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CHAMBA - A RAJPUT REMOTENESS

© Ashish Kaul

There in the northwest corner of Himachal, it juts into Kashmir staking its very own peculiarity by geography, history and culture. Leaving the lonely pride of Dalhousie in the distance and by the Ravi river, still sandwiched between the Dhauladhar range and the Pir Panjal, Chamba is conspicuous on the cross cultural mountain topography like a large nose ring on a Rajput woman's nose. A jewel and a unique one at that. A jewel that is rarely seen and rarely understood even though it has a reason of its own. But it simply has to be on the right nose. Not every nose will be comfortable with it ! Chamba is just in the right place. Chamba is, in fact the district of the entire region that includes Dalhousie. But we are now talking about Chamba proper. The kingdom of uninterrupted rule by a Rajput family from 550 AD till independence. The family has been traced to the first ruler Maru Verma who created his capital at nearby Bharmour, then called Brahmpura. It was near the 900s when Sahi Verma, a descendent, relocated the capital to Chamba. The name was drawn from his daughter's name Champavati. The remoteness of this Hindu kingdom protected it from Muslim invasion. So right in the midst of Muslim culture, a Hindu town lived and created within itself, fascinating temples. If the location was unique, then sample these other aspects. The town seems very remote, even though it is just a little over 50 kms from Dalhousie. It seems inaccessible but it is at a mere altitude of 3,300 feet. Yet it is perched on a sort of shelf cut into the mountain and from its cliff, far below, the Ravi river goes by. In the distance, all around are panoramic snow views. This spectacular location, has prompted some to compare it to a medieval Italian village fortress. And bang in the centre along the cliff, is a large grassy 'chaugan' and above it, the Akhand Chandni palace of the erstwhile rulers. Today it houses a college and government offices. The scenic charm of Chamba is but one story. Noteworthy, however are the carved ancient temples, considered by many, to be similar to those found in desert state of Rajasthan. Most of them are clustered near the palace. While three temples are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the other three to Lord Shiva. All of them differ from other hill temples, with their shikaras or spires. The Lakshmi Narayan temple is the oldest of the lot. And all temples have been well preserved despite their really ancient origins.

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