Written by: Sirat Gohar Daudpoto
Posted on: August 10, 2023 | 
| 中文
A mesmerizing view of Rumli Village
Margalla, the mountainous landscape of the Islamabad Capital Territory, is dotted with many villages. These settlements are centuries old and mainly occupy the valleys, particularly those tracts of Margalla Hills where water and cultivable land is plentiful. One such historic village is Rumli. This village is no different from other villages in the Margalla Hills of Islamabad, and the way of life of the inhabitants of these villages is very similar. The cultural similarity is the most striking feature of the rural life in the Margallas, and each village has its oral traditions that make it unique.
Cave shrine at gard in Rumli
Rumli is set in a beautiful valley full of natural resources necessary for eking out a living. It is located two and a half kilometers north of the Quaid-i-Azam University, and even the road leading to the village passes through the University. Local people say that no one knows when the village was built and by whom, but Chodhries, Rajas and Sayeds are the earliest inhabitants of the village. The villagers believe that Rumli is centuries old, and Akhtar Shah, who is from the family of the early settlers of the village, said it is more than six centuries old. He informed the writer about the crematorium of the Sikhs near the dwellings of the villagers, which the locals call chaanrian/chaahnrian.
Main graveyard of Rumli Village
According to one tradition, it is named after a saint whose name was Rumal/Rumbal/Rumbail. Chodhry Fayaz, who is a resident of Rumli, said that the saint (Rumal) used to come through a cave to give milk to the trees. The remains of the cave are still visible, and it is the most famous shrine in the village. The place where the cave is located is called gard by the villagers, and is located at the entrance of the village. Together with the cave shrine, other spaces at the gard include a spring, mosque, peepul tree (Sacred Fig or Ficus Religiosa) and the main graveyard of the village. The gard has a special place in the lives of the people of Rumli, and it appears to be a place of socialization as sitting under a peepul tree is their favorite pastime. Akhtar Shah said, in the older times, armies of the British and Sikhs used to stop here at the gard.
Mosque and Peepul Tree at gard in Rumli Village
Like other villages in Margalla, Rumli is also established near a water channel that is locally called kas or kasi. Chodhry Fayaz informed the writer that this channel has been named after the village as the “Rumli Stream”, by the students of the University. It is a perennial stream that is formed by many springs (chashma), and a seasonal water channel, which is called gagare ala nala or gagar by the villagers, originating in the Margalla Hills. Chodhry Fayaz said that the stream’s main sources of water are springs, whereas gagar only flows in the rainy seasons. The gagar falls into the stream at gard, as the village has many springs, and each spring has a name, and some examples are: palai ni jalyari, bagy ala chashma and more. The residents of Rumli said that these springs have been the main source of drinking water since time immemorial; in fact, there were no wells in the past and the people relied on these springs. Although a few water pumps and wells have been built recently in the village, but the springs still remain the principal source of clean water.
A view of Rumli Village
Rumli is surrounded by several small and big villages. It is located between two main villages, Shahdra and Bari Imam are to its east and west respectively. Other neighboring villages of Rumli include Kamlari, Mitha, Phalwari, Bara Kund, Nariyas and Badoh/Baroh. Of these, only the last two villages are toward the north, high up in the mountains, whereas others, i.e., Kamlari, Mitha, Phalwari and Bara Kund, are located downstream from the Rumli Village. The villagers have built several utilitarian structures on the stream including watermills, ponds and platforms. There are two watermills on Rumli Stream, one in Kamlari and the other between Rumli and Kamlari, and both are functioning. Furthermore, many socio-cultural and religious spaces, as well as modern institutions, can be seen along the Rumli road that runs parallel to the stream.
A view of Kamlari Village
Unlike other rural settlements of Islamabad, the village of Rumli is famous all across the country due to its close proximity to Quaid-i-Azam University. There is hardly any student of the University who has not been there. However, they usually just walk up to the Kamlari village. It has become part of the University’s student life. Ironically, the students mistakenly take all the villages in the valley as Rumli, which is in fact the name of a specific village. All villages in the Rumli Stream Valley have their own identity and oral traditions, and they should be called and remembered by their names.
You may also like:
