 Once considered the best planned city of India
By Romesh Dutt
NAHAN, the capital of the erstwhile state of Sirmur, nestles in the last outposts of the Himalayan ranges at an altitude of 3057 feet, offering panoramic views of the expansive plains below and of majestic moutain tops on the sides. Its charms are summed up best in a local folk couplet: Nahan shehar hai nagina: Aaye din ko rahe mahina. (People who come to Nahan for only a day, often linger on for months here).
Little wonder that Lt George Francis White, an East India Company officer, who visited Nahan in the 1830s, felt compelled to record in a journal of his travels in the Himalayas. He wrote: "Nahan, though diminutive, is considered the best planned and best built city in India. It is approached through a picturesque, well-watered and finely wooded valley, and occupying the summit of the rock, it commands on all sides extensive and beautiful views and is clothed in the richest luxuriance of foliage".
Little wonder also, that founder of the town Raja Karam Parkash, who chanced upon the ridge on which present-day Nahan stands during a game hunt in 1621, was so struck by the site that he decided to build a town and shift his capital there from the nearby Kalsi.
The Raja named the capital Nahan which was supposedly derived from a combination of two Sanskrit words na and han, meaning "invincible or indestructible" or "Do not kill".
A popular lore is connected with the latter meaning, which ascribes the name to a young maiden, who, on some day long gone by, stood between some rampaging invaders and her townspeople, pleading "na han" i.e. Do not kill! Since then, says the lore, the town came to be called Nahan.
Whatever be the case, the new capital turned out to be an ideal site both strategically and aesthetically. While its location provided a clear view of the plains below and of hill approaches on the other three sides, a substantial advantage in military terms; its charming settings did enable its planners to fashion a real nagina of a town, which gradually came to be called a city of water tanks, balmy walks and well laid out streets and gardens.
Guru Gobind Singh was amongst those who were quick to perceive the towns strategic potential in terms of comparative safety from a surprise attack. He had readily accepted the invitation of the then Raja of Sirmur, Medni Parkash (1678-1694) to come and stay in his capital, sometimes around 1680.
It may be mentioned here that at that time the Guru, who had had some differences with Raja Bhim Chand of Bilaspur (Anandpur was part of that state then), had come to Mirpur a little, peaceful village lying to the south of the Sirmur capital. Upon learning of the Gurus arrival in his kingdom, Raja Medni Parkash beseeched him to come and stay in Nahan.
The saint soldier, who was later to found the Khalsa, stayed at Nahan for eight-and-a-half months. Before migrating to Paunth, now known as Paonta Sahib, the Guru presented the Raja with one of his personal swords. This sword used to be exhibited on state occasions but was deposited in the state Tosh Khana, after some followers of the Khalsa faith objected to this practice. It is now part of the personal assets of the Maharani Padmini Devi of Jaipur, a linear descendant of the Raja, who is currently locked in a litigation over inheritance of the royal properties with some of her kin.
However, Nahans militarily safe position proved to be of little avail when palace intrigue lead to a Gurkha invasion from the north at the turn of the 19th century. After attacking the fort, the Gurkhas set about plundering the town and the palace. The Gurkha fort at Jaitak, 25 km, north of Nahan, is said to have been built with materials removed from Nahan Fort and Palace.
The advent of the British after the Gurkha war saw a gradual rebuilding of the place, which reached its zenith during the reign of Raja Shamsher Parkash (1856-1898). This ruler brought about remarkable changes in the character of his capital, which earned it the distinction of being the third town in the country (after Calcutta and Delhi) to be placed under a civic body. The municipal committee of Nahan was set up in 1868 only six years after such institutions were introduced in India.
The civic bodys first gifts to the town were an underground sewage system and streets paved with stones in contemporary European style. This was probably the first sewage system of its kind in the area, since the days of Harrappan civilisation. The streets lent a unique charm to the town. Todays citizens walk on the very same stones which were trodden upon by their great great grandfathers. Unlike modern metalled roads, the cobbled streets require little by way of maintenance. Another unique feature of these streets is that all of these somehow started and ended up at the chowgan, the towns main ground, formerly used as the Rajas parade ground.
Other services like those of piped drinking water, street lighting, centralised sanitation, schools and a public library followed in quick succession. Amenities like locally generated electricity, a public telephone system (There were 21 subscribers to this service in 1947), posts and telegraph and a state bank called Bank of Sirmur were provided in due course of time. The Raja was amongst the first Indian rulers to have introduced his own postage stamps, which he got printed in London. He also introduced codified rules in the state administration and keeping up with the changing times, replace Urdu with English in key state departments and offices. A School of Arts the first such institution in the hills was started after recruiting a draughtsman from Roorke, a carpenter from Hoshiarpur and a goldsmith from Lucknow. This school had 50 seats and was primarily set up to promote arts and crafts, which had been noticeably absent from the area.
However, it was the provision of modern health services by the Raja that have proved to be a gift of lasting value to the town and people living in its vicinity.
Raja Shamsher Parkash opened the states first dispensary at Nahan in 1872. This was followed by a hospital for women in 1896. The dispensary was converted into a hospital in 1898 and named Victoria Diamond Jubilee Hospital. The state government which had converted it into a 200-bedded district hospital, now proposes to upgrade it to a 300-bedded zonal hospital.
Nahans famous trio of sequestered walks named the Military Round, the Hospital Round and the Villa Round, were added during Shamshers reign. Quietly winding their way through some of the finest scenery, and thickly wooded tracts, these walks seem soaked in balmy fragrance of the forests and have proved to be star tourist attractions down the years.
Since provision of all these amenities required money, the enterprising Raja set up a well-knit forest management organisation and embarked upon commercial ventures. He purchased two tea gardens, one at Dehra Dun and the other at Cherapani in the then Kumaon district.
However, it was the setting up of modern foundry works at Nahan in 1864, that set the Raja apart from his peers. This singular enterprise employed 900 workers in 1904, producing the then state-of-the-art cane crushers. It later diversified into manufacture of other agricultural machinery and implements, including pumps and motors.
At one stage the foundry, instead of importing iron from England, set up its own blast furnace and started manufacturing its own wrought iron ingots using high quality magnetic ores that were available in abundance within the state, at Chaita in the trans-Giri area.
Being totally free from sulphur and phosphorous impurities, this ore made for the production of metal comparable in quality with that produced in Sweden, is considered to be the best in the world, even today. Even then the smelter was closed down and imports resumed on grounds of economy "for it used cost prohibitive charcoal as fuel and mule trains for transporting ores from the mines to the works".
Curiously enough, the British engineer employed for the job by the Raja for designing and running the smelter seemed to have proved unequal to the task as it was he who had envisaged use of charcoal and mule trains. Or, was it a case of deliberate sabotage of an Indian enterprise? It must be mentioned here that the British made steel had made its appearance in the world markets sometimes before the Nahan smelter was closed. It quickly captured world markets as it was cheaper. But then no Swedish iron manufacturer succumbed to British onslaught and no Swedish enterprise was closed. Renowned companies like Gillette continue to depend, on grounds of quality, upon Swedish steel even now when their own home country, the USA, internationally ranks first in steel production.
The Englishmans folly or sabotage continues to cast its spell down to this day. Nobody ever gave any thought to re-examining the feasibility of extracting Chaita iron ores, even in these days of mini steel plants and cable ways. Nahan Foundry, which provided steady employment and business to local people, was closed down sometime back as it had become a liability to the government.
Dr Y.S. Parmar, popularly known as the founder of present-day Himachal Pradesh, lived here till he was banished from Sirmur on charges of sedition in the forties. It is also home to Shyama Sharma, a former minister and present Chairperson of the State Planning Board.
Film artistes Rakesh Pandey, Mohan Sherry and Randhir and pop singer Mohit Chauhan of Silk Route fame belong to Nahan. Football players Bhupinder Singh Rawat, Rakesh Chugh and Sita Gosain, the captain of national womens hockey team that bagged the Silver at the 13th Asiad in Bangkok in 1998 are amongst the other distinguished persons from Nahan.
Talaabon ka Shehar faces water scarcity
NAHAN town today is like a tear arrested on the cheek of some beautiful maiden. Resplendent. Yet hiding a thousand tales of woe.
Once called Talaabon Ka Shehar (city of ponds), it now reels under an acute scarcity of water during summer the time when it is needed most. The centuries-old Kuccha Tank was filled up with debris a few years ago. A bus-stand has since been built on the site thus reclaimed. The town planners, exhibiting a curious sense of modernity, laid a large park, which also served the purpose of a traffic island in the middle of the bus-stand complex. It has not been fenced and cattle roam freely in it, posing a traffic hazard.
It would have been characteristic of the towns basic ethos had a pond been provided instead of the so-called park. Perhaps it is still not too late.
The other water body, Pucca Tank, too has dried up. The local municipal committee proposed to raise a Rs 2 crore shopping plaza on it. Fortunately, a group of enlightened citizens, who perceived the move as a threat to their heritage, vociferously opposed it and have succeeded in stalling it, at least for the time being. This tank, in days goneby, served not only as a kind of bathing ghat for the poor but also as a reservoir for use in fire accidents.
The state government has recently sanctioned a Rs 1.5 crore water augmentation scheme for the town. The network of distribution pipes laid under the new scheme is characterised by frequent breakdowns, necessitating equally frequent suspension of supplies. The citizens allege that repeated leakage of pipes can only be caused by substandard materials or joints or both. They demand an inquiry into the implementation of the water supply scheme. At any given time of the day, workmen of the Water Supplies Department can be seen repairing burst distribution lines.
Encroachments on public lanes threaten to reduce the entire town to a slum. Construction of offices and residential complexes have been allowed even on the three famous rounds, greatly reducing their charm.
The old city lanes have become badly congested, partly due to encroachments and partly due to increased traffic. The citizens demand for the provision of a bypass to the town has been hanging fire for the last 26 years. Inter-state buses ply on a section of the towns narrow roads, increasing the traffic load.
The sanitation and sewer system, once the pride of the town, has also gone haywire. Some lanes comprise only three to four feet wide concrete slabs covering the drains. Such pathways get flooded with sullage whenever the drains get choked with plastic bags. The municipal committee has so far not provided for the proper disposal of sullage. Sewerage lines empty out into open spaces around the town.
The telephone system is in a disarray. The town had two telephone exchanges. Local calls made from the area covered by one exchange to the other takes an inordinately long time.
The citizens are also sore at the alleged shifting of the local telephone enquiry office from here which, under the given state of the telephone services, has made the business of ascertaining telephone numbers a lot more arduous.
The government-run Shamsher Senior Secondary School has fallen short of accommodation. At present, classes are held from six in the morning to six in the evening in two shifts. The college building too seems to be inadequate for holding postgraduate classes. The previous government had agreed to provide more accommodation to the two institutions and notices regarding acquisition of land for the purpose had also been issued. As of now, however, nothing concrete has emerged on ground.
Even though the local hospital is being maintained well, it remains short of the requisite staff. An intensive coronary care unit, set up by the local Rotary Club a few years ago, has remained unused for want of trained personnel. The district T.B. clinic is without a specialist and is being looked after on a part-time basis by an MBBS doctor in charge of the leprosy section. The hospital is without a generator and work almost comes to a standstill during power failure. The institution needs a portable X-ray machine.
The towns vast tourist potential has remained untapped. Residents say that the government can make a start by opening a tourist information centre for the guidance of tourists in the town.
Rising unemployment is Nahans worst problem. The industrial complex at Kala Amb is nearly 20 km away. The bus journey to that place costs Rs 18 one way. The minimum wage, as fixed by the government is Rs 45. Jobs generated at the industrial units in Kala Amb find no takers from Nahan. These jobs are generally cornered by people of neighbouring Haryana. Residents demand the opening up of a government polytechnic at Nahan which would enable them to go for skilled jobs in the industrial units that are more paying.
R.D.
Abode of secularism
DEEP-ROOTED secularism, ancient shrines, an array of taals (water ponds) form the core of the rich cultural heritage of Nahan.This town is perhaps the only town in the subcontinent, where Shias and Sunnis jointly take out Tazias on the occasion of Muharram and where people of all faiths have lived in perfect harmony, even jointly celebrating each others festivals all through its history. Also, it is perhaps one of the few places in the country where not even a single person fell victim to the fundamentalists frenzy at the time of Partition.
Nahans deep-rooted secularism is symbolised best by a modern institution called Sarv Dham Shakti Sangam, which sought to emphasise the essential unity of all religions, and two monuments one in memory of Lakh Datta, a Muslim Sufi Pir, and the other in memory of BrijRaj, a beloved elephant of Raja Shamsher Parkash.
The Pir, according to his followers, was named Lakh Datta, as he gave alms to one lakh needy every now and then. He is believed to have had miraculous powers. Every Thursday, scores of people of all faiths throng the holy mans Turbat.
The Rajas elephant, Brij Raj, is said to be darling of the towns children as he gave joy rides to them. Often he came to the town loaded with sweets for his young friends.
Though a ferocious animal (measured 11 feet and 9 inches in height) and a hunter which did not mind taking on even the wildest lions and tigers (Nahan forest abounded in such beasts then), he was never known to harm any child. In fact, he has come to be believed as a protector of children. People of all faiths in Nahan come to his grave whenever a child in their family falls seriously ill, and pray for his intervention in saving the life of the afflicted child.
All religions have been flourishing in Nahan, as evidenced by the upkeep of, and attendance of the devout at various temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches.
Nahan has six main ancient temples apart from a few smaller ones. The Kali temple existed before the foundation of the town was laid. The three Shiva temples at Rani Taal, Pasea Tank and Shiv Puri date back to late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. The Jagannath temple at Burra chowk was built in 1681 by Raja Mahi Parkash, while the Lakshmi Narayan temple was built in 1708 by Raja Bhup Parkash.
Of these the Rani Taal and the Jagannath temples deserve special mention. Though totally devoid of any distinctive sculptural motifs or exalted domes, the temple at Rani Taal commands attention with its unusual pentagonal design and neat, geometrical construction. Five smaller domes sit prettily beneath and around the main dome. Whether these had something to do with the concept of panch parmeshwar or Panj Piaras can be a matter of research for specialists.
The Jagannath temple, which houses the idol of Lord Vishnu, marks a departure from the local predominantly Shaivite traditions, and a sprinkling of smaller shrines devoted to shakti, indicates the adoption of the concept of the Hindu Trinity in the town.
The temple was built after the Raja had a dream of the lord lying confined in an idol buried under a tree at Sirmur Taal, the old capital of his kingdom. The lord expressed a desire to be set free and reinstalled at Nahan. The temple has an exquisitely carved arched gateway, decorated with wall paintings, which appear to be the only visible survivors of the once well known Sirmur School of Paintings here. Such a school, according to noted art critic B.N. Goswamy, existed here under the stewardship of Angad, a painter, in the beginning of the 19th century. The wall paintings at this shrine needed to be preserved.Some have already succumbed to the vagaries of weather.
Another notable shrine is the gurdwara on the Chowgan. This shrine had been constructed over the very place where Guru Gobind Singh stayed while in Nahan. It was originally a small house, with a raised stone platform on one side on which the Guru meditated.The state chronicle, Tarikh Riyasat Sirmur, mentions that Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the Gurus eldest son, was born here.
Nahans chief attraction has, down the years, been is five taals (public ponds), which lend a unique character to it. These are the Rani Taal, the Pucca Tank, the Kuccha Tank, Foundry Tank and Ram Kundi.
Of these the principal one the Rani Taal has retained its glory, to this day. It is a fairly large body of emerald water, almost resembling a small lake. Palm fringed pathways and lawns encircle it on all four sides. During the princely days, it was meant for the exclusive use of princesses and their maids for their convenience and privacy, a tunnel connecting it with the palace was specially dug. A portion of it can still be seen at the Taal end.
While standing by this Taal, the words of Fraser, (a British traveller who visited Nahan in 1829), about Nahan come vividly to the mind: "Perched like a birds nest on the brow of a hill".
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