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About
Jaunsar Bawar |
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Jaunsar-Bawar is a hilly region about 85 km from Mussoorie, in
Chakrata tehsil, in Dehradun district; it represents the
geographical region inhabited by the 'Jaunsari' tribe, which
traces its origin from the Pandavas of Mahabharata.
Ethnically, Jaunsar-Bawar comprises two regions, inhabited by
the two major tribes: 'Jaunsar', the lower half, while the
snow-clad upper region is called 'Bawar', which includes, the
'Kharamba peak' (3084 mts.). Geographically adjacent, they are
not very different from each other. The Bawar lies in the
upper regions of the area, they are a unique tribal community
because they have remained cut off from the external world for
centuries, leading to the retention of their unique culture
and traditions, which have attracted historians,
anthropologist and studies in Ethno-Pharmacology to this
region for over a century. The Jaunsaris with their facial
features clearly distinguish from other people of Garhwal,
living nearby. |
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Jaunsar-Bawar Region |
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The Jaunsar-Bawar region, is a tribal valley which spreads over
an area of 1002 km˛ and 400 villages, between 77.45' and
78.7'20" East to 30.31' and 31.3'3" North. It is defined in the
east, by the river Yamuna and by river Tons in the west, the
northern part comprises Uttarkashi district, and some parts of
Himachal Pradesh, the Dehradun tehsil forms its southern
periphery.
Modes of livelihood in this region are animal husbandry and
agriculture which in the upper region is mostly for
self-sustenance, as merely 10 percent of cultivated area is
irrigated. Milk, wool and meat are an integral part of the local
economy. Jaunsar-Bawar is the place where even today people
don't lock their houses and if somebody left behind in
completing any farming activity then all the other villagers
would help them. |
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History of Jaunsar Bawar
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In 1829, Jaunsar-Bawar was incorporated in Chakrata tehsil,
prior to which it had been a part of Punjab state of Sirmur,
till the British defeated it along with Dehradun after the 1814
war with the Gurkhas.
Before the establishment of British Indian Army cantonment in
1866, the whole area was known as Jaunsar-Bawar, and the name
continued to be in popular use for the region, till early 20th
century. While western Hindi was popular in most of the
neighbouting hill areas, 'Jaunsari' language, part of the
Central Pahari languages was spoken by most of the people of the
region. |
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Geography of Jaunsar Bawar
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Traditionally, Jaunsar-Bawar region is known for its rich
reserves of forested areas, in the high hills region, with
trees of Pine, Deodar, and spruce, made for it becoming an
important destination for the timber even during the
British period, when the logs were rolled down the slopes
and floated on Yamuna river to Delhi. |
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Culture |
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The culture of the local Jaunsari tribe is different from other
hill tribes in Garhwal, Kumaon and Himachal Pradesh, a fact
demonstrated by the presence of polygamy and polyandry in the
local traditions, with richer tribesmen practicing polygamy,
while their poor counterparts, choose to share a wife
(polyandry), though the husbands should be brothers, a fact
which is often connected to, the five Pandava brothers in the
Mahabharata, marrying Draupadi, from whom Jaunsaries trace their
ethnic origin. Though, anthropology studies in the 1990s
revealed that these practises were fast phasing out, and is
being replaced by monogamy and these practices do not exist now.
An important aspect of their culture are festive sports and
dances like the folk dance named 'Barada Nati'/Harul/Raso/
during all festive occasions, like 'Magh Mela' which is the most
important festival of the Jaunsaries. It is marked by an animal
sacrifice ritual, which celebrates the killing of 'Maroj', an
ogre, which according to local legends, stalked the valleys for
years.
During festivals, people wear the Lohiya or Thalka, which is a
long coat. The dancers - both boys and girls - wear colorful
traditional costumes. Bissu is an important festival of
Jaunsar-Bawar. |
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Villages of Jounsar |
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Bhanjra – Bhanjra is a small village which is about 30 km from
Kalsi, and Kalsi is about 40 km from Dehradun: it comes under
the Tehsil of Kalsi, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The name of this
village is derived from the name of the person Bija Bhakan, a
thakut of Rana families of Himachal, Jaunsar and Babar. The
residents and ruler of this village are connected with the Rana
dynasty, and in their history they have close relations with
rulers of Bhakanua (Himachal), Bastil and Makti (Jaunsar).
Binhar - Binhar is also a small village of Jaunsar Babar,it is
situated about 80 km from Dehradun, now it a part of Kalsi
tehsil and kath Lakhwar and a village of gram panchayat Bhagi.
Sakni - Sakni is a village of jaunsar, near to 'Kalsi' tehsil.
Sakni is situated near the 'Sahiya' which is about 9 kms from
Sahiya. The total no. of families in Sakni is 20.
Kanbua is a village of Jounsar, near to Chakrata. Kanbua is
situated on the top of a mountain, about 10 km from Sahiya, 29
km from Kalsi and 80 km from Dehradun district, Uttarakhand. The
village is well-known for the temple of Shilgur-Bijat
(Shiva-Vishnu). It is also famous for the sport game kabbadi.
The total number of families in Kanbua is 25. |
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Architecture |
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Jaunsar Bawar follows the dialect architecture components.
Houses are generally built in stone and timber and roofed with
slate tiles. It is usually a two or three storey structure with
a linear arrangement of one to four rooms on each floor and is
usually sited on a terraced piece of land along the contours of
the hill. In many villages in Uttarakhand, due to low
temperature range, the housing and other buildings of
socio-cultural values are generally shaped like pagodas or have
sloping roofs.
The common building material used under construction includes
wood (generally deodar, due to its abundance and durability),
plain stones and other locally available materials like stone
slates and mud. One of the important aspects of architecture in
the area is the wooden carvings and the slate laden gabled
roofs.
As temple architecture commonly develops from the form of folk
houses, the figure of a small temple is not so different from
that of a folk house. Therefore, the oldest and simplest temple
type in this region is a single storied structure covered with a
gabled roof.
Since the local deity is Lord Mahasu, most of the temples are
dedicated to him. Most prominent temples include Mahasu Temple
at Lakhwar, Mahasu Devta Temple at Hanol, Mahasu Temple at
Lakhsiyar and newly constructed Mahasu Temple in Bisoi.
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