空思想

BHALESSA - A HUB OF TOURISM

Bhalessa has a rich history. The area derived its name from the people inhibited in the area "Bhalay Loug" (The immaculate people with perfect destiny). The history of Bhalessa is much old and dates back as early as 200 B.C. and reveloves around the time when the revered Buddhist scholar Nagsena was invited to a discussion by king Mender in his palace at Sakla, some where in Kishtwar. In the discussions Nagsena replied all the questions of the king who then embraced Buddhism and became king Milinda. Nagsena recorded the discussion in "Millinda Panha" a Pali Treatise (article) on the fundamental principles of Buddhist philosophy.

The Bhalessa was initially linked with Bhaderwah and was known as Bhaderwah Jagir and was known to be distributed into 15 tharas or administrative units. The total area of Bhaderwah Jagir (including Bhalessa etc) was 533 sq. miles which included some parts of Udhampur District. On the recommendations of Private Domain Assimilation Committee, the status of Bhadarwah Jagir ended in 1930 A.D. Consequently Bhadarwah became a tehsil of Udhampur District in 1931 and the area was reduced to 213 sq. miles only. The earliest mention of the place is traced from Rajatarangni around (1112-20 A.D.)

After establishment of District Headquarter Doda, Bhadarwah was made a tehsil of this District including Bhalessa as a Niabet. Consequent upon reorganization of District and Tehsils, in 1981 Naibat Thathri and Niabat Bhalessa of Bhadarwah Tehsil also became full fledged Tehsils in. Tehsil Thathri and Tehsil Gandoh were carved out of Sub- Division Bhaderwah. District Doda had one Sub-District Ramban, two Sub-Divisions namely Kishtwar and Bhaderwah. But now as Ramban and Kishtwar have been upgraded as Districts, Tehsil Bhalessa has been upgraded as Sub-Division.

Bhalessa is inhabited by Muslim majority and more than one third of the total population constitutes Hinddu minority. Bhalessa is known for its age old traditional communal harmony. The people generally dominate working class and are inhibiting the area without any political mileage. The two communities continue to live together in the same villages in relative peace. Owing to the commitment and mutual understanding of the Hindu Muslim secular heritage the nefarious designs has been wiped and local inhabitants diverted their attention towards the higher objectives. That is why Bhalessa has now emerged as a hub of higher education, the tattering educational affairs has been altered, there is a rising tide in the sphere of education in Bhalessa. The setting up of a Government Degree College at Kilhotran is another feather to its cap. Internally Bhalessa is divided into several zones which includes Khal Jugasar, Chanti, Neeli, Gandoh, Jitota, Pingal, Chilly and Basnota. It is beyond the doubt that both the communities of the area are living with amity and are competing with the people of the rest of the state.In addition it is known for its well-known and renowned personalities dominating each and every sector of the state and the country. An epitome of peace and brotherhood late Gh. Rasool Azad is a key figure among them. He along with his associated fraternity, which includes, Nil Kanth Parihar, Ab. Aziz Butt, Mir Munwer Din, Mohd shafi Mattoo, Prof. Ummer Din, Munshi Ram Chand Parihar, Habib Malik and many more, contributed a lot for the maintenance of secular heritage of Bhalessa. Besides this, the tattering educational affairs of the area was shaped by the then Director Education Ghulam Rasool Azad an eminent personality of the area who heads the educational cap of the area. Packed with outstanding achievements, Ghulam Rasool Azad left no stone unturned to give a face-lift to the education system of the area. But it was all in the early nineties due to abrupt of militancy in the state which also raised its ugly head in the Bhalessa area, the dream of Late G. R. Azad to built Bhalessa a hub of Education was struggling for its recognition. Though the communal harmony and brotherhood among the two communities remained unaffected yet it marked its great influence in the education sector of the area which suffered a lot as almost all the School buildings, Govt. establishments etc. were raised to ashes by the then revolutionars. Then it was only when some youths led by Mr. Mohd. Ayoub Zargar got together to think of ways in which they could play a role in the development of education in hilly terrain of Bhalessa Doda of J&K state. These young people shared the belief that education will play a significant role in maintaining the old age communal harmony in the area in addition will be an effective catalyst for social and economic change in the area. Thus, an organization with the status of an NGO was formulated with the name of Educational, Environmental, Social, Sports and cultural Society with the aim to promote the educational standard of the area besides strengthening the communal hormony. The same was then registered with the Registrar of the Societies, under Registration act VI of 1998 (1941 A.D.) and thanks to this organization the area flourished a lot in almost all walks of life and still this NGO is playing a key role in the development of the area.

Geographically Bhalessa is one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Distt. Doda.