In the hills of Kumaon, Garhwal and western Nepal, traditional sarais (inns) may be a thing of the past but no... Read More

Nainital: In the hills of Kumaon, Garhwal and western Nepal, traditional sarais (inns) may be a thing of the past but not the legend of Jasuli Shokyani, the widow from Dantu village who built them.

Long before hotels and lodges were commonplace in this part of the country, Shokyani was instrumental in providing boarding facilities for pilgrims, traders and travellers who couldn’t find a roof over their heads at night. However, these traditional inns have been neglected for long and most of them are in ruins despite activists clamouring for their conservation.

Talking to TOI, eminent historian Shekhar Pathak said, “In the past, there were not many options for lodging facilities. Hence, traders, pilgrims and travellers used to stay in these sarais at night.”

C S Napalchyal, former secretary of Uttarakhand who works with indigenous people in the Kumaon region, said, “There is an interesting folk tale behind these sarais. It is believed that Jasuli from Dantu village in Dharma valley of Pithoragarh went into depression after her husband and son’s deaths. One day, she converted her entire wealth into silver coins and loaded it on the back of her ponies. She then took the animals to the river and ordered that the entire wealth be thrown into the water body.”

“Sir Henry Ramsay, who was the then commissioner of Kumaon and Garhwal districts, heard about this and requested the widow to build inns for the needy instead of throwing away the money. Accepting his request, Jasuli ordered the construction of more than a hundred sarais along different routes in Kumaon and western Nepal,” he added.

Over time, both sarais and the legend of Jasuli became a part of the Kumaoni culture.

Pathak said, “There is no mention of the widow’s story in any historical texts written about the region. However, it has been a part of the folklore for several generations.”

“Though most of these inns were built by Jasuli, those who came later also constructed a few similar facilities.”

Meanwhile, Ravi Patiyal of Rang Kalyan Samiti, a group working for the conservation of such sarais, said, “We are trying to document everything connected to these sarais. We are also involved in the restoration of some of them by pooling in money from the community members. We recently restored a site at Satgadh in Pithoragarh. These sarais are a part of our heritage and the government should come forward to protect them as we have only limited resources.”

Napalchyal added, “These inns are of historical importance. At several places, they have even been encroached upon. Government should take initiative to restore them.”

In recent times, people from various places have started visiting sarais out of sheer curiosity.

Kanchan Joshi, a teacher who recently visited one of these inns at Sinapani, said, “There is not even a board detailing the historical significance of these structures. Most of them are in ruins. It is as if nobody cares.”

Patiyal and Napalchyal are hopeful that if more people visit these inns it would prompt authorities to restore these beautiful heritage structures.