Saturday 30 April 2016
There are 18 mud volcanoes and one of these Chandragup forms an almost perfect cone of 100 meters; is an active mud volcano located in Balochistan, Pakistan. There is an ancient Hindu temple called ‘Hinglaj temple’ or ‘Nani Temple’ very close to Chandargup. There are many pronunciations of the word Chandragup in practise. Due to close proximity a Hindu temple to these volcanoes, it is very likely that the word Chandargup is actually derived from the word ‘Chandargupt’. Another word which locally mentions this group of volcanoes is ‘Chandra coop’ which means Volcanoes of the Moon. To reach the most famous group of these mud volcanoes, one has to travel west of Karachi on the Makran Coastal Highway (N10). The turnoff to the volcanoes is 38 km short of Hungol (also pronounced as Hingol) river. A 1×1 ft board here says ‘Sapt Post’. Get off the road at this sign and follow the dirt tracks towards Arabian Sea and you’ll reach the mud volcanoes. It is said that liquefied mud coming out of the volcano has healing powers. Many people come here to use this mud to cure skin diseases. The earliest account of the presence of mud volcanoes in Balochistan dates back to 1840. The convenience of a world class highway is also bringing a constant stream of ‘city slickers’ to this once remote area. People are now climbing onto these sandy volcanoes in large numbers.
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