Damdama – A Primer

Introduction

Damdama lake is the largest water body of Haryana at present, but previously it used to be a
free flowing monsoon river. The history of the lake is associated with British Regime in 1945
when it was sanctioned to be built and beyond that it goes back to the Rajput warriors of
Mewat.

The tale of twelve villages unfold itself through sacred places of the region and the forest which
has engulfed the villages and the lake. Besides the historical ruins near Damdama Lake, a Lodhi
Dynasty mosque is situated on Sohna Road formerly it was the part of Mewat. Hot water
springs in Sohna is believed to have been Built by Bheem. Gurjars are present in enormous
numbers through-out South Asia and the ancestry migrated from eastern Europe near the
Caspian sea, also Bahr-e-khizr, colloquial usage gurjar or gujjars. Historically gujjars and Muslim
Rajput have interacted in different timezones in lieu of power.

The region is covered in dense kikar forests, some of the patches in the valley are of a native
plant called “Dhau” which is sacred attached to its existence. The Aravalli valley is also leopord
corridor of Northern Aravalli.

Mythology
A thin stretch off the Sohna Road lead to Damdama Lake and twelve villages namely: Bhondsi,
Rithoj, Sehjawas, Kherla, Damdama, Abhaypu, Siraska, Khaika, Lohtki, Harchandpur, Lala Khedli
and Sirohi surrounded by Aravalli hills. Gujjars who claim to have migrated from Dhutwaka
village in Alwar to Roj ka Gujjari or Roj garh. There are no signs of the earlier settlement other
than thick vegetation except for some unknown ruins. A disciple of an ascetic Baba Pirushah
lived in a village called Roj ka Gujjar1. Gujjars primarily occupied this region after their migration
from Rajasthan. It is believed that these villages are resided by migrants from Roj ka Gujjar the
place of the oldest settlement in this region.

A popular folk story from the Damdama village is the Legend of Ghatam Singh who migrated
from Dhutwaka to seek shelter from a Chieftain of the Mughal army who wanted to marry the
daughter of Ghatam Singh. Ghatam Singh along with his four sons and a daughter migrated
to Roj ka Gujjar near Damdama lake during the later half of 17th century. His foremost agenda
was to locate a place safe enough to settle down. It was during his effort to find a shelter when
he came across a Mystic living on a hill, Upon his arrival the ascetic ordered him to place a Tree
branch on the ground anywhere in the forest and wait to see which animal would first scratch
its back on the branch. Finally a Roj or Neelgai was the animal which first scratched against the
branch, thus earning its name Roj ka Gujjar meaning people with the strength of a Neelgai or

1
Valmiki samaj ke Atit ka Darpan- Baburam Pahiwal (shamli, UP) A historical glimpse of Valmiki Community.
Blue Bull. Now Roj ka Gujjar is covered with a thick Vegetation with ruins of previous
settlement.

A while after their settlement in Rojka Gujjar his sons demanded to relocate themselves,
Parshadji (the eldest) went on to settle in a village called Faridpur near Ballabgarh, Abhayram
(second eldest) migrated to Bharana near Sikandarpur and lastly, Ramswaroop (the youngest
son) got settled Ganga khoda and similar set of twelve villages of Gujjars are rumoured to be
situated there. Before the gujjars, this place was largely under the rule of Rajput clans. Five of
the largest villages were said to be abode to Rajput clan namely Rithoj, Sehjawas, Behlpa,
Kherla, and Damdama which was later occupied by Gujjars and further people spread from
these five villages to seven other neighbouring villages.

Damdama Lake lies between Damdama village and Abheypur village covering a vast 3,000 acre
land in the northern part of Aravalli range in the Northern Aravalli leopard corridor stretching
from Sariska National Park to Gurgaon NCR. A popular anecdote explains the name Damdama
was perhaps borrowed from the name of Sarpanch of Damdama village called ‘Thakur
Damman Singh’. Gujjars have been living on this piece of land from a little before 1695.

The name Damdama came from the village facing the lake called “Damdama”. One of the
mythological places called ‘Sali kheda’ (Kheda translates to the village) which was believed to
have been established by a saint who lived in a cave on the hill behind the famous Shiva temple,
i.e., ‘Sali’ or ‘Shalihotra’ refers to the saintly figure from the tales of Mahabharat. The Temple
holds a sacred place among the Gujjars who reside in the neighbouring twelve villages around
the lake. The Inheritance of the social position of the saint has been continued till date. Idols
in the front façade are dedicated to the earlier saints who served the temple along with a
fortune-teller lady who was a disciple to one of the saint, were installed in their remembrance
at the temple.

The signs of urbanization is meagre to sight, it showcases more traditional setup in a symbiotic
relation with nature. Livestock such as goats, buffaloes, cows, and camels are common to
domesticate among them. Gujjar is ethnic to India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. A popular belief
in the history of Gurjar or Gujjar traces back to Gurjara kingdom present-day Rajasthan during
medieval times (570 CE) and it is believed that Gurjars migrated to several parts of the Indian
subcontinent from Gurjara kingdom2.

A layered History of the Region

The Gujjars are considered the largest pastoralist community. Present-day Saharanpur was
also formerly known as Gurjarat because of many Gujjar zamindars were settled in that town.
Gujarat was also formerly known as Gurjarpradesh or Gurjaratra, before partition. The name
Gujjar traces its origin to eastern Europe. According to one view, the ancestors of Gurjars came
from central Asia via Georgia from near the Caspian Sea; that Sea's alternate name of the Bahr-
e-Khizar caused the tribe to be known as Khizar, Guzar, Gujur, Gurjara, or

2
Chattopadhyaya 1994, p. 6.
Gujjar3. In Sanskrit texts, the ethnonym has sometimes been interpreted as "destroyer of the
enemy": gur meaning "enemy" and ujjar meaning "destroyer"4.

According to this view, between 1 BCE and 1 CE, the ancient ancestors of Gurjars came in
multiple waves of migration and they were initially accorded status as high-caste warriors in
the Hindu fold in the North-Western regions (modern Rajasthan and Gujarat)5. Aydogdy
Kurbanov states that some Gurjars, along with people from Northwestern India, merged with
the Hephthalites to become the Rajput clan.

The presence of gujjars pre-dates the establishment of Damdama lake. Damdama lake came
into existence during the British regime when the foundation of a stone dam was laid for
rainwater harvesting and alongside provisions to channelize water overflow in the lake were
established. Fish farming to sustain livelihood and canals were designed. The idea of building
a stone dam sprang to channelize a seasonal river locally referred to as ‘Naddi’, which used to
flow through the foothills and further Ballabgarh was then converted into a lake reservoir.
Starting from 1945 Britishers finished the construction by 1947 before partition. Due to the
geography showcasing the catchment areas in many spots have seasonal waterfalls.

Damdama lake is located in the Sohna district of Gurgaon. Sohna is a city situated in the
Gurgaon tehsil of Haryana bordering Rajasthan, Sohna, which, according to historical records,
traces its origin from the 11th century onward, was occupied by three races in succession:
namely the Kambhos, the Khanzadas, and the Rajputs.

Gazetteers mention that Nawab Qutb Khan Khanzada defeated the Hindu Kambhos and took
over the town in 1570. Apparently, Rajputs of Sisodia clan expelled The Khanzadas in 1620
eventually with it 168 years of the regime of came to an end. The Rajputs migrated to Sohna,
obeying the orders of their patron saint who appeared in their dream indicating Sohna as their
place of settlement6. Sohna is also believed to be the village named after Sohanpal thakur.

The present town was founded by the Rajput Raja "Sawan Singh", likely as one of the Thikanas
(Residency) of Shekhawat (Kachwaha) clan. The town has several historic remains, including
those belonging to the earlier Kambhos, an old fort wall of Jats of Bharatpur on the hill in a
picturesque location overlooking the town and several impressive tombs and mosques in red
sandstone and quartzite in Tuglaq and Lodhi styles7.

Sohna hot springs, in the foothills of the Aravalis, also has an ancient Shiva temple. The temple
was built by the Baba lakhi shah Banjara. A Gangasnan mela (fair) is held each November at
the temple, and a fair is held each July and August to celebrate Teej. According to legend, Arjun
(one of the five Pandava brothers) dug the wells when he was thirsty. Sohna is believed to have

3
David Emmanuek Singh (2012)Islamization in Modern South Asia: Deobandi Reform and the Gujjar Response
Walter de Gruyter. Pp 44.
4
Warikoo, Kulbhushan; Som, Sujit (2000)

5
Warikoo, Kulbhushan; Som, Sujit (2000)
6
https://www.hindustantimes.com/gurugram/it-is-time-we-celebrate-the-rich-history-of-sohna/story-
XfmUD9NoAXBJFB6zLb9BmJ.html ;
7
Wikipedia: Sohna- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sohna#cite_note-trib200-3
been the abode of hermits and the main kund (tank), Shiva Kund, is said to have medicinal
properties. Devotees consider it sacred, and during eclipses and Somvati Amavasya they gather
here to bathe in the water8.

Ecology
Damdama Lake is the largest water body in Haryana covering about 62 acres of land
geographically which lies in the foothills of Aravalli hills, Mangar Bani till Damdama lake share
the same forest zone in Northern Aravalli. It acts as a catchment area for the ecological zone
in that area. Mangar Bani is the only forest, which has the native plants and trees of Aravalli
region specially Dhau Tree (Anogeissus pendula) has a flourishing network in Mangar the oldest
last patch of Aravalli, when there is scarcity of water, the Dhau in the valley transfer moisture
to trees uphill, while those on the slope give sunlight in abundance to trees in the valley9.

Dhau tree is believed to be sacred by the native villagers of Mangar Bani forest in Mangar
Village. Folklore of Baba Gurdariya who supposedly have a watchful eye on every grow even
now is protecting the sacred grove as there have been instance of Camels belonging to Rabaris
started dying who were grazing in the wild and So they were lopping on the Dhau which caused
them to die, and anyone found using the wood as fuel or building houses soon saw their houses
reduced to ashes.

Winter migratory birds flock from over 20 countries, the Aravalli Range is rich in wildlife. The
first-ever 2017 wildlife survey of a 200 square kilometer area crossing five districts (Gurgaon,
Faridabad, Mewat, Rewari and Mahendergarh) of Haryana by the Wildlife Institute of
India (WII) found 14 species, including leopards, golden jackal, nilgai, wild pig, rhesus
macaque, peafowl and Indian crested porcupine. Encouraged by the first survey, the wildlife
department has prepared a plan for a comprehensive study and census of wildlife across the
whole Aravalli Range, including radio collar tracking of wild animals10.

Northern Aravalli leopard and wildlife corridor is connected to the wilderness Near Damdama
lake. The Sariska-Delhi leopard wildlife corridor or the Northern Aravalli leopard wildlife
corridor is a 200 kms long important biodiversity and wildlife corridor which runs from
the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan to Delhi Ridge and acts as a hub of plants and several
species of shrubs and Animals11.

This corridor is an important habitat for the Indian leopards and the jackals of Aravalli. The
Haryana side of the Gurugram-Faridabad Aravalli hill forests lacks availability of water due to
which wild animals are seldom seen there.

8
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000218/haryana.htm#2
9
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/the-doughty-dhau-and-why-its-important-to-the-aravali-
ecosystem/articleshow/67412386.cms
10
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/aravalis-in-ggn-faridabad-core-area-for-leopards-finds-
survey/articleshow/59198463.cms

11
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/haryana-government-moots-buffer-zone-to-save-asola-
sanctuary/articleshow/67752163.cms;
The major portion of forest areas in Aravalli section of Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana sub-
region, mainly passing through agricultural fields or wastelands. The Mangar Bani is a sacred
grove forest that lies on the Gurgaon Faridabad road. Mangar Bani also holds a reservoir called
Mangar Lake. It is protecting Gurgaon, Faridabad and Delhi. The Dhau (Anogeissus pendula),
native to the Delhi ridge, survives here in such a profusion that the invasive Dhau has created
a clonal forest in the Bani.

Damdama lake is the catchment area of the Manger Bani, Rojka, and Neighbouring Ecology of
Aravalli. This stretch of Aravalli hills acts as a wildlife corridor between the Asola sanctuary in
Delhi and the Sariska National park in Rajasthan. This area has been evaded by Vilayti Kikar.
This plant was planted by the Britishers in the 1920s to beautify the wastelands. It adapted
itself so well in the area that it became a menace to other native plants. Its roots are deep-
rooted therefore it depleted the surface water. Moreover, it also formed a canopy that cut off
the sunlight of the herbs and shrubs growing there.

Practices

Gujjars primarily are ancestor worshippers. They are endogamous pastoralists community
which practice Agriculture alongside animal husbandry to sustain livelihood. Bada Johad
temple which is believed to be the oldest temple of this region where saintly figures have
meditated. So far there have been Five saints who maintained the temple and Johad (lake).
Currently the Sixth saint is in charge of all the duties and responsibilities. Johad in the name
means a pond, Bada Johad is considered the Ancestral temple of the Gujjars and other
communities which resides in twelve villages. A pond behind the temple is used largely by the
animals wandering in the forest, besides the cattles also quench their thirst. On festive
Occasion folks of different castes and creed come and pay visit to the temple and Johad
following the practice of making mud mounds on the corner of the pond to remember their
ancestry and offer festive sweets to them.

Besides Cricket, Kabaddi is considered a traditional game and it is played throughout Haryana.
An Annual competition is dedicated to the local, national and, International players to
celebrate the sport.