Ghora Gali (The Horse Pass) sounds like the name of a specific place. But in Pir Panjal mountains of Jammu & Kashmir it is a generic term that indicates a fascinating feature that is a relic of a bygone time. Dotting the landscape in the most unexpected sites are countless (because nobody seems to have counted them so far!) striking sculptures of warhorses and horsemen that date back to an unknown age.
This is the general area:
The horses are unfailingly found to be poised at some pass that lies on a foot or cart track. Fantastic stories about they being cursed creatures of some mythical age are told.The sculptures are also said to date back to Mahabharata period. However, I am personally not sure about their origin. Dispassionately thinking, one is inclined to conclude that they are no more that navigational landmarks for convoys of traders and warriors who used to pass over these inhospitable mountains regularly once upon a time.
Most of the horses now lie in a state of utter neglect. Many are lying broken into pieces. It is not uncommon to find, in a remote mountain village, a broken horse serving as a washing stone outside a hut.
The reasons for this are not far to seek. Firstly, advent of motorable roads has obscured these old routes of travel and thus rendered the horse sculptures obscure. Secondly, the population in this area has now turned almost entirely Muslim and these ‘Hindu’ artefacts are probably considered distasteful.
1.
Horsemen near Jamsalan village along Gool – Mahore road. This place is not connected road and takes about an hour’s walk to reach. The blue tint is on account of the rainy mountain weather and also camera settings I forgot to change.
2.
The Horsemen near Gool town are located right next to Gool – Ramban road and thus easy to visit.
The pen in the first picture is for the purpose of giving an idea of scale.
I wonder why the Archeological department and the State and Central governments are not doing anything to preserve The WARHORSES?
Reblogged this on Window With A View and commented:
Really wonder who and when and why these warhorses were sculpted? And why they lie neglected and scattered?
these are memorial (hero) stones raised in ( between 12th-15th centuries) the memory of fallen soldiers of armies of may be Turkish origin as the style of carving shows similarities with the Hittite Art
Asalamalyqum
sir i belong to this place i m working as lecturer political science in DIET Reasi.
I have tried my best to make these sculptures known to rest of india. My university. teacher prof Tajudin has visited along with me to get some 1st hand knowledge.
Even one my student of Gandhi nagar college m Navjoot also talked about her research on Ghoda gali at MS University of Vadodara Gujrat but never approached again sine last 2 years.
so what i want is that some archaeological ahould be conducted to identify these sculptures.
thank you