Jakhau
Encyclopedia
Jakhau is a village 14 km west of Naliya
, the taluka headquarters of Abdasa taluka of Kutch, Jakhau Salt - the port of Jakhau is situated a further 15 km westwards.
In the Kutch district there are many small sanctuaries, more or less abandoned, that display an alignment of statuettes representing
seventy-two horseback riders, each holding a manuscript in one hand.
(See figs. 5–7.) These are the Jakhs,19 who are said to have come from
overseas to alleviate the misery of the poor, to look after the sick, and
to deliver the country from the tyrant king Pumvrao. They are treated
like gods. Their legend is known through heroic tales, which describe
how they defeated Pumvrao, nephew of Kakha Phulani (at the end of
the tenth century) and thereby thwarted the first attempt of the Samma
Rajputs to control Kutch. Several versions of the legend exist; they
were first brought to light by Alexander Burns in 1826, and L.F.
Rushbrook Williams gave an exhaustive account of what is known
about the Jakhs and their stories in 1958.20
According to the legends seven holy men, called Rikhis (Rsis) or
Samghars, came from somewhere near Byzantium. They worshipped
their god Jakh on a hill not far from the fort of Pumvrao, called
Padhargadh. Their reputation for being able to make barren women
bear children soon brought them to the attention of the queen. In some
versions of the legend she is said to have given them access to the
palace through an underground passage; in others, she is said to have
been offended by them when they did not offer her the respect she felt
was her due. In both accounts, the king becomes furious, in the one
because they have violated the sanctity of his harem, and in the other,
because they have insulted his wife. He has them arrested and
condemns them to winnowing grain on a ground covered with nails.
A compassionate barber freed one of them, who, from the top of a hill,
called for the help of his god. Jakh is said to have arrived from
Byzantium in the company of his seventy brothers and one sister.
When Pumvrao refused to liberate the prisoners, Jakh and his
company killed Pumvrao and cursed Padhargadh, which was ruined
and abandoned only two years after it was built. Later on, the seventytwo
Jakhs were deified and worshipped astride their horses.
Another tale was required in the eighteenth century to convince the
ruler of Kutch, Rao Desalji (1716–51), of the fact that the Jakhs actually
340 Françoise Mallison
existed. In this tale, they appeared from the sky on their horses near
the gold market (soni bazar) at Bhuj, where a shrine, called Jakh Jar or
Jakh Mandir, commemorates the event. (See fig. 8.) Although it is not
visited much today, it is still well kept: twenty-four whitewashed
niches are aligned on a platform surrounded by small structures, each
providing shelter to three manuscript scrolls, doubtlessly standing for
the seventy-two Jakhs; two Jakh statues stand in front of the niches
along with two white flags. There was no trace of any recent puja (as
of December 12, 1997), although Desalji and his successors are
supposed to come here to celebrate the arrival of the Jakhs once a year.
Rushbrook Williams quotes a more prosaic tale about the arrival of
the Jakhs in Kutch which he attributes to the last royal bard.21 Seventyone
shipwrecked men and a woman are said to have reached Jakhau
on rafts (on the West Coast, Abadasa taluka, an ancient harbour, the
name of which recalls the event).22 They were supposed to have come
from Byzantium and had clear skin, were tall in stature, and spoke a
foreign language that was incomprehensible to the Kutchis. They
travelled throughout the country and taught their art of medicine and
other sciences; in exchange they were rewarded with horses. Their
popularity provoked the jealousy of the cruel Pumvrao, who
imprisoned some of them. Their brother and sister, in order to free
them, built a ballistic machine on a nearby hill, bombarding a part of
the palace and killing the king. The queen organized a massacre of all
the Jakhs in revenge. The people, grateful for their kindnesses,
worshipped them as saints and even demigods in hilltop temples.
At Jakhau, where there once were many Jakh images, the cult is in
recession. The recent silting-up of the harbour put an end to the
commercial activities of the Bhanu6ali, who emigrated to Bombay,
following the independence of India. Their arable land was taken over
by Muslims. However, a small shrine was built between the small
town and the sea as recently as twelve years ago; seven small images
of the Jakhs on their horses, standing 30 to 50 cm high, can be seen
there. Incense and coconuts bear witness to the existence of a cult.
(See fig. 9.)
The liveliest temple is located at the village bearing the name Jakh,
near the Padhargadh ruins (Nakhatrana taluka), and near the ruins of
a large 7iva temple called Pumvre6var. The shrine on the top of a hill
can be reached by a flight of steps. It is an open terrace, partially
covered by a dome under which stand in a row the seventy-two
whitewashed statuettes of the Jakhs on their horses, freshly painted,
Saints and Sacred Places in Saurashtra and Kutch 341
with their characteristic orange turbans and their moustaches, and
with manuscript scrolls under their arms (see figs. 5–6); the image of
their sister Sayari is different only by virtue of her smaller size. An
earlier series of statuettes has been removed and put aside but not
destroyed, because when a series is replaced, the preceding one is kept
nearby and continues to receive garlands and honours (see fig. 7). An
oil lamp is continuously lighted and hung on a pillar at the temple’s
entrance. Dar6ana is always available, and visitors are numerous.
Local writers as well as English scholars have tried to find a
plausible explanation for the origin of these strange benefactors from
a foreign land. Many theories have been put forward, some of them
quite fanciful: some scholars argue that their name, Jakh, is derived
from yaksa, Hindu or Buddhist celestial beings; others argue that they
were Greeks or Romans, 7akas or White Huns,23 and even the
Varangian (Scandinavian) Guards of the emperor of Byzantium!
Somewhat more convincingly, Rushbrook Williams proposes an
Iranian identity: they might have been Zoroastrians who, fleeing
Islamization from northern Iran (as did the present day Parsis, who
reached the coast of Gujarat as early as the ninth century), were
shipwrecked and sought refuge on the coast of Kutch. Their peaceful
ways and their knowledge would be in accordance with those
attributed to the Jakhs. For Dalpat Shrimali, a specialist of the
religious folklore of the untouchables in Saurashtra and Gujarat, the
god Jakh might be an avatara of Matang or Mataim Dev, one of the
great gurus of the Mahamargi mythology, born from a Brahmin father
and an untouchable mother, and famous for his astrological science.24
To others he is one of the great Hindu preachers of Nizari Isma’ilism.25
None of these theories can be proven, and the legend of the Jakhs does
not seem to have crossed the Ranns of Kutch."""(FROM BOOK-Pilgrims, Patrons, and Place:Localizing Sanctity in Asian Religions)
Jakhau had a population of around 5000 in 2005. M/s Jakhau Salt co. of [Chennai] has got a lease on most of the surrounding salt pans for manufacturing of industrial grade salt.
Jakhau Port is famous fishing port of Gujarat, where the fishing communities from almost all of the Gujarat Coast migrates during the eight months fishing season. All types of fishing boats, Tony (small fibre boat), trawlers (bigger wooden craft), Pillani (vary small long boat) and Hodas (country crafts) are found there. All types of fish, pomfrets, salmons, cheris, crabs, lobsters, narsingas, shrimps etc. are found in large variety and volume there. The life of the village of Jakhau and the town of Naliya depend upon Jakhau fishing Port.
Sir Gokuldas Tejpal was Born on 1822 in Jakhav.( Sir Gokuldas Tejpal-1822-1867).
Jakhau is also one tirth of Jain Panch tirthi, with nearby Kothara, Suthri etc. being others.
Jakhau is also one tirth of how love sant shree odhavramji maharaj visit www.odhavdham.com
Jakhau is also birthplace of Shri Odhavram Maharaj
, the great sage of Bhanushali
community and founder of their religion.Odhav Sagar Lake has also been named after this great loved saint.
Jakhau Bhanushali's celebrates "RAM NAVMI" as it is also the thithi of birth os Great Saint
Odhavram .
The origin of the name Jakhau is said to be derived from "Yakshas" - attendants of gods, who had come there - it is also assumed by historians that the Parsis or Jarthostis - who might have landed on the port in past - whose flying beards and white robes and fair complexions might have made the local people to revere them like gods, and in absence of communication and the higher intellects of the visitors - they could have enjoyed their lives in that capacities. The knowledge of medicine and philanthropic nature might have helped them to strengthen the mysteries around them. mota yaksha and nana yaksha the yearly fairs near nakhtrana and temple near madhapar does prove beyond doubt that YAKSHAS/PARSHEE FELLAS DID LAND SOMWHERE IN KUTCH.
Jakhau was a big port in past, till partition and people and goods used to visit Pakistan frequently. as far as I read, the cotton, tobacco, salt were the items traded out to pak and sugar, rice, dryfruits were the items imported. The creek was trafficable up to 2–3 km from JAKHAU VILLAGE AND OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE beyond the smashan (Hindu crimatorium) side approachable from the road between de-funct "lobster farm" is a proof to it. Today the dilapidated customs godowns IN main road of VILLAGE, worn out havelis of banias who have left for mumbai and marketplaces ARE PROOF TO THE THRIVING TRADE OF THOSE DAYS and old people remember that lines of 150-200 cartloads would line up before office in morning awaiting customs clearances daily. tHE POOJARI OF SHIV TEMPLE OF BIGGEST TALAV OF JAKHAU(SHRI JETHIGIRI BAPU- he was childless) WHO WAS VERY OLD WHEN I MET HIM, USED TO TALK MUCH OF THOSE DAYS.
two incidents I vividly remember about past times, when I was told that for the two-three months of paryusans(Jain Pious months) the mahajan would give the fisher folks daily wages equivalent to their fisher catch to prevent them from fishing. further during my stay there, it was in 1998 mostly that a cyclone hit Jakhau village badly, which was cut off from even naliya for 15 days, continuous wind and rains for over 72 hours caused havoc to animals whose deadbodies lined the sides of jakhau salt road. 30 DAYS AFTER WHEN THE ELECTRICITY WAS ESTABLISHED UPON STARTING THE FAN, THE WATER DROPLETS WERE ALSO FLYING FROM THE FAN. Afterwards when the relief was distributed, a poor milkman(MEGHA-THE ABADA, WITHOUT MOUSTACHE/BEARD REAL BABY FACED FELLOW) who had lost two of his cows said that he will not fill up the form as "HE WAS AGAINST THE CASH DOLLS AGAINST DEAD COW".i (THEN) forgot his name, but he was the one darbar who supplied water at 15-20 rs a barrel in his bullock cart and has no moustache or beard growing on his "baby-like" face.
The Jakhs in Kutch
In the Kutch district there are many small sanctuaries, more or less
abandoned, that display an alignment of statuettes representing
seventy-two horseback riders, each holding a manuscript in one hand.
(See figs. 5–7.) These are the Jakhs,19 who are said to have come from
overseas to alleviate the misery of the poor, to look after the sick, and
to deliver the country from the tyrant king Pumvrao. They are treated
like gods. Their legend is known through heroic tales, which describe
how they defeated Pumvrao, nephew of Kakha Phulani (at the end of
the tenth century) and thereby thwarted the first attempt of the Samma
Rajputs to control Kutch. Several versions of the legend exist; they
were first brought to light by Alexander Burns in 1826, and L.F.
Rushbrook Williams gave an exhaustive account of what is known
about the Jakhs and their stories in 1958.20
According to the legends seven holy men, called Rikhis (Rsis) or
Samghars, came from somewhere near Byzantium. They worshipped
their god Jakh on a hill not far from the fort of Pumvrao, called
Padhargadh. Their reputation for being able to make barren women
bear children soon brought them to the attention of the queen. In some
versions of the legend she is said to have given them access to the
palace through an underground passage; in others, she is said to have
been offended by them when they did not offer her the respect she felt
was her due. In both accounts, the king becomes furious, in the one
because they have violated the sanctity of his harem, and in the other,
because they have insulted his wife. He has them arrested and
condemns them to winnowing grain on a ground covered with nails.
A compassionate barber freed one of them, who, from the top of a hill,
called for the help of his god. Jakh is said to have arrived from
Byzantium in the company of his seventy brothers and one sister.
When Pumvrao refused to liberate the prisoners, Jakh and his
company killed Pumvrao and cursed Padhargadh, which was ruined
and abandoned only two years after it was built. Later on, the seventytwo
Jakhs were deified and worshipped astride their horses.
Another tale was required in the eighteenth century to convince the
ruler of Kutch, Rao Desalji (1716–51), of the fact that the Jakhs actually
340 Françoise Mallison
existed. In this tale, they appeared from the sky on their horses near
the gold market (soni bazar) at Bhuj, where a shrine, called Jakh Jar or
Jakh Mandir, commemorates the event. (See fig. 8.) Although it is not
visited much today, it is still well kept: twenty-four whitewashed
niches are aligned on a platform surrounded by small structures, each
providing shelter to three manuscript scrolls, doubtlessly standing for
the seventy-two Jakhs; two Jakh statues stand in front of the niches
along with two white flags. There was no trace of any recent puja (as
of December 12, 1997), although Desalji and his successors are
supposed to come here to celebrate the arrival of the Jakhs once a year.
Rushbrook Williams quotes a more prosaic tale about the arrival of
the Jakhs in Kutch which he attributes to the last royal bard.21 Seventyone
shipwrecked men and a woman are said to have reached Jakhau
on rafts (on the West Coast, Abadasa taluka, an ancient harbour, the
name of which recalls the event).22 They were supposed to have come
from Byzantium and had clear skin, were tall in stature, and spoke a
foreign language that was incomprehensible to the Kutchis. They
travelled throughout the country and taught their art of medicine and
other sciences; in exchange they were rewarded with horses. Their
popularity provoked the jealousy of the cruel Pumvrao, who
imprisoned some of them. Their brother and sister, in order to free
them, built a ballistic machine on a nearby hill, bombarding a part of
the palace and killing the king. The queen organized a massacre of all
the Jakhs in revenge. The people, grateful for their kindnesses,
worshipped them as saints and even demigods in hilltop temples.
At Jakhau, where there once were many Jakh images, the cult is in
recession. The recent silting-up of the harbour put an end to the
commercial activities of the Bhanu6ali, who emigrated to Bombay,
following the independence of India. Their arable land was taken over
by Muslims. However, a small shrine was built between the small
town and the sea as recently as twelve years ago; seven small images
of the Jakhs on their horses, standing 30 to 50 cm high, can be seen
there. Incense and coconuts bear witness to the existence of a cult.
(See fig. 9.)
The liveliest temple is located at the village bearing the name Jakh,
near the Padhargadh ruins (Nakhatrana taluka), and near the ruins of
a large 7iva temple called Pumvre6var. The shrine on the top of a hill
can be reached by a flight of steps. It is an open terrace, partially
covered by a dome under which stand in a row the seventy-two
whitewashed statuettes of the Jakhs on their horses, freshly painted,
Saints and Sacred Places in Saurashtra and Kutch 341
with their characteristic orange turbans and their moustaches, and
with manuscript scrolls under their arms (see figs. 5–6); the image of
their sister Sayari is different only by virtue of her smaller size. An
earlier series of statuettes has been removed and put aside but not
destroyed, because when a series is replaced, the preceding one is kept
nearby and continues to receive garlands and honours (see fig. 7). An
oil lamp is continuously lighted and hung on a pillar at the temple’s
entrance. Dar6ana is always available, and visitors are numerous.
Local writers as well as English scholars have tried to find a
plausible explanation for the origin of these strange benefactors from
a foreign land. Many theories have been put forward, some of them
quite fanciful: some scholars argue that their name, Jakh, is derived
from yaksa, Hindu or Buddhist celestial beings; others argue that they
were Greeks or Romans, 7akas or White Huns,23 and even the
Varangian (Scandinavian) Guards of the emperor of Byzantium!
Somewhat more convincingly, Rushbrook Williams proposes an
Iranian identity: they might have been Zoroastrians who, fleeing
Islamization from northern Iran (as did the present day Parsis, who
reached the coast of Gujarat as early as the ninth century), were
shipwrecked and sought refuge on the coast of Kutch. Their peaceful
ways and their knowledge would be in accordance with those
attributed to the Jakhs. For Dalpat Shrimali, a specialist of the
religious folklore of the untouchables in Saurashtra and Gujarat, the
god Jakh might be an avatara of Matang or Mataim Dev, one of the
great gurus of the Mahamargi mythology, born from a Brahmin father
and an untouchable mother, and famous for his astrological science.24
To others he is one of the great Hindu preachers of Nizari Isma’ilism.25
None of these theories can be proven, and the legend of the Jakhs does
not seem to have crossed the Ranns of Kutch.
Naliya
Naliya is an town, which is also Taluka headquarter of Abdasa Tauka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India.It is located on Western end of Kutch at a distance of 17 km from ancient port of Jakhau....
, the taluka headquarters of Abdasa taluka of Kutch, Jakhau Salt - the port of Jakhau is situated a further 15 km westwards.
History
According to mythology the `Yakshas’landed at Jakhau during the pre-historic period. The name of the port Jakhau is said to have been adopted from the term `Jakh’ derived from `Yaksha’. Jakhau remained an important port till a new port at Mandvi was opened in the 16th century. The port traffic of Jakhau was then lost to Mandvi.""The Jakhs in KutchIn the Kutch district there are many small sanctuaries, more or less abandoned, that display an alignment of statuettes representing
seventy-two horseback riders, each holding a manuscript in one hand.
(See figs. 5–7.) These are the Jakhs,19 who are said to have come from
overseas to alleviate the misery of the poor, to look after the sick, and
to deliver the country from the tyrant king Pumvrao. They are treated
like gods. Their legend is known through heroic tales, which describe
how they defeated Pumvrao, nephew of Kakha Phulani (at the end of
the tenth century) and thereby thwarted the first attempt of the Samma
Rajputs to control Kutch. Several versions of the legend exist; they
were first brought to light by Alexander Burns in 1826, and L.F.
Rushbrook Williams gave an exhaustive account of what is known
about the Jakhs and their stories in 1958.20
According to the legends seven holy men, called Rikhis (Rsis) or
Samghars, came from somewhere near Byzantium. They worshipped
their god Jakh on a hill not far from the fort of Pumvrao, called
Padhargadh. Their reputation for being able to make barren women
bear children soon brought them to the attention of the queen. In some
versions of the legend she is said to have given them access to the
palace through an underground passage; in others, she is said to have
been offended by them when they did not offer her the respect she felt
was her due. In both accounts, the king becomes furious, in the one
because they have violated the sanctity of his harem, and in the other,
because they have insulted his wife. He has them arrested and
condemns them to winnowing grain on a ground covered with nails.
A compassionate barber freed one of them, who, from the top of a hill,
called for the help of his god. Jakh is said to have arrived from
Byzantium in the company of his seventy brothers and one sister.
When Pumvrao refused to liberate the prisoners, Jakh and his
company killed Pumvrao and cursed Padhargadh, which was ruined
and abandoned only two years after it was built. Later on, the seventytwo
Jakhs were deified and worshipped astride their horses.
Another tale was required in the eighteenth century to convince the
ruler of Kutch, Rao Desalji (1716–51), of the fact that the Jakhs actually
340 Françoise Mallison
existed. In this tale, they appeared from the sky on their horses near
the gold market (soni bazar) at Bhuj, where a shrine, called Jakh Jar or
Jakh Mandir, commemorates the event. (See fig. 8.) Although it is not
visited much today, it is still well kept: twenty-four whitewashed
niches are aligned on a platform surrounded by small structures, each
providing shelter to three manuscript scrolls, doubtlessly standing for
the seventy-two Jakhs; two Jakh statues stand in front of the niches
along with two white flags. There was no trace of any recent puja (as
of December 12, 1997), although Desalji and his successors are
supposed to come here to celebrate the arrival of the Jakhs once a year.
Rushbrook Williams quotes a more prosaic tale about the arrival of
the Jakhs in Kutch which he attributes to the last royal bard.21 Seventyone
shipwrecked men and a woman are said to have reached Jakhau
on rafts (on the West Coast, Abadasa taluka, an ancient harbour, the
name of which recalls the event).22 They were supposed to have come
from Byzantium and had clear skin, were tall in stature, and spoke a
foreign language that was incomprehensible to the Kutchis. They
travelled throughout the country and taught their art of medicine and
other sciences; in exchange they were rewarded with horses. Their
popularity provoked the jealousy of the cruel Pumvrao, who
imprisoned some of them. Their brother and sister, in order to free
them, built a ballistic machine on a nearby hill, bombarding a part of
the palace and killing the king. The queen organized a massacre of all
the Jakhs in revenge. The people, grateful for their kindnesses,
worshipped them as saints and even demigods in hilltop temples.
At Jakhau, where there once were many Jakh images, the cult is in
recession. The recent silting-up of the harbour put an end to the
commercial activities of the Bhanu6ali, who emigrated to Bombay,
following the independence of India. Their arable land was taken over
by Muslims. However, a small shrine was built between the small
town and the sea as recently as twelve years ago; seven small images
of the Jakhs on their horses, standing 30 to 50 cm high, can be seen
there. Incense and coconuts bear witness to the existence of a cult.
(See fig. 9.)
The liveliest temple is located at the village bearing the name Jakh,
near the Padhargadh ruins (Nakhatrana taluka), and near the ruins of
a large 7iva temple called Pumvre6var. The shrine on the top of a hill
can be reached by a flight of steps. It is an open terrace, partially
covered by a dome under which stand in a row the seventy-two
whitewashed statuettes of the Jakhs on their horses, freshly painted,
Saints and Sacred Places in Saurashtra and Kutch 341
with their characteristic orange turbans and their moustaches, and
with manuscript scrolls under their arms (see figs. 5–6); the image of
their sister Sayari is different only by virtue of her smaller size. An
earlier series of statuettes has been removed and put aside but not
destroyed, because when a series is replaced, the preceding one is kept
nearby and continues to receive garlands and honours (see fig. 7). An
oil lamp is continuously lighted and hung on a pillar at the temple’s
entrance. Dar6ana is always available, and visitors are numerous.
Local writers as well as English scholars have tried to find a
plausible explanation for the origin of these strange benefactors from
a foreign land. Many theories have been put forward, some of them
quite fanciful: some scholars argue that their name, Jakh, is derived
from yaksa, Hindu or Buddhist celestial beings; others argue that they
were Greeks or Romans, 7akas or White Huns,23 and even the
Varangian (Scandinavian) Guards of the emperor of Byzantium!
Somewhat more convincingly, Rushbrook Williams proposes an
Iranian identity: they might have been Zoroastrians who, fleeing
Islamization from northern Iran (as did the present day Parsis, who
reached the coast of Gujarat as early as the ninth century), were
shipwrecked and sought refuge on the coast of Kutch. Their peaceful
ways and their knowledge would be in accordance with those
attributed to the Jakhs. For Dalpat Shrimali, a specialist of the
religious folklore of the untouchables in Saurashtra and Gujarat, the
god Jakh might be an avatara of Matang or Mataim Dev, one of the
great gurus of the Mahamargi mythology, born from a Brahmin father
and an untouchable mother, and famous for his astrological science.24
To others he is one of the great Hindu preachers of Nizari Isma’ilism.25
None of these theories can be proven, and the legend of the Jakhs does
not seem to have crossed the Ranns of Kutch."""(FROM BOOK-Pilgrims, Patrons, and Place:Localizing Sanctity in Asian Religions)
Jakhau had a population of around 5000 in 2005. M/s Jakhau Salt co. of [Chennai] has got a lease on most of the surrounding salt pans for manufacturing of industrial grade salt.
Jakhau Port is famous fishing port of Gujarat, where the fishing communities from almost all of the Gujarat Coast migrates during the eight months fishing season. All types of fishing boats, Tony (small fibre boat), trawlers (bigger wooden craft), Pillani (vary small long boat) and Hodas (country crafts) are found there. All types of fish, pomfrets, salmons, cheris, crabs, lobsters, narsingas, shrimps etc. are found in large variety and volume there. The life of the village of Jakhau and the town of Naliya depend upon Jakhau fishing Port.
Sir Gokuldas Tejpal was Born on 1822 in Jakhav.( Sir Gokuldas Tejpal-1822-1867).
Jakhau is also one tirth of Jain Panch tirthi, with nearby Kothara, Suthri etc. being others.
Jakhau is also one tirth of how love sant shree odhavramji maharaj visit www.odhavdham.com
Jakhau is also birthplace of Shri Odhavram Maharaj
Odhavram
Sant Sri Odhavram Ji was born in Jakhau, a small village located on the west coast of Gujarat, India in District Kutchh. He was born in a Bhanushali family on the auspicious day of Hindu festival of “Ram Navami” in 1889, he was named Udhav. His parents were mother Chaagbai & father Hemraj. Udhav...
, the great sage of Bhanushali
Bhanushali
Bhanushali / Bhānshali / Bhansali is a Hindu, Kshatriya community mainly belonging to State of Gujarat in India....
community and founder of their religion.Odhav Sagar Lake has also been named after this great loved saint.
Jakhau Bhanushali's celebrates "RAM NAVMI" as it is also the thithi of birth os Great Saint
Odhavram .
People
People of Jakhau include Thakkars, Bhanushalis, Jains, Bhatias,Sanghars, Vaghers,khatri, Memons, Abadas two three families of sindhi, gusains and brahmins/maraj and Kolis among others. In old days village bore forlorn look with every morning chorous of peacocks(so many there)and dusty serpentine narrow lanes,which still now a days can be observed. All houses were mud-stone but quite spacious and neat. The peppery dust would keep on pouring from the porous rooftiles and will form films every two hours, while walking it will embrace your feet and fresh air aound will improve health of the soul.The origin of the name Jakhau is said to be derived from "Yakshas" - attendants of gods, who had come there - it is also assumed by historians that the Parsis or Jarthostis - who might have landed on the port in past - whose flying beards and white robes and fair complexions might have made the local people to revere them like gods, and in absence of communication and the higher intellects of the visitors - they could have enjoyed their lives in that capacities. The knowledge of medicine and philanthropic nature might have helped them to strengthen the mysteries around them. mota yaksha and nana yaksha the yearly fairs near nakhtrana and temple near madhapar does prove beyond doubt that YAKSHAS/PARSHEE FELLAS DID LAND SOMWHERE IN KUTCH.
Jakhau was a big port in past, till partition and people and goods used to visit Pakistan frequently. as far as I read, the cotton, tobacco, salt were the items traded out to pak and sugar, rice, dryfruits were the items imported. The creek was trafficable up to 2–3 km from JAKHAU VILLAGE AND OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE beyond the smashan (Hindu crimatorium) side approachable from the road between de-funct "lobster farm" is a proof to it. Today the dilapidated customs godowns IN main road of VILLAGE, worn out havelis of banias who have left for mumbai and marketplaces ARE PROOF TO THE THRIVING TRADE OF THOSE DAYS and old people remember that lines of 150-200 cartloads would line up before office in morning awaiting customs clearances daily. tHE POOJARI OF SHIV TEMPLE OF BIGGEST TALAV OF JAKHAU(SHRI JETHIGIRI BAPU- he was childless) WHO WAS VERY OLD WHEN I MET HIM, USED TO TALK MUCH OF THOSE DAYS.
two incidents I vividly remember about past times, when I was told that for the two-three months of paryusans(Jain Pious months) the mahajan would give the fisher folks daily wages equivalent to their fisher catch to prevent them from fishing. further during my stay there, it was in 1998 mostly that a cyclone hit Jakhau village badly, which was cut off from even naliya for 15 days, continuous wind and rains for over 72 hours caused havoc to animals whose deadbodies lined the sides of jakhau salt road. 30 DAYS AFTER WHEN THE ELECTRICITY WAS ESTABLISHED UPON STARTING THE FAN, THE WATER DROPLETS WERE ALSO FLYING FROM THE FAN. Afterwards when the relief was distributed, a poor milkman(MEGHA-THE ABADA, WITHOUT MOUSTACHE/BEARD REAL BABY FACED FELLOW) who had lost two of his cows said that he will not fill up the form as "HE WAS AGAINST THE CASH DOLLS AGAINST DEAD COW".i (THEN) forgot his name, but he was the one darbar who supplied water at 15-20 rs a barrel in his bullock cart and has no moustache or beard growing on his "baby-like" face.
The Jakhs in Kutch
In the Kutch district there are many small sanctuaries, more or less
abandoned, that display an alignment of statuettes representing
seventy-two horseback riders, each holding a manuscript in one hand.
(See figs. 5–7.) These are the Jakhs,19 who are said to have come from
overseas to alleviate the misery of the poor, to look after the sick, and
to deliver the country from the tyrant king Pumvrao. They are treated
like gods. Their legend is known through heroic tales, which describe
how they defeated Pumvrao, nephew of Kakha Phulani (at the end of
the tenth century) and thereby thwarted the first attempt of the Samma
Rajputs to control Kutch. Several versions of the legend exist; they
were first brought to light by Alexander Burns in 1826, and L.F.
Rushbrook Williams gave an exhaustive account of what is known
about the Jakhs and their stories in 1958.20
According to the legends seven holy men, called Rikhis (Rsis) or
Samghars, came from somewhere near Byzantium. They worshipped
their god Jakh on a hill not far from the fort of Pumvrao, called
Padhargadh. Their reputation for being able to make barren women
bear children soon brought them to the attention of the queen. In some
versions of the legend she is said to have given them access to the
palace through an underground passage; in others, she is said to have
been offended by them when they did not offer her the respect she felt
was her due. In both accounts, the king becomes furious, in the one
because they have violated the sanctity of his harem, and in the other,
because they have insulted his wife. He has them arrested and
condemns them to winnowing grain on a ground covered with nails.
A compassionate barber freed one of them, who, from the top of a hill,
called for the help of his god. Jakh is said to have arrived from
Byzantium in the company of his seventy brothers and one sister.
When Pumvrao refused to liberate the prisoners, Jakh and his
company killed Pumvrao and cursed Padhargadh, which was ruined
and abandoned only two years after it was built. Later on, the seventytwo
Jakhs were deified and worshipped astride their horses.
Another tale was required in the eighteenth century to convince the
ruler of Kutch, Rao Desalji (1716–51), of the fact that the Jakhs actually
340 Françoise Mallison
existed. In this tale, they appeared from the sky on their horses near
the gold market (soni bazar) at Bhuj, where a shrine, called Jakh Jar or
Jakh Mandir, commemorates the event. (See fig. 8.) Although it is not
visited much today, it is still well kept: twenty-four whitewashed
niches are aligned on a platform surrounded by small structures, each
providing shelter to three manuscript scrolls, doubtlessly standing for
the seventy-two Jakhs; two Jakh statues stand in front of the niches
along with two white flags. There was no trace of any recent puja (as
of December 12, 1997), although Desalji and his successors are
supposed to come here to celebrate the arrival of the Jakhs once a year.
Rushbrook Williams quotes a more prosaic tale about the arrival of
the Jakhs in Kutch which he attributes to the last royal bard.21 Seventyone
shipwrecked men and a woman are said to have reached Jakhau
on rafts (on the West Coast, Abadasa taluka, an ancient harbour, the
name of which recalls the event).22 They were supposed to have come
from Byzantium and had clear skin, were tall in stature, and spoke a
foreign language that was incomprehensible to the Kutchis. They
travelled throughout the country and taught their art of medicine and
other sciences; in exchange they were rewarded with horses. Their
popularity provoked the jealousy of the cruel Pumvrao, who
imprisoned some of them. Their brother and sister, in order to free
them, built a ballistic machine on a nearby hill, bombarding a part of
the palace and killing the king. The queen organized a massacre of all
the Jakhs in revenge. The people, grateful for their kindnesses,
worshipped them as saints and even demigods in hilltop temples.
At Jakhau, where there once were many Jakh images, the cult is in
recession. The recent silting-up of the harbour put an end to the
commercial activities of the Bhanu6ali, who emigrated to Bombay,
following the independence of India. Their arable land was taken over
by Muslims. However, a small shrine was built between the small
town and the sea as recently as twelve years ago; seven small images
of the Jakhs on their horses, standing 30 to 50 cm high, can be seen
there. Incense and coconuts bear witness to the existence of a cult.
(See fig. 9.)
The liveliest temple is located at the village bearing the name Jakh,
near the Padhargadh ruins (Nakhatrana taluka), and near the ruins of
a large 7iva temple called Pumvre6var. The shrine on the top of a hill
can be reached by a flight of steps. It is an open terrace, partially
covered by a dome under which stand in a row the seventy-two
whitewashed statuettes of the Jakhs on their horses, freshly painted,
Saints and Sacred Places in Saurashtra and Kutch 341
with their characteristic orange turbans and their moustaches, and
with manuscript scrolls under their arms (see figs. 5–6); the image of
their sister Sayari is different only by virtue of her smaller size. An
earlier series of statuettes has been removed and put aside but not
destroyed, because when a series is replaced, the preceding one is kept
nearby and continues to receive garlands and honours (see fig. 7). An
oil lamp is continuously lighted and hung on a pillar at the temple’s
entrance. Dar6ana is always available, and visitors are numerous.
Local writers as well as English scholars have tried to find a
plausible explanation for the origin of these strange benefactors from
a foreign land. Many theories have been put forward, some of them
quite fanciful: some scholars argue that their name, Jakh, is derived
from yaksa, Hindu or Buddhist celestial beings; others argue that they
were Greeks or Romans, 7akas or White Huns,23 and even the
Varangian (Scandinavian) Guards of the emperor of Byzantium!
Somewhat more convincingly, Rushbrook Williams proposes an
Iranian identity: they might have been Zoroastrians who, fleeing
Islamization from northern Iran (as did the present day Parsis, who
reached the coast of Gujarat as early as the ninth century), were
shipwrecked and sought refuge on the coast of Kutch. Their peaceful
ways and their knowledge would be in accordance with those
attributed to the Jakhs. For Dalpat Shrimali, a specialist of the
religious folklore of the untouchables in Saurashtra and Gujarat, the
god Jakh might be an avatara of Matang or Mataim Dev, one of the
great gurus of the Mahamargi mythology, born from a Brahmin father
and an untouchable mother, and famous for his astrological science.24
To others he is one of the great Hindu preachers of Nizari Isma’ilism.25
None of these theories can be proven, and the legend of the Jakhs does
not seem to have crossed the Ranns of Kutch.