The ruins of palatial houses that were once the glory of the forbidden city of Jajon. The jinxed town of Jajon in Hoshiarpur district might see the hustle and bustle it was used to in the last century. The department of tourism,Punjab, will send a proposal to the Centre to revive the town from the tourism angle.
Geetika Kalha, principal secretary, tourism, gave this information while talking to The Tribune here.
Giving the details, she said besides assistance from the government , the department would seek the help of owners of old houses in the town.“If the owners of the old houses who have now migrated to other areas can make them suitable for living, the government can exploit the tourism potential of the area”, she said.
The town of Jajon is a perfect example of how changing trade routes decide the fate of an area. As per popular belief, no one now wants to take the name of the town in the morning as it is considered inauspicious.People fear that doing so would bring misfortune for them.
Jajon once was one of the most flourishing trade centres of the area. The ruins of the town, located in a remote area of Hoshiarpur district, illustrate its glory in its heyday. Large multistoreyed houses, well-laid streets, a railway station and a planned market were the features that made it a flourishing trade centre. But now most of the grand buildings are in bad shape following the migration of the owners to other areas.
The town is located on a hillock on the banks of a rivulet. Nobody in the area remembers when it was established. However, many residents inform that it was a big trade centre. The traders then were wholesalers. They used to supply clothes, foodgrains and other necessary items to the hill areas. The goods were carried from the town on horses and mules to areas as far as Manali.
It brought prosperity to Jajon.Each house had its own well. Leading business families had large houses with rooms for the stay of the traders who came there on foot from the hill areas. The biggest house that still exists in the town has about 100 rooms.
Due to the flourishing trade, the town had a municipal council even before Partition.However, the changing transportation system and improved road links to the hill areas affected the trade.Following this, most of the residents migrated to other areas and Jajon became ‘jinxed’.The trade and population declined so much that in 1954 it was converted into a village panchayat instead of a municipal council.
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