Blessed with springs

Himalaya · March 10, 2012, 11:47pm

15 years ago, the natural water springs in Punjab were rich in taste and digestive value

By Syed Rizwan Mahboob

Those of us who may have walked a few miles through the hilly jungles of northern Punjab would always remember the sheer bliss which the sight of a natural water spring brings to the eyes of weary travellers. Given the steep gradients in the valleys of Kotli Sattian, Murree, Kahuta or Kallar Syedan, a few hours walk invariably entails an ascent or desent of a few thousand feet. With aching bones and dried up throat, no feast surpasses the balmy effects which typically follow the first mouthful of the crystal clear and cold waters from one of these springs.
During the four-year-long roaming in the coniferous jungles of northern Punjab in early 1990s with a team of foresters, I was lucky to locate and drink from around 18 different fresh water springs throughout these hills. Ranging from precarious trickles in Charehan forests to the gushing springs between Karor and Sambli ridges, these natural water points in those days spanned a wide range of tastes and effects. Even the sources of these waters displayed great diversity including the ones oozing out of solid rocks or those dripping from porous sandstones.
Top in terms of digestive value was the water flowing from springs of Ratta Kass on the Lehtrar-Kotli Sattian road. Nestling below a thick chir pine jungle and issuing from beneath huge boulders, the water from this spring would fill a small trough, before cascading down in a deep pond on the downhill side. A heavy breakfast comprising of several parathas, scrambled eggs and milk would vanish in a matter of few hours, thanks to two glasses of this heavenly drink. I still remember the colourful fish which could be seen in the small pond down the road where deep blue water from Ratta Kass nestled before joining a big nullah.
Another spring, which made taste buds and digestive glands go berserk, was located in a small side valley of the Panjar area near Keral Forest Rest House. This water source was located in mixed scrub and chir jungles and nearly matched the dietary effects of Ratta Kass with the only difference that water tasted a little too sour. In those days, an early morning visit to that blessed water spring was sure to be rewarded with sight of kakar’s hoof marks (barking deer) which were the first ones to quench their thirst before hiding in the deciduous jungles for the day hours. It was one of those water sources which were blessed with round the year abundance, enabling womenfolk living in adjoining areas to use it for drinking purposes or for washing utensils and clothes.
This is not to say that all these water springs were necessarily blessed affairs as several of these were declared as haunts of un-explained phenomenon. The artless conviction with which the locals narrated such occult lore to the outsiders made it difficult and nearly offensive to question the veracity of these fabled accounts. In several cases, the existence of these waters was attributed to a local saint while in others the springs were acclaimed to be home to restless or mischievous entities.
There was the strange case of a spring along the Rajgarh ridge which overlooked river Jhelum. It was believed that the area was used as Shamshan (burning ghaats) by Hindus before partition and was therefore considered to be a “heavy” place, especially for the young. Abundance of monkeys in the steep chir jungles along river Jhelum next to that spring was considered evidence good enough for linkages with Hindu myths.
Somewhat similar fables were associated with at least two other water springs located near Karor road and Panjar-Narrh bridle path. The former existed as seasonal spring on the steep hill which was thickly covered with scrub and chir jungle in those days. This spring was said to be the house of an old female snake bent upon taking revenge for death of its mate. Extreme caution was advised while moving in the area or when taking water from the spring. After several visits to this spring, we could see no traces of a snake and were on the point of terming the story as concocted when a local forest officer nearly lost his life after falling down a steep rock face following snake bite in the same vicinity.
To his good luck, the officer in question was immediately rushed to a hospital in Rawalpindi where hectic administrations by doctors saved his life. Report by the doctors confirmed that prior to the fall (which damaged several arm and shoulder bones), our friend had indeed been bitten by a terribly poisonous snake. Needless to say that none of us dared to visit the spring again for many years to come.
Another water spring with less ominous history also merits mention as it was acclaimed to be the meditation place of a local saint. The spring existed next to a cave, deep inside thick chir jungles of Panjar valley along rocks which rose to height of over 5000 feet before abruptly ending in Narrh plateau. Our team worked in those beautiful jungles for nearly one month and passed near the cave many times on our way to the spring. Although, we invariably found half burnt wood or died down embers in that cave besides shreds of worn out clothes but could never set our eyes on the holy occupier of the cave. This was hardly surprising for our local hosts who insisted that Baba Jee could only be seen by the pious and chaste. We were certainly not amused by this verdict on our moral standing but going by the old jungle saying of “never reacting in wild”, we found it prudent to accept the ruling.
Mention may also be made of another water spring in Murree area for having provoked “moral issues” of somewhat similar nature though with humorous ending. In those days, a katcha track left the Lower Topa-Patriata road to enter beautiful forests of Charehan. Deep inside these blue pine and oak forests, a “Bowli” dating back to pre-partition period existed. Close to this Bowli was a sweet water spring whose water had few parallels in taste and healthy effects. Next also to the Bowli were dilapidated quarters of forest guards where we had taken temporary residence for a month while undertaking census of wildlife species. (In those days, Charehan jungles had several wild life species including jungle fowl, monkeys and leopard). Distant some 200 yards from the Bowli was a beautiful yet secluded forest rest house which was occasionally visited by selected and tasteful guests from time to time.
We were informed that ideally speaking, water from hilly springs should be drunk directly without using hands while crouching on all four. Initially, this appeared ridiculous, but with some practice we realised that drinking direct from spring made one very much part of the jungle and hills. Similarly, there were strict instructions to exercise utmost care while splashing water to avoid slightest murking of nature’s bounty. Again, different quantities of water were to be drunk depending on whether one was going uphill or downhill. Last but not the least, an unannounced or abrupt approach to water springs was always to be avoided in view of the likely presence of womenfolk in proximity of water springs. The lore went on and on… rich in wisdom, tradition and respect for Mother Nature.
Only 15 years down the road, many of these sparkling water sources in Murree, Kahuta or Kotli Sattian have either dried up or precariously exist in highly diminished quantities. Many reasons for their demise including jungle destruction, indiscriminate blasting for construction activities, dry spells or reduced winter snows can be cited.
The bad news is that unlike a denuded hill which may be planted up with new trees, death of a hilly spring is ruthlessly permanent. We need to therefore save these heavenly oases if only for the sake of “meditating saints” or “shy deer” without which our hilly jungles would be the poorest.