Baba Chamliyal: The shrine that brings sworn enemies closer
Jammu, June 16: The holy shrine of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas (Minhas), popularly known as ‘Baba Chamliyal’, about 42 kms from Jammu, in Ramgarh sector of district Samba is yet another secular shrines of Jammu region which not only unites the different faiths but also brings the sworn enemies closer when both Indian and Pakistani citizens come together to celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm and joy.
The Shrine of Baba Chamliya is located at International Border between India and Pakistan in Samba sector of Jammu region where an annual mela is held on the fourth Thursday of June every year with people from both the countries seeking blessings and sharing Shakkar as Prasad.
The holy Dargah of Baba Chamliyal is nearly 326 years old. It is located at the Village known as Chamliyal on the Indian side of the border. A Mela is organized every year on this Dargah which is popularly called Baba Chamliyal Mela. People from either side of the border take part in this Mela. This Mela is organized for three days.
The Mela called Baba Chamliyal Mela is usually celebrated on the fourth Thursday of June every year. People from different state of India like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan etc. come to the Holy Dargah of Baba Chamliyal to show their gratitude at the Shrine and also to enjoy the Baba Chamliyal Mela. Different stalls of Agriculture, handlooms,
Horticulture, Animal husbandry, handicrafts, and the stalls of social welfare and employment departments are installed
there at the Mela compound to make people alert about the plans which are put into practice by the various departments.
The yearly Mela at the Shrine of Baba Chamliyal is organized with religious zeal as thousands of followers come to search for the blessings and healing for spiritual and physical ailments.
The district administration keeps in consideration the constant increasing rush of the devotees and has made detailed preparations for the Mela which includes medical facilities, traffic regulation, drinking water facility, additional buses and security arrangements to control the rush of devotees. The district administration also arranges an exhibition which highlights the programmes and schemes being executed by different departments.
At this juncture, sweets are also distributed to start the annual festivity of the Mela of Baba Chamliyal. Thousands of pilgrims stand on either sides of the border to see a glimpse of the ceremony of offering of a Chaddar to the officers of BSF by the rangers of Pakistan to lay this Chaddar on the Dargah of the Baba Chamliyal. The administration and officers of BSF distribute the sharbat and shakkar to the thousands of pilgrims who eagerly waits for these things on the either side of the border.
The BSF for India and its antitype Pakistan’s Chenab Rangers mainly handle the yearly fair and helps people on both side
of the border to receive the sacred ‘Sharbat’ and ‘Shakkar’, which are considered to have healing properties against
different skin ailments. Each year in the village of Saidanwali on the Zero line of the Pakistan side, people arranges a 3 days Mela and wait for sacred ‘Sharbat’ and ‘Shakkar’ of the Dargah of Baba Chamliyal.
As pilgrims from Pakistan are not permitted to cross the border of India and Pakistan, every year they assemble at the Saidanwali village, situated on the international boundary. Before the war between India and Pakistan in the year 1971, Pakistanis were permitted to visit India’s side of the boundary, but now the border police called Pakistani Rangers are permitted to take part in the fair and they offers Chaddar on behalf of the Pakistani populace.
The exceptional feature of this fair is that Baba Chamliyal is honored by people on both the sides of the international boundary.
The legend has it that the Minhas and Bhatti Rajput clans were extremely powerful during the time of the Hindu Shahi dynasty of Kabul and ruled over many small kingdoms extending from eastern Afghanistan through the Jammu/Sialkot areas of West Punjab and up to the Jalandhar/Kangra area of eastern Punjab. According to Farishta, during the second battle of Tarain between Prithviraj Chauhan and Mohammad Ghori in 1192, Chauhan’s left flank consisted of Hindu Pathan cavalry. It is said that this Hindu Pathan cavalry was led by a minhas raja from the northwest.
A famous Manhas/Minhas in history was Baba Chamliyal also called Duleep Singh Minhas, a warrior saint in whose honour Chamliya Mela is organized every year. The shrine is among the famous shrines of Jammu but can be visited only once in a year when the annual mela is held on fourth Thursday of June month. (Compiled with inputs from tourism related sites)