Culturally rich and geographically mesmerizing, the present district of Riasi was actually the seat of a much larger Bhimgarh State, established by Dogra ruler, Raja Bhim Deva, around 8th century A.D. contemporaneous with famous Kashmirian king Lalitaditya Muktapida. For nearly a thousand years, this principality enjoyed its independence and sovereignty. When Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of the Dogra kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir, raised his banner in 1846, he appointed the great warrior from Reasi, General Zorawar Singh as commandant of Reasi garrison. Through his military prowess and intrepidity, this celebrated warrior from the hilly state of Bhimgarh contributed immensely to extending geographical boundaries of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in 1840s farther in the north and northeast, and thus changed the history and geography of the entire foothills of the Karakorum and the Pamirs of his days. Military exploits of General Zorawar Singh, particularly in most inhospitable terrains of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, form a unique chapter in the history of great military expeditions of the world.
In 1948, Reasi hitherto a district of Jammu region under Dogra rule, was merged into district Udhampur, and some of its parts fell in Poonch district. However, the present district of Reasi was formed out of the residual territory, which has shrunk from the original state of Bhimgarh. Often, political cartography has mutilated the history of a given region. Nevertheless, Reasi remains the hilly abode of the deities who are guarding our land while located atop the scenic mountains and hills, which are both attractive and forbidding.
Two things distinguish Reasi very conspicuously. These are firstly the shrines of deities atop the Trikuta or Shivalik Hills and secondly untapped tourist potential of the entire district. It is true that the name and fame of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine has overshadowed both of the above distinctions of the district because as we learn, more than a crore pilgrims from all the four corners of the country proceed to the holy shrine on pilgrimage every year. The number of pilgrims will go on increasing with the passing of years. However, apart from the pilgrimage of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, the area is endowed with many other religious places that are rich in natural beauty, flora and fauna, rivers and rivulets, mostly unexplored so far.
Some of these sites are Shiv Khori, Ziarat Baji Ismail Sahib, Baba Dhansar, Siarh Baba, Sula Park and Dera Baba Banda Bhadur Ji. These are all shrines of saints and godly personalities in whose name devotees founded the shrines and made them live with seasonal visitations to commemorate their memory and remind the people that this was the land of great saints and savants. The most prominent shrine after Mata Vaishno Devi in the Shivalik Hills of Reasi is of Shiv Khori. Hindus of the locality dedicated this famous cave shrine to lord Shiva. The natural cave is about 200 metres long, one metre wide and two to three metre high, and contains a self-made lingam, which according to the belief of the people and the legend, is unending. A three-day Shiv Khori festivity takes place annually on Maha Shivratri and thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the state and country visit this shrine to seek blessing of Lord Shiva. Shiv Khori Shrine Board manages its affairs.
Here we may make a small digression from the actual theme and focus on Shiva worship not only in Shiv Khori but also in the entire northern belt including Kashmir. How come there is great commonality of Shiva worship from Poonch (Buda Amarnath) to Reasi (Shiv Khori) to Ramnagar and then to Amarher or Amreshwara in the vicinity of Srinagar, and finally the famous Shri Amaranth Cave atop the Himalayan branches in Baltal, Kashmir area. Why does the legend of the five Pandavas also abound sufficiently in this entire area that we may call Chenab and Jhelum Valley? We hope antiquarians and researchers will do justice to this theme and some day come out with thrilling researches on the subject.
Of much social significance is the Baba Jitto temple situated in Aghar Jitto village at a distance of approximately five kilometres from Katra. Property owners name Aghar Jitto after Baba Jitto the legendary farmer who laid his life to fight oppression. He was a great devotee of Maa Vaishno and a temple here is dedicated to him. A three-day Aghar Jitto festival is the prime attraction of this place.
For want of adequate space, we cannot come out with fuller details of the shrines and abodes of deities on these hills and mountains. Nevertheless, we need to say a word about the relation of Reasi district as a whole to the tourist industry in the State. It is no revelation to say that tourism has remained mostly associated with Kashmir valley. This is despite the fact that many other places in the State had good tourist potential. This industry could and should have been expanded and brought to untapped sites. One such prospective region is Reasi. Siarh Baba situated about 10 kms from Reasi, in village Talwara could be a tourist attraction with 400 feet high cascading waterfall and an ancient Pragan Nag temple. Other very picturesque sites which Tourism Department could develop are Dagan Top, Tatta Pani, Konsar Naag etc. These places give a commanding overlook of the grand Chenab valley and the vast meadows of lush green turf. Unfortunately, the Tourism Department has tuned Nelson’s eye to these spots and Reasi, which has great historical and cultural background, remains deprived of proper development of its tourist sites. We hope the present Government will break the ice and initiate its development.
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