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The Gongu Pi Water Channel

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In Skardu, there is a famous tale about the Gongu Pi water channel which was reportedly constructed by Mandur Gilmo (Gul Khatun), the princess of Ali Sher Khan Anchan. Gul Khatun thought of developing the uninhabited area below the palace, and it was therefore necessary to build a channel. So, she called upon an engineer named Gongu, who was a skilled artisan, and instructed him to bring water to this area. The Gongu Pi area was very steep, and to bring water there, the terrain had to be elevated using large stones. During the era of the kings, the queen summoned brave young men and asked them to build the water channel. The young men said that it was not a task for humans to elevate such a steep area and bring water to that level. They suggested that supernatural beings (jinns) would be needed for this task. The queen then called upon individuals who could control a jinn, and with their help, the channel was constructed. Large stones were used to level the steep terrain leading to the fact that this channel exists until today. The stones used are so massive that even 10-12 young men together cannot move them. The same jinn also built the Manduq Khar and its gardens. During this period, Gul Khatun also constructed the Khurfucho path. When Ali Sher Khan Anchan returned from the war, he said: You built the Khurfucho path, for which you should be punished and you constructed the water channel, for which you should be rewarded. Now, you will receive neither punishment nor reward.
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2.6.2.2

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Wazir Feroz; Andreas Bürkert; Martin Wiehle; Eva Schlecht; Ellen Hoffmann. (2025). The Gongu Pi Water Channel. DaKS. https://doi.org/10.48662/daks-103

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Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA