Chamba
A thousand glorious years

As the popular and picturesque hill district of Chamba celebrates 1,000 years of its existence, it has both age and beauty on its side. From the splendour of its temples to the unspoilt greens of its valley, the place is a treasure-trove for tourists, historians and archaeologists alike.
Pratibha Chauhan looks at the district which might become the first heritage district of Himachal

The Lakshmi Narayan temple complex in Chamba

WITH the snow-clad mountains forming a natural barrier, Chamba—a popular summer resort and tourist destination in Himachal Pradesh—is celebrating 1000 years of its coming into existence. Probably, the poor accessibility to this mountainous region has helped preserve its ancient remains, which are in a better condition than those in any other place in the state.

One of the oldest erstwhile hill states which boasts of an unbroken regal lineage since its inception, it could become the first town in the state to be declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. A proposal for its nomination has already been sent. Incidentally, the state government declared the town a heritage-cum-conservation zone in 1995, which should strengthen its case for being declared a world heritage site.

Call it an irony of sorts: on the one hand it is being demanded that this historical town should be declared a heritage site, on the other hand it is also a picture of complete neglect, figuring in the list of 50 most under-developed districts in the country.

Despite this, Chamba remains a repository of fine arts, crafts and ancient monuments. Celebrating its millennium, Chamba, the land of mystic serenity showcases itself as a relic of the past. Dotted with ancient structures like temples, churches, palaces, and museums, which are a testimony to its glorious past, the district has unfortunately failed to keep pace with other parts of the state in terms of development. The town has over 30 monuments, some of which are in dire need of conservation and restoration.

Tucked away amongst lofty mountains, the erstwhile Chamba state survived the turbulent days of the Sikh rule and continued to exist till the merger of states after Independence. The area’s geographical inaccessibility ensured that it remained undisturbed until Emperor Akbar brought it under Mughal sway after 1860.

Later with the rise of Sikh power, Chamba was subject to Lahore Durbar and then, along with the Punjab, passed under British paramountcy.

A large measure of insularity allowed Chamba to develop a uniqueness that is its very own. Even today, the crafts of Chamba like the finely embroidered rumal, metal crafts, weaving, painting, pottery, and leather items like chappals are unique and people of different religions and ethnic groups, including Gujjars, Gaddis, Rajputs, Pangwals and Dogris, co-exist in harmony and yet retain their identity.

There are eight national awardees from Chamba alone, whose craft and talent has received government recognition. "After studying the ancient heritage of the town for a year, I prepared a proposal to be sent to UNESCO for declaring Chamba a world heritage site as it fulfils a number of parameters and conditions that have to be met for this recognition," says K. Asif Khan, who has single-handedly been campaigning for bringing this quaint little town on the world map. It is solely due to his efforts that experts from the National Museum and Heritage Management Institute, Delhi, have started taking interest in the archaeology of the town and are guiding locals in undertaking preservation work.

Birth of Chamba

It was somewhere in the middle of the sixth century that the state of Chamba was founded by Maru. He penetrated the Upper Ravi Valley and after conquering the territory held by Ranas, founded the town of Brahmapura (Bharmour), which became the capital of his state. It was Raja Sahil Varman, the 20th successor of Maru, who shifted the capital and seat of government from Brahmapura to Chamba. From that time onwards, there is almost an unbroken chain of historical evidence, furnished partly by the chronicle and 150-odd copper plate title deeds.

According to the local lore, Chamba town was founded at the instance of Sahil Varman’s daughter Champavati around 930. She was enamoured by the spot, where the town is now located. With the princess being of a religious disposition, Sahil Varma got a temple constructed which is named after her.

Planned growth

The people of Chamba still worship Champavati as a goddess. According to another legend, the town is called Chamba after the champaka flowers, which grew here in abundance.

"Even in the absence of any perspective on planned development at that point of time, rulers of Chamba went for spatial planning in terms of hierarchical socio-cultural spaces, well-integrated street patterns, and courtyard houses," points out A.R. Sankhyan, the State Town Planner. He says that by locating buildings and commercial establishments on the periphery of the chowgan, the British made an immense contribution to the beauty of the townscape, giving the palaces a befitting projection.

The Chowgan is a large open space around which the town has come up and can be rightfully called its social heart.

When Chamba was a princely state, the open space was used for holding sports events and durbar. Now, the famous Minjar fair is held at the Chowgan. The fair is celebrated to mark the appearance of the shoots of paddy and maize towards the end of July and is a joyous prayer for good harvest.

Amongst the rulers of Chamba, Sahil Varman holds a prominent place as it was he who transferred the seat of government from Bharmour to its present location. It is believed that the Rani made a sacrifice to ensure water supply to the new capital found by Varman, which was plagued by acute water scarcity. Even though the king had a watercourse made from the Sarota stream, for some reason the water just wouldn’t flow into the channel.

It is said that the Brahmins on being consulted pointed out that the spirit of the stream must be propitiated and the sacrifice would have to be made either by the Rani or her son.

The Rani opted to sacrifice herself and the moment her grave was fully covered, water began to flow. There is reference of this sacrifice in one of the copper plates dating back to the reign of Yogakara, son of Sahil Varma. In memory of her devotion, the raja got a small shrine erected, where the Sui mela is held. It is mainly attended by women and children who walk up to the shrine, singing praises of the queen’s sacrifice. This temple town has the famous Lakshmi Narayan group of temples, with six shikhara type of structures and several smaller shrines.

The other shrines in the town are dedicated to Hari Ram, Sui Mata, Champavati, Bansi Gopal and Chamunda Devi. Amongst the prominent palaces in the town is the Rang Mahal, showcasing an interesting mix of the British colonial and Saracenic style. It has some magnificent wall paintings, some of which have now been displayed at the Bhuri Singh museum. Another imposing structure in the town is the Akhand Chandi Palace, where the Chamba royal family resides. Bhuri Singh Museum is another interesting place which brings before you the history and culture of Chamba.

Named after Raja Bhuri Singh, who ruled Chamba between 1904 and 1919, the museum was opened in 1908. Its displays include miniature paintings, murals, copper plate inscriptions, rare Chamba rumals and stone carvings. The century-old Scottish style St. Andrew’s Church is another landmark. Made of dressed stone, it was built with the efforts of a doctor, John Hutchinson, while the cost for its construction was met by the then rulers.

For the residents of the town, the saying Chamba achamba (Chamba the unique) is of little significance as the district is one of most backward parts of the state. They say that barring the Bara Siul and Chamera power projects, no major projects have come up here. The female literacy rate here is mere 39.70 per cent — amongst the lowest in the state — while a sizeable chunk of the population is still below poverty line. The avenues for employment are practically non-existent with hardly any industry. There are also no takers for the cement plant project at Sikrighat.

The district doesn’t have a prominent educational or technical institute either. The various art forms and handicrafts, for which the town was famous, have received little attention from the government. There are also no incentives for the youth to learn the dying art forms. "The government has hardly done anything to preserve the art forms peculiar to Chamba. The biggest hindrance comes while marketing the products, which can fetch good money outside the state and the country," says Hakam Singh Kaushal. Kaushal, who has been honoured with a national award for metal sculptor is sending his art pieces to Zurich, California and Chicago. "It is due to my efforts and contacts that I am able to send these pieces abroad but for others artists there is hardly any support," he laments.

The locals feel that the millennium celebrations would be complete only if concrete steps are taken to undertake conservation and restoration of the monuments, some of which are becoming victims of environmental degradation, urbanisation and sheer neglect.

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