Capt Vijay was a wanderer. After a short tenure in the Indian army, he was never home bound. Instead, he always looked for the opportunity to explore new places and things. This time he was keen to discover the “Silk Route,” which he had read in history books long ago. After a thorough study and preparation, he set out with his backpack and his all-time companion, the ‘Bullet’ bike.
His first destination was the ‘Batalik’ sector in Leh, Ladakh, in the northern part of India.
The people he met on his way, were quite helpful. He got an idea to drive along the ‘Suru’ river which would lead to the ‘Chulichan’ village near the LOC, in the Kargil area. While ascending towards the place, he saw an old fort which was in ruins located on top of a mountain range. It was known as the ‘Chitkan Fort.’ He learned that it had been used as an ‘Inn’ and a regular resting place for the traders on the “Silk Route.”
The residents of the village were warm. They showed special admiration for an army soldier. He was overwhelmed by their hospitality. He started enquiring about the long lost ‘Silk Road’ which was the trade-link between eastern and western worlds. To his surprise he received variable opinions from the villagers. They mentioned a mysterious cave called the “Rzongi- Kor,” which had been discovered in the ‘Sarchay’ village in 15th century. ‘Sarchay’ or ‘Sarchu’ happened to be the last village of India, along the ‘Line of Control.’
He was very curious and got to know that this cave was used as a hiding place during ancient times. It was believed that the cave had multiple tunnels which acted as the connecting links to the countries like China and Russia. During harvesting, the traders and villagers of the areas were frequently invaded by the dacoits and robbers. To save themselves, the fodder and their belongings, the villagers used to take shelter inside the cave. They stored and hid jewellery, precious stones, gold and silver articles inside big barrels in the cave. According to the locals, the cave was considered to have ‘magical powers.’ The outsiders were strictly prohibited inside and even if anyone tried to enter, “wouldn’t be able to come out walking without injuries!”
Astonished by all the rumours and legends, he was determined to visit the site, which was the most important part of the ‘Silk Route’ business and trades. A young local guide was keen to accompany him, along with two other natives, who never dared to embrace the journey before.
In the early hours of the next morning, they started their trekking. It was uphill and very treacherous and steep. They were cautious and slowly scaled the height of half a kilometre on the barren mountain. One wrong move could have proved fatal for them.
After climbing for an hour, suddenly there was a narrow passageway which led to a huge crack in the rocks. They lit a flambeau to get inside the dark cave. With ropes tied around their waists, each one of them started descending very gradually. It was nearly 100 ft down; they found a flattened surface to land on. The walls and roofs were exquisite with beautiful artworks and paintings of a bygone era. Rocks, big stones and gravels were strewn all over haphazardly, indicating vigorous natural calamities like landslides, flash floods and earthquakes down the years. They found more than one opening on various corners. They were huge and quite gigantic.
Excited to have explored some clues, Capt Vijay tried to take a peek in one of the clefts. Before he could realize anything, he slipped on the huge rock and screamed for help. All the boys got alarmed and ran for his rescue! No wonder! He was carried out of the cave in a cloth stretcher with a ‘hairline’ fracture in the left foot! He was an ‘Outsider’ and couldn’t come out of the cave, on his own, walking!!!
Some ‘folk tales’ are not myth at all!!!
(Based on a true story)
Bio
Tulika Niyogi is a chemistry post graduate having over 15 years’ of experience in education,
She is a versatile individual with talent and passion for music, dance, art and choreography.
Her vast experience of working with variety of NGOs and educational institutions enabled her work closely with youngsters.
She has a number of poetry/articles with a few publications in national and international platforms to her credit.
She has an army background and presently working as an associate and Delhi state facilitator for SPIC MACAY
(Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth), a voluntary youth movement.