All Research and text used in this blog is own
All pictures are own
Date of Visit of Tulajha December 23, 2018
 |
| At Tulajha |
The Never told Story of Tulajha Fort
Salt range is series of hills and low mountains between
the valleys of the Indus and Jhelum rivers, located in the northern part of the
Punjab region of Pakistan.
Samarkand and Tulajha are the names of two ancient forts that situated at different
locations in Salt Range. The one common thing in both of these forts is that
both attributes to Jalaluddin Khwarazm.
Following the defeat of his father, Ala ad-Din Muhammad II by Genghis
Khan in 1220, Jalaluddin Khwarazm came to the power. Jalal ad-Din retreated
with the remaining Khwarazm forces, while pursued by a Mongol army and at the
battle of Parwan, north of Kabul, defeated the Mongols. Due to the Mongol
invasion, the sacking of Samarkand and being deserted by his Afghan allies,
Jalal ad-Din was forced to flee to India. At the Indus River, however, the
Mongols caught up with him and slaughtered his forces, along with thousands of
refugees, at the Battle of Indus.
Famous travel writer Salman Rasheed mention in his
article that,
“in February 1221, Jalaluddin Khwarazm on the run from the Mongols passed through this area.
Here, he befriended the local chieftain Rai Sangin of the Khokhars. With the
Mongols breathing down on the man, I imagine he would have asked his host if
there was a secret sanctuary to shelter from his tormentors.”
Jalaluddin Khwarazm was and along his last left troops jumped into mighty Indus
near the place close to present village of Sojhanda
Bata in Kohat. Mongols troops
were also after them; Jalaluddin needed to find very fast some safe shelter for
his fatigued army and himself. He reached to the foots of Salt range to the
village which presently named Maira Aemah. Where, he pleaded for
the help in front of Khokhar chieftain of that time Rai Sangin.
Rai Sangin might have feel pity on Khwarazam sultan and taken him to
the fortress hidden away behind the ridges, which Jalaluddin Khwarazm named Samarqand in memory of
his hometown.
Samarqand was small settlement could not accommodate a large army and more a
hideout place than a proper fort. The remaining troops were hiding on the bed of
less active Ghambir river. Then the monsoon season arrived, water level started
to rise in Ghambir River. Troops shifted to slippery and unsafe ridges of
rugged mountains.
 |
| At Samarkand fort |
Meanwhile to further strengthening relations among two chiefs;
Rai Sangin the Khokhar chieftain married his daughter with Jalaluddin Khwarazm.
Rai Sangin gave one more favor to Jalaluddin that was
shifting him and his troops to better place of Tulaja.
Tulaja is amazing place from the defence point of view a natural
fortress, a large plain roughly of 19.2 acres and 1.46 Km periphery length located
on top of mountains bounded by sharp
tall cliffs on all four sides. The view of whole valley is visible from the top
of the Tulaja. On this plain debris and blocks of hundreds of houses,
defence wall and other structures present. One of the most interesting structures
found there was a square tank also a edifice that looks close to prayer hall.
There is only one way of entrance the fort and that is also
through a vertical shaft like cave. It is said that this entrance was also at
night with stone in old times.
Jalaluddin Khwarazm found an ideal shelter and said that he constructed
a temporary residence at Tulaja. The residence consists of roughly three
hundred houses, water supply and water tank. All construction done in stone
masonry. There was no mortar used in this construction, this style basically
found in Buddhist construction.
Few questions came to my mind after visiting Tulaja.
Jalaluddin spent three year of exile life in Indian sub-continent and that
tenure mostly passes while living in Delhi, Uch and Sindh. His period of living in Samarqand and Tuljah could
not be more than few months. How this large settlement constructed in such less
time. Second question, that came to my mind was that, is there any other
construction in salt range built on similar model.
I am travelling to different historical locations of the Salt
Range from the last twenty five years; I had also visited the site of Samarkand
Fort. It is located on hill top and required hiking of roughly two and half
hour from Maira Aemah village. There were ruins and debris of an old fort everywhere
and nothing is left except a defensive wall and bastion. There might be
possibility that the Mongol troops who were after the Jalaluddin Khwarazm
reached to the fort site. Jalaluddin army got an early alert and due to hilly
terrain find the time to escape and in retaliation Mongol army destroyed the
whole fort and turned into ruins. The stone masonry of defensive wall is somehow
similar to masonry pattern found at Tulajha.
 |
| Samarkand Fort |
 |
| At Ruins of Samarkand Fort |
Earlier, I also visited another site in Salt Range that is
the Amb Temple and its surrounding fort. It was constructed in Hindu Shahi
period. I have seen similar block construction in defensive wall of Amb fort to
what I have seen at Tulajha as well.
 |
| Amb temple and Fort |
Salt range was under Hindu Shahi Empire from (879-1026) AD and
most likely Tuljah constructed in same period.
Association with Hindu Deity
Tulaja Meaning: Indian
goddess of mercy, kundalini shakti and slayer of evil. That name must have been
given to this town and fort in Hindu Shahi period but nothing can say with surety.
Settlements outside the Fort
Outside the fort in adjacent areas similar ruins and
settlement found. It is believed that the less ranked army and minor citizen
used to live there. So this also gives a new insight that Tulajha was sub-empire, a small town in Hindu Shahi period. The settlements
outside the fort have different name they are called Tulaji by local peoples.
Buddhist Graves
One
can also find large number of Buddhist graves in the valley, so the area is
known to humans from prehistoric time.
The 5000 Year’s Old
Myth
Few
people made video blogs and highlighting that Tuljah site could be as old as
5000 years. There are no such historical findings that can prove these claims.
However Tulajha located at one of the best site from the defensive point of
views and as I said above Tulajha is natural fortress and an ideal place of
shelter for pre-historic men.
How to Reach Tuljah
A
metal road connects Khushab and Nowshera, on this road roughly travelling
thirty three kilometer, you will find a sign board pointing towards right Baba
Kacchayawala Shrine. The shrine is located fourty five minutes from that signboard.
From there Tuljah fort is roughly and hour distance of moderate level of
hiking.
**
Specially wanted to thanks my friend Adnan Alam Awan from Soon Valley, who
arranged a special tour for me to visit Tuljah.
Also
wanted to thanks my friends Shiraz, Irfan Afzal and my brother Salman Baig who
came along with me from Lahore.
 |
| At Tulajha |
