Bhat Yasir
Wanigam Payeen is a village in North Kashmir, also known as “Dachi Wanigam,” situated 6 kilometers away from Sub-district Headquarter Pattan and 20KM away from District Headquarter, Baramulla. According to Census 2011, the total geographical area of the village is 308.4 hectares.
Wanigam Payeen has a total population of approx. 3000 people. There are about 250 houses in the village, which is known for its scenic beauty. Lush green meadows, paddy fields, and gardens surround the village. Two water bodies also pass through the village. These water bodies, besides adding to the sheen look of the village, also are the source of irrigation to the fields.
The main source of occupation for the people here is farming. People earn their livelihood by sweating in the fields. Drought during summers has severely affected the horticulture sector of the village. The government has many times promised lift irrigation for the karewas of the village but to no avail.
“The elders used to say that there was a long grape tree – starting from Singur (Border of the village) to Mir Sahab Astaan and some say to Kreeri (An area close to Mir Sahab Astaan), that is why people were calling this Dachi Wanigam,” an old local resident namely, Ghulam Qadir, said. Talking about (Mir Sahab-Place), an elderly person, namely Abdul Samad Bhat said that, He (Mir Syed Maqsood Sahab r/a), who then migrated to Pakistan, stayed there (Place called Mir Sahab in Wanigam) in the cave to worship.
“It’s said that Mir Syed Jamal Sahab, another brother of Mir Syed Maqsood Sahab, has stayed at Singur (another Place at Wanigam, popularly known as Singur Astaan), who also then shifted to Pakistan.” Abdul Samad Bhat told The Kashmiriyat.
Abdul Samad, while narrating the story of these Saints, said that they were 09 brothers whose elder brother was Mir Syed Haji Mohammed Murad Bukhari, whose Ziyarat Sharif is at Kreeri (A neighbor town to Wanigam).
Known for its Springs, Wanigam Payeen has about 7 springs in the village, among which one (called Eidgah Naag) has been used by both locals and the population of neighbor villages for bathing to get rid of allergies. Rest of the 6 springs are known by these names: Cxoi Noar Naag, Nagraat, Mir Sahab Naag, Safi Naar Naag, Pazalpur Naag and Narandar Naag.
People believe that if anyone has an allergy, he/she can get rid of it by taking a bath of spring water. The said spring is located in the Eid-gah colony, near Eid-gah. In the year 2000, a structure of two rooms was constructed by Rural Development Department for it, but unfortunately, after that, nothing concrete was done on the ground for it, which led to the decapitation of the spring.
An interesting thing about this village is that “The two mortars (Kashmiri Kanz) was rolled down towards the below area by the lone cast residents of Pathpora (Upper mohalla) to identify the land for the construction of houses. Both mortars stopped at two different locations, now called Lone Mohalla and Dangerpora, where the generations of these families are residing”, a young man, Ashiq Hussain Bhat, told as he has heard from elders. The story has survived through ages and is recited by many, including one elderly man Ghulam Qadir Bhat.
Kanz – a large mortar carved out of devri stone that once was found in every Kashmiri home mainly used to hull (husk) rice or grind spices like chili and turmeric. Though a stone Kanz was widely used, some Kashmir homes also had wooden Kanz. Most of the population of the village is dependent on Agriculture and Horticulture. The literacy rate of the village is also good.
The village also has the facility of health care, Fire, and Emergency service. And there are 3 High schools among which one is government and the other two, Public and Private, along with a Govt Middle School. Unfortunately, the main road (approx 2.1 KM), which connects the village with the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad national Highway, is in its worst condition.
Although the R&B has started the road widening a year back, unfortunately, due to some departmental issues, the work got affected and is yet to be completed.