Koh-i-Chiltan
"Chiltan" redirects here. For the wild goat species, see Chiltan ibex.
Coordinates: 30°56′N 66°49′E / 30.933°N 66.817°E
| Koh-i-Chiltan | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 3,194 m (10,479 ft)[1] |
| Location | |
| Location | Pakistan |
Koh-i-Chiltan, Chiltan Mount, is a peak located in the Chiltan mountain group of the Sulaiman Mountains, in the Quetta District of Balochistan Province, in western Pakistan.
Koh-i-Chiltan is the summit of a steep, rocky mountain called Chiltan or Chehel-Tan (Persian/Balochi: 'Forty Bodies'). Koh-i-Chiltan is the highest peak of Chiltan range at 3,194 metres (10,479 ft), it is the third highest peak of Quetta after Zarghoon Ghar and Koh-i-Takatu, and fifth highest peak of Balochistan.[1]
Koh-i-Chiltan legends
Koh-i-Chiltan is said to be haunted. A local story about the mountain tells the tale:[2][3][4]
- A frugal couple, married for many years, were unblessed with offspring. They therefore sought the advice of a holy man, who rebuked the wife, saying that he had not the power to grant her what Heaven had denied. The priest's son, however (also a mullah), felt convinced he could satisfy her wishes, and cast forty pebbles into her lap, at the same time praying that she might bear children. In process of time she was delivered of forty babies rather more than she wished or knew how to provide for. The poor husband at his wits' end ascended to the summit of Chehel-Tan with thirty-nine and left them there trusting to the mercy of the Deity to provide for them while the fortieth baby was brought up under the paternal roof.
- One day however touched by remorse the wife unknown to her husband explored the mountain with the object of collecting the bones of her children and burying them. To her surprise, they were all living and gambolling among the trees and rocks. Wild with joy she ran back to her dwelling brought out the fortieth babe and placing it on the summit of the mountain left it there for a night to allure back its brothers but on returning in the morning she found that the latter had carried it off and it was never seen again. It is by the spirits of these forty babies that Chehel-Tan is said to be haunted.
See also
- Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park
- Geography of Balochistan, Pakistan
- List of mountains in Pakistan
- Mountain ranges of Pakistan
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Heighest Mountains Peek in Balochistan and Quetta". Chiltan Adventures Association Balochistan.com. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- ↑ "Haunted" source: A Ride to India Across Persia and Balochistan by Harry de Windt (1856-1933).
- ↑ "Chiltan Mount and a frugal pair". Gutenberg.org. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
- ↑ "Story about Chiltan Mount a frugal pair". Manybooks.net. Retrieved 1 January 2010.