Located at the foot of Tilla Jogian, Padhri village is another place dotted with astonishing examples of stone architecture typical of the Salt Range terrain.
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village → locate → terrain
Locally sourced stones have been crafted into remarkable structures, reflecting the enduring nature of art.
Padhri is a small village nestled among the hillocks beneath Tilla Jogian, a site dating back to the BC era.
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Padhri → source → era
Padhri is a purely Potohari word, mostly used for a stretch of land smoothed out from uneven terrain.
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Padhri → use → terrain
The medium-sized village is spread across a small patch of land surrounded on all sides by deep ditches, making it inaccessible from almost every direction except through a narrow passage that provides road access.
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that → spread → access
The ordinary as well as palatial houses, which are now rapidly being demolished in the name of modernity, were built with stone.
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which → demolish → stone
Even the remaining stretches of its streets offer a glimpse of an ancient Italian spectacle.
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stretches → remain → spectacle
This beautiful marvel of local stone architecture also bears the footprints of the harmonious coexistence of different religions and cultures.
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marvel → bear → religions
A stone-built Hindu temple, with intact frescoes depicting deities and other designs, is now being used as a cattle pen.
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temple → build → pen
This reflects the neglect of our history and culture that is so common under the ‘bliss of ignorance’.
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that → reflect → ignorance
Muhammad Tariq, a local resident, told this correspondent that the shining brass masts once stood atop the temple but were stolen overnight about a decade ago.
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masts → tell → temple
Syed Ahmed, another resident, while guiding this correspondent through the streets, said all the houses had been built with grey stones brought from the surrounding hills of Tarakki, Domeli and Tilla Jogian.
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houses → guide → Tarakki
Hindus and Muslims lived there in complete harmony and communion.
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Hindus → live → harmony
After the Partition of the subcontinent, the vacated houses were mostly allotted to migrants from Kashmir and other areas.
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houses → vacate → Kashmir
Most of these allottees later sold the properties, while alterations to the buildings continued unchecked by the Evacuee Trust, which had allotted them.
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which → sell → them
A centuries-old small mosque, featuring a highly attractive facade built with sandy grey stones, is another marvel of stone craftsmanship in the Domeli and Tilla region.
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mosque → feature → region
Its architecture has few parallels in modern construction and technology.
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architecture → have → construction
Chaudhary Sarmad Ehsan Sadiq, a visitor from a university in the United States, commenting on the precision of the intricate and complex designs, said this represented advanced architectural engineering that had flourished in the Domeli and Tilla Jogian region in particular.
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that → comment → region
The use of large, single stones as canvases to carve arches, pillars and panels with geometrical and artistic precision represented a remarkable science known only to the masons who had lived among these stones for generations around Tilla Jogian, Sarmad Ehsan said.
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Ehsan → carve → Jogian
The remains of a beautifully constructed villa belonging to an influential figure of ancient times also stand surrounded by bushes.
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remains → construct → bushes
Its surviving series of magnificent arches resting on symmetrical pillars hints at the prestigious position it enjoyed during the British era and beyond.
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it → survive → era
Chaudhary Asim, a UK-based native of the area, regretted that unchecked soil erosion on all sides of Padhri village was undermining the foundations of houses.
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erosion → base → houses
“Eroding earth crumbling down into the surrounding ditches is endangering not only the population but also the centuries-old stone architecture, which is deteriorating day by day,” he said.
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he → erode → day
He urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to have the historic village declared a protected site by the Archaeology and Culture Department to prevent further destruction.
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village → urge → destruction
When contacted for comment, Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Mir Reza Ozgen acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and regretted the unavailability of funds.
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Ozgen → contact → funds
However, he said that an assessment and PC-I for the preservation of the monuments would be prepared, along with a formal request for the provision of funds.
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assessment → say → funds
The Aporia
