The new Mughal road that is known by different names such as Salt Road, Imperial Mughal Road, Pir Panjal road, etc. presently connects Kashmir Valley to Pir Panjal region (Punch and Rajouri) and then further to Jammu city. But if we trace the history of this road then it finds its genesis deep into the history of Kashmir. This road along with many other roads such as Jhelum Valley Cart road (via Baramullah) served Kashmir valley through ages. But it was in medieval times with the coming of Mughals to Kashmir this road gained much importance. Since the construction of this road in 2005, it has been much debated along with the existing Saries that add glory to this road.
The Mughals were great builders like everywhere they built many Saries and roads in Kashmir. The great Mughals loved Kashmir and frequently visited in summers to refresh from the scorching heat in the beautiful meadows of valley. For the conveyance of royal caravan they built large number of Saries and other structures all throughout the route from Lahore to Srinagar. Some of the Saries are famous and we find a good number of references regarding them in many books. But there are many more structures of which we have insignificant information. I tried to bring one such kind of monument to limelight. The focus of my study is to highlight some architectural features of newly discovered structure.
Octagonal Tower
While carrying out an architectural survey of some Mughal Inns (Saries) on the Mughal road I find a massive structure in the surroundings of Sukh Sarie. This is not a Sarie but Octagonal Watch Tower (33°39’14” N, 74°39’0″ E) of tremendous importance from an architectural point of view. This Structure is situated very close to Sukh Sarie (22 km from Shopian) almost half a kilometer distance from each other. On one side of the river is Sukh Sarie (left bank) and on the other side lies this Octagonal Watch Tower (right bank). While Sukh Sarie is situated on the river bed this hall is placed at some elevation from where Sukh Sarie can be clearly seen. G. T. Vigne has mentioned this watch tower in his writings. He continued to say that there are two or three more towers placed upon the hillocks around to serve as defense posts and for the collection of revenue.
Some Important Facts and Figures of the Watch Tower
From the base/plinth and demolished walls, it can be proposed the shape of the tower is octagon. The facade and the main entry that faces north-east direction are completely destroyed. The height of some standing walls is 12 feet. The overall height of this tower was 20 feet. There is a possibility of a dome-shaped roof with a thick layer of mud planted with green grass same as that of Sukh Sarie. In length, each side measures 14 feet. On this basis, the surface area of the tower is 946.37 sq. feet. The crumbled tower had a number of small windows on each wall to look over the surroundings of the Sarie on its foothill.
Material Used in the Watch Tower
The tower is built of small flat stones piled together. The building material used in the construction of this tower includes flat stones, round stones, wood and lime mortar. In comparison to round stones, flat stones were extensively used in the construction of this hall. Flat stones are not available near the site perhaps they were bought from some nearby place. To give support and strength to the structure the long wooden beams at the interval of every 4 feet were used horizontally on all sides. From the outside, a thick layer of lime mortar is pasted on each side. From the north-west side, there are some traces of fence plinth as well.
Present Condition of the Watch Tower
The tower is in deteriorating condition. More than half portion is in ruins. Only three walls on the backside are still intact and to somehow good in condition. To prevent this tower from further damage it is necessary to ring the bell at the doors of higher authority to get someplace for this hall in official documents.
Sum Up
The Mughal Saries/structures almost follow the same pattern throughout the country. We see similarity in many things such as the use of lime mortar (Choona Surkhi), design or pattern, architecture, etc. But sometimes they vary in many places due to geographical location and the availability of material. In the hilly terrains of Pir Panjal flat stones were extensively used for the construction of Saries or any other structure. This is because flat stones are available in abundance.
The octagonal watch tower is a massive structure. This tower is centuries old and finds its place among the existing structures that spread everywhere throughout the length of Mughal road. Nestled in-between two rivers on a raised hillock this hall presents a majestic view from all sides. It is covered by long standing tall trees.
Team:
The present survey was carried out by the following team members:
Syed Aamir Sharief Qadri (M.Phil. History, SET)
Mohd Hussain Reshi (P.G History, M.Ed.)
Rayees Ah Bhat (LLM)
Syed Uzma Mushtaq (PG Archaeology)
Article contributors:
Syed Aamir Sharief Qadri [Research Scholar at Punjabi University, Patiala]
Syed Uzma Mushtaq [Post graduation in Archaeology from the University of Kashmir]
Bio:
Syed Aamir Sharief Qadri is from the Indian state of J&K (now UT). He has completed post-graduation in History from the University of Kashmir and obtained an M.Phil. at Punjabi university Patiala (Thesis Title: Kashmir under Akbar). The core area of his study is medieval India. Currently, he works as a freelance writer for different newspapers as a guest writer. His articles got published in many daily newspapers of Kashmir such as greater Kashmir, Kashmir life, Kashmir pen, Kashmir images, Kashmir observer, oracle opinion, Kashmir reader, Kashmir horizon, Kashmir vision, café Dissensus, etc. He also writes poems in English as well as in Urdu. Many of his poetry pieces got published in many national and international magazines and journals. He is co-author of many anthologies. Besides he is a regular blogger and owns his website.
redisrevolution@wordpress.com
Email: aamirsharief45@gmail.com
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