Mangla Fort, A Historical Heritage

Mangal dam is one of the important dams in Pakistan. The main dam is located to Mangla on the river Jhelum. It is an earth fill type dam with maximum height of 380 ft above riverbed with a crest length of 11,000 ft (3,353 meters). Mangla dam is primarily a multipurpose project meant for effecting part replacement of water supplies of the three eastern rivers. Besides, it is designed to conserve and control flood water river Jhelum through significant reduction in flood peaks and volumes at downstream by incidental use of the available storage space. The other by product are power generation to meet the power demand of the country, fish culture to provide protein rich diet, tourism to provide healthy revelation facilities to the people.

The project of MANGLA Dam was actually conceived in 1950’s as a multipurpose project to be constructed at a place called Mangla across river Jhelum located 20 miles upstream of Jhelum city. The initial investigation and its feasibility studies were completed in 1958. The construction of Mangla Dam was started in 1962 and completed in 1967. 

However, this is not the only importance of Mangla. It is a religiously historic place since ancient times. Let us dig into some of its historic perspectives. The “Shivalik” (Sanskrit) means thousands mountain extend from Shimla to Jammu then to Bhimber and the Last Mountain is Mangla Fort Mountain in Khadi. These mountains lie in the lap of great Himalayas. Towards west side of the Mangal Fort runs river Jhelum which separates Kashmir from Punjab Province. The different names of River Jhelum were in use “Vitista” in Sanskrit, “Veth” in “Kashmiri”, “Hydrospace” in Greek. Village namely “Mayi-Mangla” was settled on the side of river Jhelum west of the fort.

But this village got destroyed during the construction of Mangla dam. This fort was surrounded by river Jhelum on north-west side and some portion of south side. There was only one way towards east-south of fort to go. Upwards to the gate which was the only door of entrance to the fort. After entering the gate, there was a big room of two storey building. Though this room, people were entering into the Mangla fort. Around four corners of the fort there was a long fence of variable heights. At some regions it was 4 feet high which at other places it was 16 feet high. Its width was 10 feet towards bottom side and 4 feet towards top side.

Mangla is connected to the human lives and is known religiously. The acceptance and the importance of the region is associated with the time-honored stories – the figures/characters and stories were very significant according to that time but still have their importance and connection to the lives of current people. One of these tales is the tale of mangla devi.

The Mangaladevi fort is a Hindu temple at Bolara in the city of Mangalore in the Indianstate of Karnataka. It is situated about three kilometres southwest of the city centre. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Shakti in the form of Mangaladevi, the presiding deity from whom the city derives its name. The fort is of significant antiquity and is believed to have been built during the 9th century by Kundavarman, the most noted king of the Alupa dynasty, under the patronage of Matsyendranath. As per another legend, the temple is believed to have been built by Parashurama, one of the ten avatars of Hindu god Vishnu and later expanded by Kundavarman.

Devi Mangla insprired from the above mentioned mangaldevi is mentioned in famous religious book called “Mahabharata” of Hindu religion which is their one of the ancient books written in BC era.  “Mahabharata” written in Sanskrit and its Persian version was written by “Abul Fazal”.

Also Mangla devi is mentioned in “Kitab-ul-Hind” written by “Al-Birooni” who was a famous historian, Mathematician and accompanied “Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi” during his attack in 1020 on Kashmir. During his travel, Al-Birooni had seen Mangla Devi statue in Mangla fort.

The writer of “Tazkirie Jehlum” has described Mangla-Devi as the daughter of Raja-Porous. Mangla was a beautiful, great Kind and moral lady. When Raja Porous was murdered after the war of Great King Sikandar, Mangla made her residence on this mountain and become saint or Jogan. She was a moral lady and was describing her ancestors by singing beautiful songs people came to see her get blessed from very far places and listen her beautiful songs. Thousands of her fans became saints.

Kings from very far places came to see her and get blessed. Gradually she became a great saint and “Tuesday” in urdu “Mangal” day was selected for her “darshan”. So people came to her on Tuesday “Mangal” hence called as Mangla-Devi”.

In Mangla fort, there was the temple called “Shiv-ling”. In this temple there was the statue of “god-shiv” (Manadev). The statue was made from 4 feet wide and 2 feet thick stone. Even twenty persons could not lift this stone up. Shiv-Baghwan was a huge Hindu god also named as Mahadev. His penis fitted on a big about 13 inch thick and 1 ½ feet long. In the four corners of the temple, there were four statues of “Baghwan Shives” wives. In the middle there was “Shiv-ling” (penis of Baghwas Shive fitted on a stone). The statues of four wives of Shiv were carrying Ganga-water filled vessels (Matkas) on their heads. This water disappeared on floor. Ganpat Ghar a saint was the care-taker of “shiv-ling”.

A festival of three days was celebrated here, and needy persons, Hindus were coming for Darshan of Baghvan Shiv and Shiv-ling. Those women who did not bear children were often coming here on Sundays to quench their aim unmarried women were praying to Shiv-ling one full night. 

However, like many other historic places in Pakistan, Mangla is also subjected to negligence of the government and related administration. We wrote this topic to highlight the importance of this historic place and need for the conservation of its remains which are almost disappearing.  For example, the adjacent Masjid of Dudial to the fort drowning in the water of dam, the remains of Masjid is disappeared. It is the need of the time to take serious actions to preserve our historic places and restore them in order to promote tourism in our country.