000 acres in Punjab. This has also been mentioned in
Lepel Griffins famous and voluminous work, Punjab Chiefs.

Sardars of Vahali were not only the owners of salt mines of

Khewrah but also held top positions in the courts of the rulers of
Punjab and Kashmir - from the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to
the Rajas of Kashmir and Poonch and the British government.

Once there were 128 wells in the Vahali village and sugarcanes
grown in its fields were exported across India.

A view of Vahali village which is known for its eye-catching natural beauty.
Photos by the writer

For decades, the village remained the administrative centre of

Sardars of Vahali from where they used to control their
landholdings and salt mines. There is no exact account of who
laid the foundation of this village. But according to Neha Singh
Gohil, a scholar on the Sardars of Vahali, the earliest ancestor of
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Gohil, a scholar on the Sardars of Vahali, the earliest ancestor of
Vahali was Sardar Diwan Karn Mal who served as an adviser in
the court of Shah Jahan. He advised the emperor to begin
building large-scale projects as it would add to his legacy and
create jobs within the kingdom. Diwan Karn Mal personally
supervised the building and laying out of the gardens at Taj
Mahal, Shah Jahans greatest architectural achievement. Years
later, Diwan Karn Mal was executed by Emperor Aurangzeb
because he refused to adopt Islam, she writes.

According to Neha Singh Gohil, the familys original surname

was Jauhar and Diwan Karn Mals great grandson Baba Sehaj
Singh is said to be the first Sikh in the family line while prior to
him the family practiced orthodox Hinduism in the Muslim
Darbar. For at least two generations after Baba Sehaj Singh,
only one son in the family was made a Sikh and took on the title

of Sardar and the surname Singh. The remaining sons in each

of the two successive generations were practicing Hindus who

kept Jauhar as their surnames.

The plaque installed at DHQ Hospital bearing the name of Jawala Devi.

Baba Sehaj Singh had four sons: Dasonwandhi Ram, Karam

Chand, Bhag Singh and Dharam Chand. Dharam Chand the
youngest died in his infancy. Bhag Singh became a soldier who
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youngest died in his infancy. Bhag Singh became a soldier who
raised the familys wealth and status to a new level in the early
19th century.

Bhag Singh served as the commander in the army of Maharaja of

Poonch Sardar Moti Singh. After his death, his son Sardfar Hara
Singh was made a minister. It was Sardar Hara Singh who played
a vital role in building the Poonch state besides organising
various state departments and developing territorys resources.
In lieu of his services, Maharaja awarded him with several
villages.

In 1865, Hara Singh was given the title of Wazir Azam, Mukhtar
Kul, Madarul Manani of Poonch. With this position came the
hereditary title of Sardar and the village of Kalhota, which was
added to his jagir, writes Neha Singh Gohil. In addition to these
gifts, he was awarded several business contracts under which all
salt sold in Poonch would only come from the mines of Khewrah
and Vahali.

The family also held monopolies on the sale of Kuth
(buckwheat), Chikari wood and Chil wood in Poonch. To facilitate
these trading revenues, Sardar Hara Singh also established side
businesses in money lending and banking in Poonch, Wahali,
Rawalpindi and Pind Dadan Khan. By the time he passed away,
Sardar Hara Singh had amassed a substantial fortune.

After the death of Sardar Hara Singh, his son Kartar Singh
became a minister and also the head of Vahali family at the
tender age of 14. He raised the familys honour and wealth to a
new height. After his death, his son Sardar Hari Singh followed
suit. According to Resham Bee, Haji Nazar Mohammad and other
villagers, it was Sardar Hari Singh who built the Mari in the
village. The Mari had more than 100 rooms and was a three-
storey building, says Resham Bee.

Among Sardar Hari Singhs three sons born from his first wife
Lakshmi Devi, the Sardarni of Chutala -granddaughter of Sardar
Bishan Singh (who served as a general in the Sikh army), it was
Sardar Darshan Singh who raised the Vahali state to a new
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Sardar Darshan Singh who raised the Vahali state to a new
height. Darshan Singh enjoyed a lavish life. He lived between
grand havelis in Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Wahali. In each, he
slept on beds and received guests on sofas made of silver. He had
a personal valet, Om Prakash, and a personal accountant, Buta
Singh. Both men accompanied him everywhere. His family took
meals prepared by a slew of servants on plates made of solid
silver and engraved with his initials. Every member of the family
dressed formally for dinner in suits, ties and heavy jewellery,
says Neha Singh Gohil.

There were many notable Hindus living in the village. Resham

Bee and Haji Nazar Mohammad still remember the names of
Ramtar and Chimman Das, both wealthy Hindu traders of gold
and timber. Ramtar Singh donated wood of cedar for the ceiling
of the mosque that was built a couple of years before the

partition, says Haji Nazar Mohammad.

Jawala Devi, another rich Hindu woman, donated land for the

construction of a women hospital in Chakwal city which is now
known as the District Headquarters Hospital.

When the British government announced the partition of India

in August 1947, Sardar Darshan Singh along with other Sikh
members of the Vahali family were enjoying the summer in
Shimla from where they never returned.

We were living with peace and harmony. My best friends were

Hindu women. I still remember the names of Parmeshri, Mono
and Kishwar with whom I would go to the wells for fetching
water, says Resham Bee.

She adds that the Muslims of Vahali did not plan to attack
Hindus but a group of rioters from the neighbouring Minhala
village stormed Vahali and burnt it. According to the villagers,
some 200 Hindus, including women and children, were burnt
alive in Vahali.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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