Where spirituality attunes the skies resting aside castes, creed and colours and above all religions, it is here, that is Bhalessa. It is Bhalessa where Ruby Gems on mountainous slopes glows and glitters and marble of Thathri twinkle amidst dense, vibrant, lush green uplands it is here that Perched securely among the lofty snow-sprinkled mighty Himalayan mountain chain, the emerald blue skies peeping through the chinks of the clouds, the tall coniferous trees swaying to the rhythm of the gusts of wind, all condense into a kindly smile, forming the lovely Bhalessa.
Bhalessa has a rich history. The area derived its name from its people “Bhalay Loug” (The right people with right destiny) - The people working and inhibiting without any political mileage.
Bhalessa is full of meadows popularly known as Dhar like Kanthi, Soin Bhagar, Roharhi, Dagan, Bal Padri, etc. the area is mountainous, it has umpteen number of trekking routes which pass through places with unbelievable captivating scenic beauty.
The place is a comfortable base for trekkers and mountaineers, on their way to the Great Himalayas. By road, bus services from Doda connect Bhalessa. The nearest railhead is about 250 km away at Jammu.
Tiny patches of maize and mustard, like patchwork quilts, straddled the edge of the stream that rushed down from the snow-capped peaks in the distance with an irrepressible passion to merge
Weather-beaten Bakkarwal men-with their hennaed beards and loosely wound turbans, led flocks of hairy mountain goats. Their children and womenfolk followed after them, driving mules laden with pots, pans and bedding their mobile homes. The perfect picture of serenity.
Bhalessa is one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Doda. Straddling the border with Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, it has a Muslim majority, with a Hindu minority of a little more than a third of the population.
The history of Bhalessa and Bhaderwah dates back to 200 B.C. When the revered Buddhist scholar Nagsena was invited to a discussion by king Mender in his palace at Sakla.Kishtwar. In the discussions Nagsena replied all the questions of the king who then embraced Buddhism and became king Milinda. Nagsena recorded the discussion in “Millinda Panha” a Pali Treatise on the fundamental principles of Buddhist philosophy.
The principality of Bhaderwah Bhalessa was distributed into 15 administrative units. The total area of Bhaderwah Jagir (including Bhalessa etc) was 533 sq.miles which after amalgamation with Udhampur district in 1931 was reduced to 213 sq.miles only. The earliest mention of the place is traced from Rajatarangni around (1112-28A.D.)
Bhalessa had come into existence in the year 1948 and its Headquarter is located at a distance of 241 Kmts from the Jammu winter capital and 282 kmts. from the Srinagar, the summer capital of the state. The area is located between 32-52 and 41-97 degree longitude.
The altitude of the area varies from 3200 to 15000 ft. from the sea level. The area is surrounded by Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.
The form of the land is rugged and mountainous surrounded by the sprawling mountains of Himalayas from north to west. These are named as great Himalayas. Besides there are other lofty ridges and peaks. The nullahas like historical Kalgoni streem merge into river Chenab at Thathri. Nullahs called “Kalguni” is Pavitur in the sense that it is surrounded by historical Kalgoni Mandir at the corner of village Kilhotran.
Streems/ Nullahs:-
The main river in Bhalessa is Kalgoni straching from “Kansozoo” that merge into the chenab after. Besides this there are some other small Streems/ Nullahs such as Beer Sow with its origin from Ludoo Kansar with enormous hight, Kanchu Chow streem (local popular name of hindus and muslims) has its origin near Goha Kahagugasar. These rivers flow through gorges and are mainly exploited for generation of Hydel Power. Of late Bhalessa is rich in natural resources if exploited may contribute for the states economy but who will bell the cat?
Climate and Rainfall
The climate is almost dry. The rainfall is scanty. Because of this reason the area is declared as Drought Prone Area by the Ministry of Rural Development Govt of India. The temperature remains snow bound for five-six months of the year. Summer is generally without rain and precipitation often occurs during the winter season.
Soils and Forest Wealth:
The soil in Bhalessa is generally loose and Gruti and in some places Sandy with very low moisture. The incidence of soil erosion is very high and roads blockage is frequent during the rainy season. The places are notorious for fall of slides during every rainy season and cause inconvenience to all. The Soil conservation Department is surveying the area but no concrete steps has been put in place by the concerned officers to aware the people about the soil conservation schemes. The role of NGOs is strongly laudable in this direction. I put in place the efforts of a veteran environmentalist of the area, M Ayoub Zargar running NGO for contributing their bit owing to which many wastelands became green. Bhalessa is rich in coniferous forest wealth.
According to the report of DFO Bhaderwah, the total area covered under forest is sq. km. The forest provides timber of important varieties viz, Deodar, Fir, Kail, Chir, etc.These also yield products like dhoop, resin, guchian and other products. For rehabilitation of degraded forests and increase the forest area by plantation in the area taken up in a big way of the forest Department. The local NGO Educational Environmental Social Sports and Cultural Society have contributed a lot in this field.
There might be some worlds oldest DEODARs in Jitota Zone of Bhalessa. The precious stones in the area are also expected to be found in the Dudwar area in abundance.
Agriculture:-
CROPPING PATTERN
The main crops of the district are Maize, rice, wheat and Barely.
ELECTRICITY
Bhalessa has immense potential for development of Hydel power. At Present power receiving station at Tawai changa commissioned recently by the untried efforts and mass leadership of the then Minister for Power Mohd. Sharief Niaz. This is the only power receiving station in the area which supplies power to nearby villages. Efforts are being made to remodel it for generation of additional power. However the major schemes are kept in pipeline by the perspective leader in the area to generate more electricity from the area.
Transport and Communication:-
The topography of Bhalessa is hilly and mountainous. There is
Lack of transport communication as compared to other areas of the erstwhile Doda District. The landline communication is defunct.
Banking facilities:
Only two bank branches are functioning in the area one at Tehsil headquarter and another is at its initial stage at Changa. There is a scarcity of ATM and Computerized/core banking facility. The people especially elderly man and women suffer a lot to stand in queue.
Sadaket Malik is a freelance columnist based in Bhalessa
