Shangri-la At the Foot of the Himalayas

  Shangri-la At the Foot of the Himalayas

In his 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, James Hilton described a remote paradise in the Western Himalayas. He called it Shangri-la, a beautiful and a peaceful land. The author had described a mythical land, an earthly paradise where perpetual happiness prevailed. A movie was made and the myth was popularized. Ever since, search has been, on, to locate this earthly paradise. Various places almost, but not quite fitted the Hilton’s description. What the author described was a piece of a Hindu and Buddhist story in which, an offshoot of Tibetan royal family, leaves the tumultuous environment of 8th or 9th century Lhasa and retreats to a hideaway in Western Tibet, to build a city where perpetual happiness prevailed. They succeeded in their efforts. This small kingdom lasted several centuries. A story about it, was told in both Hindu and Buddhist literature and was picked up by James Hilton for his famous novel.

The author of this current piece hails from a small village in Himachal Pradesh, which he visited last January (2004) after about 10 years lapse and found it matching mythical description of Shangri-la. It is not quite as described by the Hindu/Buddhist myth or by James Hilton. But it comes close in its serenity, its beauty and its paradise character. 

Pirsaluhi, The Shiwalik Shangri-la

In the old hill state of Jaswan (this princely state was dissolved by the angry British) on the foothills overlooking the great Beas River and about 50 miles from Hoshiarpur on a motorable road lies the foothill village of Kamloo. There the main road forks into two. The main road, which had been following the great river, keeps going to Naduan. But a small road (now motor able) starts a climb of about 3,000 ft above the river bed. In about two miles, half of the climb to the Shiwalik Shangri-la is finished and one reaches the village of “Pirsaluhi”. This is my hometown. My ancestors lived here for a few generations. The village takes its name from “Pir”, a Muslim Sufi saint who came here a few centuries earlier and made it his home. A shrine built by the then king of Jaswan to commemorate his memory still stands there. The population before the Partition of 1947 was a mix of Muslim & Hindu. The Hindus, who were in the majority in the surrounding area respected the saint, but would not worship at the memorial built by the King, hence set up their own shrine, next door. Today Muslim population is gone and is very sorely missed. Only two families still make this place their home; hence the shrine of Pir lies in a dilapidated condition. The Hindu shrine next door is well looked after and has undergone major upgrades in last 20 years. It is customary for me to pay respect at this shrine before we climb the rest of the distance to reach the Shangri-la of the Shiwalik.

About two hundred and fifty or so years back the then King of Jaswan, invited a bunch of “Sud” families from Punjab to come and settle in the area and use their skills as money managers, to improve the economy of the area and improve the lot of the people. The local population is subsistence farmers, where enough food does not grow. Their children go to work in the cities or enthusiastically join army and other central services to maintain survival of people back home. The “Suds” being moneylenders settled in Pirsaluhi and many other similar villages in the Jaswan state. My ancestors settled in Pirsaluhi about 250 years or so back. I believe when they searched for a proper place to build their houses and set up a lifestyle for them, “Suds” had to select an area and seek the King’s permission. They decided against settling next to the “Pir” shrine, as the Muslim population inhabited it. Other villages’ inhabited by the local population of Rajputs, Dogras and other caste probably were ruled out. Hence, they selected a hilltop area about another half a mile up from the shrine, with a ninety-degree climb, reaching a ridge about 200 yards wide and a mile long at the top. Here the “Sud” village of Pirsaluhi came into existence. 

Why did they select this place?

I believe my forefathers had been nature lovers. They probably stood at the ridge top, in the midst of lush trees and looked around. In the north, at a distance, they saw the valley of the River Beas, where the mighty river was meandering its way to the plains. At a distance across the river, they saw the great temple of Goddess Jawalamukhi (only 8 miles away). Yonder they saw the snowy peaks of “Dhauli Dhar”. In the south, they saw the Shiwalik hills continuing further and further. In the West, where the ridge ended into a steep fall, a similar sight greeted them. They could see a lush green land below, continuing for miles. The elders saw this place and its beauty and fell in love with it. This is the spot they decided, they would set up their home for the next century or two. Had the elders, chosen to settle near the “Pir” shrine, they would have missed all this picture perfect view. And I would dare say that; it is here the description of Hilton’s Shangri-la was partially met. 

When I last visited Geneva in Switzerland, I found similar beauty, except that the Lake Geneva had been replaced by the River Beas in Pirsaluhi.  The two places are 6,000 miles apart, but are comparable. 

This place, the Sud clan called it a home. They build their havelis (mansions), bungalows and large houses and started to make a living. To connect the hilltop area with the main village down below, they built cut stone pathways, ten feet wide, which reached the Sud homes in three flights as the straight climb would have been impossible to climb. As the clan multiplied in numbers, more houses were built. Each was connected by cut stone pathways to the main pathway from the shrine. The houses they built were an utter beauty, and matched the landscape. These stone & mortar construction, three floors high with wood doors and windows matched their prosperity. The first Haveli (of my cousins) is built on a 60-degree angle slope, with supporting columns of reaching 50 feet high. Its pointed arches (and several of them) describe a high prosperity of the people, who built and lived in it. As the revenue records describe, my Great Grand Father lived in this Haveli. As the family grew he moved to another part of the Village, which was more picturesque, and offered more free land for the family to expand in the coming years. As customary, he connected his new house with a cobblestone pathway to the main pathway. All this happened probably one hundred and fifty years back. As senior grandfather’s family grew, three more houses were built, all of stone and masonry, all of them three floors high and all had a durable slate roof. The enclosing area of the four houses was covered with cut and polished slab stones about an area 50 feet by 40 feet wide. My father built the fourth and the last house of this section of the settlement in 1942. The family was celebrating my arrival in the world. 

What else is Exciting in Pirsaluhi?

Here, time does not move as fast as it moves in the big cities. It is quite all around. Occasionally the quiet is broken by the chattering of the children returning home after school or occasional bark of the dog or domesticated animals being driven to the watering hole. People here do not wish too much. They have a quite satisfying life. They grow whatever they can. Their children who work in the cities send additional cash to them. That is how the quite life goes on.

Besides its scenery and serenity, Pirsaluhi can boast of having a primary school (now a Higher Secondary School) way back in 1925. A hospital dates back to 1935. A shopping district attracts fairs and celebrations in the spring season. Pure spring water here has well known medicinal qualities. All these were, first for this area. All of these were built with philanthropic donations from the Sud community. In last thirty years water supply, electricity and telephone have been extended to this area. Smartly dressed boys and girls can be seen going to the school every day. A big line up always awaits the doctor at the hospital. A new phenomenon has been witnessed i.e. the spread of cell phone to this area. Quite a few people are supporting these in their breast pockets. A water spring near the Sufi Saints memorial is still in use and is the main source of potable water for the village. In the not too distant past, my mother and my sisters carried water on their heads in containers and lugged it all the way up the hill. Today it is piped to homes, including the hilltop Sud housing.

Not very Many People Live there and why?

Part of the reason, why the village looks so attractive is that after 1947, the Sud clan members started to move to the cities in Shimla and elsewhere. They left their Havelis intact, and frozen in time. The latter is a reminder of the bygone era. Since the population growth was arrested, rather declined, the place managed to preserve its attractive character. Except for the overgrowth of shrubbery or broken retaining walls here and there, everything else is intact. One can stand at the same spot, where the elders, stood a few generations back and enjoy the beauty of the place. I missed the March/April (Alas! I had to return to Canada) flower bloom period. I remember my sisters going on wild flower gathering, every day in the morning during the spring bloom period. As the winter rains complete their task of rejuvenating the fields, it is green all around. The fields are terraced, as no level land exists. But these are well tilled. From a distance they present a beautiful sight. The farmers are hospitable. They are well mannered and helpful. Everybody I met, including the last old man of the previously thriving Muslim community knew not me but my family. I had left the village at the age of five to attend a school in Shimla in 1947 and had only returned occasionally. However, the memories of the people around us were good. A simple mention of the housing complex I was heading to and my father’s name, told them, who I was. They remembered all about my senior brothers and sisters. They were sorry to know that they are all dead. My house, my dad built is still standing. It is well looked after. My older brother looked after it while I was gone. He did not live in the village, but made it a point to look after it well.

Have I described to you the Shiwalik Shangri-la Well?

I think the comparison between this place and the legendary Shangri-la is self-evident. But there are few contrasts. People looking for Shangri-la in western Tibet have found ruins. In the case of Sud, Pirsaluhi, it is not ruins, it is still a flourishing community.

(That paper I wrote was published 15 years ago. It is all about Himachal Pradesh and my village. I hope you like it)