Valley Khaplu: The Land of Scholars and Poetry

The state of Gilgit-Baltistan, 103 km away from Skardu, is known for its high snow peaks and Raja’s fort, but people living in other regions of Pakistan do not know how many scholars, writers and poets this valley produced.

As a tourist I am fascinated by historical buildings and royal forts, living human life and breathing scenery are my tourism goals. Entering the fort of Wadi-e-Nivam, I was stunned. It seemed to me that the living rooms of the castle, and then the cramped, dark dungeons below, were oozing fear and hatred from their walls.

The living utensils, gymnasium, kitchen, guest house, guard’s quarters and clothes used by the Raja were just a lesson for me. The window of the Raja’s wedding room opened towards the gardens, from where the chilling sound of the Shivuk river broke the silence of the palace and shook my being. My kids were filming the interior scenes of the palace but I was still stunned.

For me, this palace, built in 1840 by the Raja Daulat Ali Khan of Nawim, was not important, nor were these gates and walls spread over 2600 meters of interest. I went to visit Nawim only because this valley He produced scholars, writers and poets. The ancient inhabitants here were followers of Buddhism. In 786 Hijri, Syed Ali Hamdani came here and this valley became the cradle of knowledge and literature. When Mir Shamsuddin Muhammad Iraqi arrived here, the rain of wisdom became the destiny of this valley. Eminent poets like Mir Noor Bakhsh were born in Nawab, whose written manuscript of the Tafsir of the Holy Qur’an is available in the Kazemia Library, Talis.

Mir Mukhtar was an eminent poet and writer as well as a philosopher, he wrote a book on Islamic jurisprudence and published a collection of poems called Dewan Mukhtaria. He was an artist and an architect. The grand monasteries of Baltistan are built by him.

There is a monastery of Keris in Nawam where Sunnis and Shias pray together. The building of Chakchan Mosque is a classic example of Buddhist and Tibetan architecture. The first floor of this five hundred year old mosque is made of mud and stone. On the upper floor there are opening windows, rooms for worship and meditation.

All the buildings in Naveem are of Balti, Tibetan and Ladakhi style of architecture. After the death of Raja Nawam in 1983, the fort began to be demolished. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture released funds in 2005 to renovate it. In 2011, the Naveem Fort was leased to a hotel and part of the palace was opened to tourists. That day we saw that foreign guests were staying in this hotel of our fort.

The gloom of the fort and the evening time were telling stories of rise and fall. While walking in circles, we were coming down from a height and children playing cricket and football in our fields testified to the financial and social prosperity of the region.

When we left Skardu in the morning, after Hussainabad, the Chitel mountains had expanded. Before the settled town of ‘Gol’ there was no large population. When the settlement was passed, green fields were visible on the heights across the river.

In the area of ​​’Northan’, there were stone carvings in which the wishes of prehistoric man were depicted in pictures. The pagodas and figures built by the Buddha and the priests were the expression of the painters.

The width of the valley began to shrink and the mountains came closer. We came to a point where the river Indus was parting with us. The river Indus was coming from Ladakh here and we crossed it and started traveling along the banks of river Sheoq. We saw the confluence of the Indus and the Shivuk rivers.

The intensity of Shivuk’s waters was much greater than that of the Indus, but despite all the intensity, Shivuk was losing its identity after Shant and Gambhir were lost in the Indus. The fields of wheat and barley presented a beautiful view of the world. Harvesting had started and threshers were installed everywhere. The animal born from the mating of a cow and a yak was seen roaming the fields.

The town of ‘Yugo’ was the only example in the entire north that the sapwood trees were planted on both sides of the road in the order that an artist had made a picture. In Yugo and Brah area, the fortified houses showed the high standard of living of the people.

We were traveling on the Tibet and Ladakh Road and the apricot groves along the river were an unforgettable sight. Yellow apricots were blocking our way. At one place a spring was gushing and this scene stopped us. The proximity of the river and the orchards of juicy apricots did not go unnoticed for many hours.

The ascent towards Nawam Fort took us to the right side of the road which separated it from the Sheouk River. All around us were towers like the Qasr al-Hamra in Granada, and there was a warning echo in the sound. The dense forests surrounding Nawam Fort were a night scene even during the day.

A journey of 103 km from Skardu brought us to the nearest state of Central Asia where the gates of Kharming, Baghecha, Olding, Hoshe and Farano opened. There were views of high peaks like Lily Peak, Hidden Peak, Gushabroom and Broad Peak. Baltoro was drawn to Kangri’s white existence.

It was night when we left. This valley located on the Ladakh road was full of modern facilities like any urban population, but we had to reach Skardu anyway.