I sit under the bright starry night sky,
My fragile dreams won’t survive;
The time fly,
And my dreams need some hope.
My apple trees need some rest,
They endured a long summer;
I have done my best,
And I tolied in my orchards hard.
If you don’t show me your kind light,
I would loose my hope in you;
If the flakes don’t warm my cold cheeks this night,
Never would I be the same.
Kotgarh has managed to retain its culture and the old traditions to quite an extent. The wave of modernity that has swept the state has definitely changed things for good but in Kotgarh modernity still co-exists with the old. To quote Raaja Bhasin an eminent write, “If modernity is there, these places (Kotgarh) still speak of tradition – and as an example, the odds are that you will see most of the women still wearing reztas…”.
The “Gora Sahib” – the white skinned gentleman not only brought his friends to Kotgarh but a bit of the Victorian culture which is clearly visible in the ‘full-length buttoned-up, long-sleeved rezta‘ – Victorian Style gown well modified to suite the Kotgarh climates. Not much is known how rezta took its current form.
Among the slew of fast cars and designer attire the good old rezta and the saluka still rules.
The traditional dress of womenfolk comprises the rezta (long dress), the dhatu (head scarf) and the saluka (waist coat) with rebdar pajama while the male dress includes the Kullu/Busheri cap (some could even be seen wearing the gandhian cap), kurta, and saluka (waist coat) and woolen coat (jacket). Older folks could be seen using a gachi (waist band) too straighten their back.
The ornaments includes: Chhak, a hollow ‘U’ shaped silver ornament – used for decorating hair and the Tikka is placed on forehead.
Ear ornaments: Baddi, Kantay, Darotu, and Bragar.
Nose ornaments are: Long, Tilli, Nath.
Neck ornaments: Ambli, Jantar, Haar, Kanthi.
Wrist ornaments: Shangley, Choodiyan band.
Finger: Kangri.
Toe: Poole.
Ankles: Paizab.
Most of these ornaments are being used only during the festivals and social functions.
Tani – Jubbar Lake – Jarol: 5 Kms From Kotgarh. Famous for ‘Nag Devta’ temple. ‘Nag Devta’ is the guru of Chatur Mukh.
Mailan Devta Temple (Chatur Mukh) – M
ailan: 2 Kms from Kotgarh. The Deo or Deota is the most powerful of the Gods in the Hills. He is the family God of the Kotkhai and the Khaneti chiefs and the Thakurs of Karangla. The devta’s temple is constructed in Shikhar style and is a marvel in architecture. The devta premises has a Bhagwati temple known as Mata Kedar who was brought 150 years ago from Kedarnath.
Hattu Temple & Peak: 15 Kms from Kotgarh. At 11,000 ft, this peak offers a panoramic view of the snowline. Hatu hillock provides beautiful and majestic views of the Himalayas and the surrounding pahari hamlets. It also has a small Kali temple. For almost six months in a year (winter and spring), Hatu is covered with a thick blanket of snow.
St.Mary’s Church – Kotgarh: Built in 1843; this church at Kotgarh is one of the oldest churches in India housed in the premises of the Gorton Mission School surrounded by orchards and a small graveyard at the back.
Parmjyotir Temple- Thanedhar:
4 Kms from Kotgarh. Built by Stokes in the Pahari style after his conversion (SUDHI) to Hinduism.
Originally called Sandoch and later Gurukot, little is known about its past before the Gurkhas came to world sway over the region during the early 19th century. The Gurkha rule ended in 1815 when British forces defeated Gurkha armies and retained a few pockets of land in the hills. Kotgarh was one of them and it became a British territory wedged between autonomous hill states.
The British government retained it as a military post and over the years it became a trading centre as well, probably the farthest in the north. But soon the cantonment was wound up and the buildings and property handed over to missionaries. The British government encouraged missionary work in Kotgarh to enhance its influence in the area.
St Mary’s Church was built in Kotgarh in 1873 and schools were opened in Kotgarh and the surrounding villages. Murry’s Handbook of Punjab, 1883, described Kotgarh as a “pretty little place with a post office, a pretty church and a missionary station”. Little has changed since then.
Unlike Shimla that grew from a tiny village to become the summer capital of British India, Kotgarh has remained almost frozen in time. The pretty wooden church with its old graveyard, the Gorton Mission School and other buildings that survive today hold lingering images of a bygone era.
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