The Miracle Tree of Shigri Bala: Faith and Martyrdom of Baltistan
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I am a resident of Rgiayul in Baltistan. Four generations ago, my family migrated from Zadibal, Jammu, and Kashmir to settle here. My great-grandfather was the one who came to Skardu. He settled and gradually, our family grew. My grandfather used to tell me a tale during my childhood, which I will now share.
In ancient times, Skardu followed Buddhism. Later, Muslim scholars from Kashmir, which is currently under India's control, began arriving in Baltistan to spread Islam. As part of this effort, one brother and sister from the Sadat family travelled from India through the Deosai plains, reaching Shigri Bala in Baltistan. Upon arriving in Shigri Bala, near Rgiayul, the brother and sister made arrangements for food and lit a fire. While preparing food, they heard the sound of horses and saw that a group of enemies of Islam was coming to kill them. It seemed the enemies had already learned about their mission to spread Islam in Baltistan. The fire and smoke revealed the brothers' location. In haste, they buried the burning wood in the ground, extinguished the fire, and fled towards the nearby village of Rgiayul. The enemies pursued them and martyred the brother and sister in the village of Rgiayul, where their tombs remain until today. When the people of Rgiayul wanted to build a mausoleum for the martyrs, elders from Kuwardo approached the leaders of Rgiayul and requested the bodies so that they could build the tomb since there were no Sadat families in their area. Both parties agreed to this arrangement. The people of Kuwardo still visit the tomb for pilgrimage, and it remains a highly revered place. A mausoleum was also built at the site where the brothers were martyred, which is called shakspon astana in Balti. Shakspon means to be killed with stones, and astana means mausoleum, thus the place became famous by this name. Another significant point is the location in Shigri Bala where the brothers buried the burning wood in the ground. By divine miracle, the wood sprouted and grew into a large tree known locally as issue. The local Balti speakers named the tree issue and claim that there is no other tree like it in the world. This extraordinary tree is large and spreading, similar to a Platanus orientalis and chinar tree. The miraculous aspect of this tree is that married couples who are childless visit the tree, consume its leaves and bark, and then are blessed with children. The tree still stands at the same spot today, and the local people continue to have faith in its miracles. Over 250 years have passed, and people still hold a strong belief in the miracle associated with this tree. After this event in Rgiayul, all the elders gathered to express their sorrow and, witnessing the miraculous deeds of a Syed elder, an agreement was made between Shigri Bala and Rgiayul. According to this agreement, the water in the Shigri Bala stream would be shared over a period of 17 days. Out of these 17 days, Shigri Bala would have water for 10 days and nights, Rgiayul for 5 days and nights, and the small Shigri Bala (Basnit) for 2 days and nights. This 17-day period was documented during the British era, and the system remains in place to this day. Thus, the Rgiayul area receives water for 5 days and nights. In Rgiayul, there are 45 water distribution units (yul) across the neighborhoods of Khachykhor, Chunpakhor, Gunpa, and Usyplang. One yul is equivalent to 24 kanals. Each yul contains 4 chakul. This irrigation system is still prac-ticed in these areas, and no one dares to divert water from this system to their own lands. The irrigation and cultivation system continues to operate according to this traditional arrangement. Rgiayul and Kawardu used to be geographically so close that grapevines grew between these two areas. Nowadays, there's a cold desert and a river between them. My grandfather and great-grandfather used to say that chickens would hop from one grapevine to another, transferring from Rgiayul to Kawardu. This indicates how close these two areas were once. The reason for this change is that in India, there used to be a lake called Nubra, which is still known by this name. This lake's glacier repeatedly broke and flowed into the river, causing massive water surges. These surges led to the destruc-tion of the entire population of Baltistan at that time. As a result of this catastrophe, a significant distance developed between Rgiayul and Kawardu, with a river and cold desert in between. Large trees uprooted by the floodwaters accumulated in an area called Roundu, and the debris caused stopped water there. This event, which occurred about 200 years ago, submerged the entire region of Baltistan. Due to this catastrophe, people migrated to various areas. One such area is Chunda, specifically a place above Gamba Skardu known as Chunda Valley, which still exists today. This valley is situated at the mountains. It was named Chunda because when people arrived by boat, they would tie their boats here. In the Balti language, rdua means rock and ching means to tie, hence the name Chunda.
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