Sunrise, sunset at Halali
dam take down worries
It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,
The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquillity
– William Wordsworth
An afternoon in the last week of July was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast water body, known as Halali Dam, surrounded by wooded hills, was slowly creeping into the lap of descending darkness.
Watching the sunset at the Halali Dam is like enjoying an orchestral rhapsody, but because the sky was overcast, the visitors were deprived of such an experience.
Over the hills, a stretch of dark cloud, which blacked out the upland from the horizon at a distance, was looking like a canopy, covering the moorland encompassed by hills. Against the grayscale canvas, a few fishing boats were sailing on the vast water body looking for a catch.
A rim of light of the falling day in the firmament was telling the tale of the bloodied past of the Halali River, a tributary to the Betwa, on which the dam was built.
Although Halali River was once called Thal River, the history of this name is not available. Yet, there is a story behind calling it the Halali River. According to historians, the soldiers of Dost Mohammad Khan, an Afghan ruler, killed the rival Rajput soldiers whose blood reddened the water of the Thal River in the early 18th century. The people of the area have been calling the river Halali, which signifies killing, ever since the incident took place.
The story of the Halali River has a similarity with that of the Third Battle of Panipat, in which over 28,000 soldiers were butchered. Their blood, according to some historical sources, turned the Yamuna River red. At daybreak, when the sun rays light up the motionless summit, setting the river water aglow, the tourists perhaps say to themselves, "Let bygones be bygones."
Nevertheless, another school of historians says such stories are just the exaggeration of facts. In 2023, the area around the Halali River was rechristened as Jagdishpur. Another name of the river is Banganga.
Halali Dam, which consists of 24 square kilometers with a capacity to store 283 cubic meters and supplies water to many areas around the Bhopal and Risen districts, is also a picnic spot. It was built in 1973. The catchment area of the dam, spread over 700 square kilometers, is a boat riders’ paradise, a painter’s heaven on earth, and a fisherman’s dreamland.
A variety of fish is available in the water body. The Satpura Mountain, whose upper verge forms a line over its top, opening its arms towards the sky, surrounds the Halali Dam. When the wind blows through the trees and the water grumbles, the wild grass grown here and there moans.
There is a wildlife sanctuary near the dam, known as Halali Sanctuary. Spread over 600 square kilometers, it was set up in 1979. However beautiful and divine nature may be one must keep away from fiddling with her. Else, one is in for trouble.
