Blazing guns cast shadow over Chamliyal shrine in J&K

A fair is held here on this day annually. The shrine falls on the Indian side but the fair is also held on the Pakistani side. While the fair on the India side is held for one day only, on the Pakistani side which is known as Saidanwali village of Sialkot district, it is held for seven days.

However, this Mela which is being celebrated from the last 320 years in the memory of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas would not be held this last Thursday of June. For the first time since 1947 when the borders were drawn in this Himalayan state, the hostilities between India and Pakistan and the continuous border shelling by Pakistan on the Indian villages located on the same axis, has cast its shadow on this ancient fair.

For the first time since Independence, the famous Chamliyal Mela would not be held this year due to continuous border shelling from across the border. The tension on the 198-km-long International Border has resulted in the cancellation of this 320 year old congregation at the Dargah of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas.

A decision to this effect was taken two days ago in an almost hour-and-a-half-long flag meeting between BSF and Pak Rangers at Octroi Border post in Suchetgarh sector following which the Samba district administration cancelled the annual mela scheduled to be held on June 28 this year.

As every year, hundreds and thousands of devotees come from far off places to this shrine for the annual Mela, this is sad news for them as they won’t be able to visit the shrine and also get “Shakkar” and “Sharbat” as the Prasad.

The soil of this shrine is called “Shakar” meaning sugar and the water is called “Sharbat” meaning sweet water. People have faith that the soil and the water from inside the shrine cures various skin diseases and thus attracts thousands of people who come as far as Punjab for getting various skin ailments cured. This “Shakkar” and “Sharbat” is also well sought after by the devotees in Pakistan.

Baba Chamliyal, after whom the village is named, is revered by people on both the sides of the border because of his saintly qualities and miraculous powers. The Baba was murdered by those who did not want his influence to spread and his popularity to grow.

A Samadhi was erected by his disciples in his memory at the same place where the Baba was done to death. Legend has it that one of his followers who had some incurable skin ailment, had a vision of the Baba advising him to apply mud from near his Samadhi on his skin. He obeyed and was cured.

(Pic: Pakistani rangers offering chader in the past) 

Since then the potion with its healing powers has come to be known as the ‘Sharbat” and “Shakkar”. Thousands of people from all over the state and from Northern Indian states including Punjab and Haryana visit the shrine for the fair and for the treatment.

Each year, on the occasion of this annual fair, the BSF hands over few trolleys of the soil and tanks of water to the Pakistani rangers to be distributed among the Pakistani villagers who also gather on their side for getting the “Shakkar” and “Sharbat”. The border population from Pakistan hold the shrine in great reverence along with their rangers.

Usually Pakistan’s Sialkote sector commander would lead his delegation and they would also offer a Chader at the tomb of Baba Chamiliyal. All this would not happen this year.

Samba District Development Commissioner Rajinder Singh said, “We cannot trust Pakistan this time and put the lives of lakhs of people at risk. So, it was decided that no fair will be organised this year.”

Garo Ram, a villager and devotee in Chamliyal village said that the cancellation of the Chamliyal Mela is a clear indication that Pakistan does not want to see normalcy return to Jammu & Kashmir. He said that even the shared cultural past of both the countries is also not allowing them to stop firing on the border.

Recently, on June 13, four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, including an Assistant Commandant-rank officer, were killed and three others injured when Pakistan Rangers opened fire on the Chamliyal border outpost, taking the death toll in over 1200 ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year to 51.

In the past too, few years ago, the celebrations of Baba Chamliyal’s annual fair were shifted to a safer area at village Dug, about two kms away from the shrine due to heavy firing by Pakistan army but not cancelled.

That year too, the BSF had taken the decision to shift the venue as the Pakistan army had resorted to heavy firing at village Chamliyal before the fair forcing migration of the people and had also targeted the Baba’s shrine which was hit by the bullets.

Sadly, this is for the first time that this Mela has been cancelled.

(Images and text by Kavita Suri)