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The
Lesson of Kampeer Dior
Kampeer Dior is a small village (Kampeer
means 'old woman' Dior means 'village')
situated in Shitmerg the second to last
village while traveling from Sost to Chipursan.
This is a real story dating from a previous
time when the people who lived here were
carefree, irresponsible and life was easy.
The people had wealth and every thing was
available to them. But there also lived
one old woman in the village that was very
poor and lived in a cave (which still exists
to this day). She had only one black Sheep
whose milk was the only source of her living.
The other inhabitants of this small village
were very cruel and had no any idea of humanity
or education. Their occupation was farming.
They didn't know how to respect people and
how to care for a guest nor did even the
honour of their women. They neglected others
and their ways were selfish concerned only
with their enjoyment particularly during
weddings.
One night an old man appeared and with a
curved stick in his hand went from door
to door in the village asking for a little
food to eat. The villagers treated the old
man cruelly. Some laughed at his poorness,
others scolded him whilst still others spat
on him and pushed him away from their doors.
The Saint continued to visit until at last
he reached the cave of Bedah who was present
in her home. Bedah was shocked to find the
fellow in such condition and she exclaimed
"Oh! My dear father, who are you? How
did you come to my poor house? I have nothing
especial in my house to serve you; I have
only a black Sheep giving me a little milk
and this broken pot in which I boil the
little milk I have to live." Despite
this, Bedah offered the little milk she
had in the broken pot to the saint who was
deeply touched by her generosity. Lowering
his curved stick, the saint touched it to
the broken pot and magically the pot changed
into a new one filled to the brim with milk.
While thanking the old woman he said, "I
know that you have many household things
in your home and in those of your neighbors.
By noon tomorrow, bring all your belongings
back to your home and climb with them to
the high area above the village to behold
the fate of all in this village except you.
Bedah started collecting all her pots and
other household things from the other houses.
While bringing back all the materials she
forgot her sieve in a house of her neighbor.
The next day at noon, Bedah climbed to the
high area above her village (where our religious
prayer hall is built today) and she sat
waiting of the foretold event. At exactly
noontime the old man suddenly appeared from
a nearby ravine and touching his stick to
the brook a heavy storm followed behind
him. Bedah looked on in astonishment as
the storm followed the old man wherever
he went stopping where he stopped and continuing
wherever he walked. The flood waters began
to rise and Bedah's sieve appeared on the
surface near the old man. With a flick of
his crook, he whisked the utensil towards
Bedah who gratefully picked it up. Gradually,
the entire village sank under the heavy
storm waters. Local people tell that for
seven years after the storm the cries of
the dying villagers could still be heard
in that spot.
My (the writer's) uncle Sheikh Hassan (
who belongs to Hussaini village Near Gulmit
Gojal) says till today, that when he was
kid looking for cattle, he was playing with
friends when suddenly he saw a hole like
a house chimney, similar to how we build
our traditional house roofs these days.
Although he couldn't see inside it because
it was too dark he clearly identified that
it could only be a house of that time. He
threw stones down the hole and heard the
sounds of clanking iron pots as the stones
met their marks. He was only a child and
afraid of that unseen event, he hurried
back to his uncle's Late Azamat Shah’s
house to tell about his discovery. He later
returned with his Uncle Azamat Shah to rediscover
the home there but they searched and searched
in vain and tried as they might, they couldn't
find the hole again. Disappointingly they
returned home and though my uncle has searched
there many times since, he hasn't able to
find the ancient dwelling.
According to our belief it is in possession
of Giants and Ferries. There are many places
in our area where people from antiquity
have hidden riches in unapproachable places
that attackers couldn't reach or find. In
previous times many attackers used to attack
this valley's population from the different
parts of nearby countries like Russia, China
and Afghanistan. You know that there was
never any harmony, unity and peace within
those peoples
The Real Story of Yish Kok Village
In ancient times there existed a village
called Yish Kok, was the capital of Gojal.
The two hundred households, a hundred householders
lived in Khirga (tents used by Afghan people
in place of a house and made from sheep's
wool) and a hundred lived in houses. Professionally
they were all farmers and earned their living
from their cattle, yaks and other livestock
including camels. They clothed themselves
from their sheep's wool, made their own
shoes from the hide of their yaks/cattle
and ate a simple diet of meat and wheat
chapatti (unleavened bread). Not only was
the colony self reliant it was also protected
by seven large Iron gates. This is especially
astonishing considering that they were a
poor colony without a well developed economy.
How did they prepare the gates? Where did
the Iron come from? Who prepared the gates
and how? As I think about this matter, it
raises an interesting question in my mind.
At that time there was no road to Yish Kok
so from where could they carry such materials?
Russia, Afghanistan, perhaps even China?
The people of Yish Kok village were immoral
and uncivilized just like the ancient people
of Kampeer Dior. They had little respect
for others and through their bad culture
committed many wrong doings.
Ruvai hill is a place on the west side and
upward of Yish Kok village. Once upon a
time there was a big lake there that was
very deep, (now there is not one drop to
be seen). At that time a very big Dragon
appeared in that large lake at the command
of God. It had eight small heads and one
large head and could speak like a human
being. The dragon demanded food from the
villagers but the people wouldn’t
to support it and so the dragon made a threat.
If the villagers do not feed it daily, the
dragon will eat all of the people in one
go so that no one is left. The villagers
were being punished by God for their bad
character and with no other choice they
unwillingly agreed.
The Dragon's daily food was an immense burden
on the village. Every day it demanded one
human being, a large sheep or goat, plus
40 kilograms of traditional ghee and over
200 chapattis. The Dragon had a fixed time
for lunch daily and the villagers always
made sure that all the food was in one place
well beforehand fearing that if they didn't
the village would be eaten instead. The
Yish Kok villagers were very disappointed
and extremely helpless during this crucial
time. Each day a different household prepared
the dragon's food and each day that household
carted the food to the dragon's eating place
for its lunch.
One day the turn to feed the dragon fell
on a house in which there were only three
members, a husband, wife and their only
daughter. The family was poor and unable
to meet the full demands of the dragon.
Both the husband and wife tried to decide
which one of them should sacrifice themselves
to the dragon; as they couldn't bear to
kill their only child. They talked silently
so that their daughter could not hear. The
Husband said to his wife that he will present
himself as food for the Dragon, but his
wife insisted that she will offer herself
in front of the Dragon as food. Their daughter
overheard their talking and said that only
the offering of herself to the dragon would
suffice. For the sake of her parents, the
daughter could not bear to see either mother
or father die and face a life in the orphanage.
Moreover, her parents could always have
more children in her place.
As her parents listened on, they strictly
forbade their daughter from committing such
a deed. How could they ever bear the loss
of their only child? How could they ever
bear her absence? Yet still the daughter
insisted and faced with little choice, the
little family made its way to the banks
of the lake in readiness for the dragon's
midday meal. There they fastened a sheep
and left the little girl at the eating spot
and returned home in deep grief and sorrow.
As the girl wallowed deep in thought, a
young man suddenly appeared and asked the
girl her purpose on this lonely spot. The
girl told him that she was the only daughter
of her parents and she was here to sacrifice
herself to the dragon that lived in the
lake, for if she did not, the whole village
would be destroyed. The child then became
anxious about the safety of the young man
and insisted he return from whence he came.
The man listened intently and calming the
child, laid his head in her lap for her
to check for lice, as was the tradition
at the time. As the Dragon's lunchtime approached,
the water of the lake began to writhe and
fearful for the young man's safety, the
young girl began to cry softly. Her tears
woke the man who was deeply moved at the
child's anguish. The child repeated that
the dragon's dinner time had arrived and
he must go quickly for his own safety.
Hearing these words the young man stood
up and pulling his sword from its sheath,
readied himself to battle the dragon. As
the dragon's first head rose from the lake,
the man lashed out and cut it off with a
single stroke. The Dragon said "You've
cut off only one head whereas I have eight
more to come." "But," the
man replied, "I have only used one
sword and I still have eight more swords
to come". One by one the Dragon brought
its heads out of the lake and each time,
the man cut them off with one stroke until
finally the dragon was no more. The lake
was red with the blood of the dead Dragon,
and the dead body began to float on the
surface.
Despite the weight, the young man took the
dragon's big head on his little finger and
placed on a big stone three times before
resting it on the ground. It would normally
take two men to pick up such a head. The
man told the girl that when she returns
to the village, many men would claim to
be the dragon's killer, yet if he could
repeat the actions of the young man at that
moment, then he would be the true slayer.
Then he gave his sword sheath to the girl
and said, "Go back, and announce to
the villagers that from today on you all
are free from your difficulties and there
will be no more problems to bother you in
the future.” The girl returned to
Yish Kok village and as the young man had
foretold, nobody believed her story. They
claimed she was disobedient and they began
to fear for their lives.
She told them about the incident but the
people did not believe her. She took them
with herself and went to the lake and showed
them the dead body of the Dragon floating
on the surface of water. Then as the man
had predicted many men from the village
claimed to be the dragon's slayer. So the
girl told them that if any man could fit
the sword into its sheath, then they were
the true killer of the beast. Many men thus
tried and all failed. Second, she told them
to put the big head of the Dragon on the
same stone thrice using only their little
finger, which the man had done easily. Every
one of them tried their best, but all of
them failed. Even three men together could
not lift the large head completely!
As the claimers were trying to prove to
be the killer besides the lake, the young
man appeared and the girl identified him.
Not only could the man fit his sword in
the cover, but he was also able to easily
raise the dragon's big head on his little
finger and place on the same stone three
times before placing on the ground. Thus
the second test was passed and the villagers
were astonished. The man said to them, "this
was your test and from today you are free.
There will be no problems for you now. Go
back, be gentle, remember God and give up
your bad ways. If you experience any problems
in the future, come to Ruvai (the hilly
area west of Yish Kok village) and say "Ya
Ali." From then the villagers changed
their ways and life prospered for a while.
Many years later the villagers forgot their
past difficulties and once again continued
their bad ways. One day there was a marriage
in a house and the villagers arranged for
much music, dance and other immoral dues.
That night the party reached frenzy and
the lights turned off many of the men entertained
immoral activities with the womenfolk at
the party. As the lights switched back on,
the men realized with horror that many of
those womenfolk were in fact their close
relations. One at the party remembered the
saying of the young man on Ruvai Hill who
had told the villagers to come to him in
time of need. Yet was it true that a young
man had killed the Dragon? Would he really
come in times of trouble to Ruvai Hill if
we shout "Ya Ali" from the hill-top?
So off they set up to Ruvai hill to cry
the man's name and test his words.
As the people cried "Ya, Ali"
a young man suddenly appeared amongst them
riding on a white horse. He asked the reason
of their problem. Not wishing to face embarrassment,
the people insolently claimed that they
were being attacked from down the valley.
Thus, the young man set off to greet the
attackers and prevent the danger only stopping
for prayer at Sherisubz (present day Jamal
Khan). To this day one can still see the
impressions left by his feet, knees and
elbows on the same stone and it is a well
known holy place (or 'osthoon') in the valley.
Further more, on the occasion of the death
of any person in Chipursan, a beautiful
light emits from the place and silently
begins to travel towards the west side of
the valley (e.g. towards Ispenj). For three
days there afterwards children's weeping
can be heard at this spot. Even more astonishing
is that two years ago the owner of Rashit's
village guest house saw a man with a white
beard sitting at the same place.
The man continued on to Kirmin village where
he rested his horse and the site where he
placed his horse's saddle is today a walled
shrine. Eastwards the man headed towards
Yarzrich and at Riship Jerav stream he left
the blanket of his horse as a symbol for
the future. Finally the man came to the
head of the Chipursan valley (today's Sost),
but he could see no sign of the people's
enemy. Where he stopped the same man grasped
a stone with three fingers and the symbol
of that action is present there today as
a walled shrine called Punjab Shah (and
from which oil exudes today). The man then
traveled further on still to Irshad top
through Yish Kok to see whether attackers
could reach the villagers from present day
Afghanistan or Russia, but still no one
was coming from that side.
When the man returned to Yish Kok, he told
the people that they were cunning, disobedient
and dishonest and that the village must
repent with it's destruction by a heavy
storm. However not all the villagers were
bad and there was one who did not share
the habits of the rest of the village. Mr.
Gulbast lived in Yish Kok with his family
and knew of the villager's bad ways. He
did not attend the marriage at the house
the previous night nor had any of his family
members. At the same night, the noble man
had a dream in which a saintly man told
him to shift his family to Dan Koth, a small
village higher up the valley. The saint
warned Mr. Gulbast that Yish Kok was about
to be ruined by a mighty storm will come
from Yish Kok glacier. The following morning
Gulbast awoke early to find his Yak, which
usually grazed far in the mountains above,
standing obediently outside his front door.
His worst fears were confirmed and gathering
his family members and belongings they moved
to Dan Koth village as the first black clouds
swirled overhead. As the family reached
Ruvai hill the first rains quickly turned
into a violent storm and many of the nobleman's
cattle perished along the way. After reaching
Dan Koth, the nobleman returned to Yish
Kok village but as he reached Ruvai, nothing
of the village remained and only a huge
lake stood in its place.
To this day, Punja Shah is still a pilgrimage
site and a lesson for all those people who
wish to test the fate of the people of Yish
Kok village.
The Real Story of Baba Ghundi Ziarat
This history is originally written in the
Persian language and is today in possession
of the son's of the late Caliph Adil Baig
was one of the most famous educated personality,
belonging from Sarhad Afghanistan. Told
verbally to Mr.Asmat Ullah Mushfiq (is the
most qualified and the most senior educationist
and the best writer of religious and social
poems and literature both in Wahki and Persian
languages belongs from Chipursan Valley)
that the following is written in Persian
language in the ancient time. According
to the Late Caliph Adil Baig, Baba Ghundi
was a venerable and religious preceptor
from Ghund in Northern Afghanistan. Despite
his youth, the Baba had many pupils and
one day he set out on a journey across today's
North Pakistan into the Chipursan valley,
with an elderly student and the man's two
sons. Their luggage was loaded on a camel.
They began their journey from their home
town in Ghund and reached at Punja (in Afghanistan)
where they stayed at the home of the Mir
& Pir (King & religious leader)
of Punja whose name was Shah Qanbar-i- Aftaab.
They remained in the Mir's home for 15 days
and Baba became engaged to the Mir's daughter.
The Pir-I-Punja arranged their marriage
and gave them a white camel, two Yambu (the
most precious ornament or stone) and many
other things in stipend to her daughter
before seeing them off on their journey.
After many days travel through Puthukh and
Sarhad (Northern Afghanistan) the tiny caravan
eventually reached Istiman at the beginning
of Chipursan. Without warning, Baba Ghundi
fell into a deep fever and told his distraught
followers he was departing this earth for
an eternity of peace. Within half an hour
Baba's wife, also lost her life due to the
unbearable grief of her beloved husband's
departure. Before his death, Baba instructed
his followers to bury both he and his wife
in the same grave, together with one Yambu.
He also entrusted them to carry the rest
of his belongings back to the Mir of Punja
to relate what had happened. Thus all the
Baba's requirements were fulfilled by the
elderly devotee and his two sons.
After the burial of both Baba Ghundi and
his wife the man and his sons set off back
to Afghanistan. Along the way the old man
fell sick through old age and told his sons
he was dying. He then entrusted them to
complete the journey and to bury his body
in the manner he described. In the final
days of the old man's life, the sons cared
for their father and on the fateful night
that the old man died, the elder son disappeared.
Within time he returned in great sorrow
and told his younger brother how he had
stolen the luggage and the white camel that
night and in his folly had lost both in
the nearby river whilst crossing.
Before their father had died, he had instructed
both sons to load his body on their remaining
camel and to bury it wherever the beast
lay down along the way. Thus the next morning
the two brothers set off. At the place of
present day Puthukh, the camel suddenly
lay down and the old man's body was buried
in a spot that some say is still visible
to this day.
After the burial the sons continued their
grief stricken way back to the Mir of Punja
and related all that happened. They expressed
their sorrow at the loss of the Baba's items
for which the Pir and Mir forgave them and
the sons returned home to Ghund. Thus was
told the true tale of Baba Ghundi.
Discovery of the Tomb Baba Ghundi
In previous times warfare was common to
this area and attackers from neighboring
countries like Afghanistan, Russia and China
were often invading each other. Thus every
state vouched for their own safety and stationed
soldiers on all their borders. So it was
that the state of Hunza stationed two soldiers
at Ziarat Post on its Afghan border. One
of the solders was called Khurram Shah.
Both soldiers were on duty one day near
the Ziarat (tomb) when suddenly they saw
a lame wolf walking from the Western side
of Baba Ghundi whilst all the way barking.
It was a Wednesday, and when it reached
near the graveyard it started walking around
a special grave seven times continuing to
bark. As it cleared its last round it continued
its walk towards the east. When it reached
the pasture area, from the same grave the
soldiers heard a voice say to the wolf "go
I have given you the eleven Sheep of Shursing
there at Hindi (Hunza). You will get your
food there on Thursday." The two soldiers
were very surprised and identified the same
grave.
They decided to confirm what they had seen
that day and one of them traveled back to
Hunza (Hindi). After four days the soldier
reached Ganish in Hunza and took rest for
some while. Whilst resting, he overheard
locals tell that on Thursday eleven sheep
of Shursing were eaten by a lame wolf. When
the Mir of Hunza heard this tale from the
soldier, he came to the Ziarat and ordered
his workers to build the tomb in a specific
way over the sight of the grave. The workers
built the tomb and successful different
Mirs continued to visit the sight and maintain
it during their different periods of kingdom.
After the breakup of Hunza state, the people
of Chipursan continued to maintain the tomb
and even today many people still make a
pilgrimage to the tomb to pay their respects.
Today it is clear that the same tomb is
sacred. After many years it has been confirmed
that Baba Ghundi (Saint or Wali) whose name
was Muhammad Baqir, had indeed come from
Ghund and died here, buried by his believer.
The Journey of Baba Ghundi is also written
in the Persian language and the book is
presently in Afghanistan in possession of
the children of the late Caliph Adil Baig.
Thus the shrine of Baba Ghundi was discovered
by the lame wolf.
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