Monday 13 June 2016
The Khewra Salt Mine is located in Khewra,
north of Pind Dadan Khan, an administrative subdivision of Jhelum District, Punjab,
Pakistan, which rises from the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is Pakistan's largest
and oldest salt mine and the world's second largest. It is a major tourist
attraction, drawing up to 250,000 visitors a year. Its history dates back to
its discovery by Alexander's troops in 320 BC, but it started trading in the
Mughal era. The main tunnel at ground level was developed by Dr. H. Warth, a
mining engineer, in 1872 during British rule. After independence, the Pakistan
Mineral Development Corporation took over the mine, which still remains the
largest source of salt in the country, producing more than 350,000 tons per annum
of about 99% pure halite. Estimates of the reserves of salt in the mine vary
from 82 million tons to 600 million tons.
The mine is a part of a salt range that
originated about 800 million years ago, when evaporation of a shallow sea
followed by geological movement formed a salt range that stretched for about 300
kilometers (185 miles). The salt reserves at Khewra were discovered when
Alexander the Great crossed the Jhelum and Mianwali region during his Indian
campaign. The mine was discovered, however, not by Alexander, nor by his
allies, but by his army's horses, when they were found licking the stones. Ailing
horses of his army also recovered after licking the rock salt stones. During the Mughal era the salt was traded in
various markets, as far away as Central Asia. On the downfall of the Mughal
empire, the mine was taken over by Sikhs. Hari Singh Nalwa, the Sikh
Commander-in-Chief, shared the management of the Salt Range with Gulab Singh,
the Raja of Jammu. The former controlled the Warcha mine, while the latter held
Khewra. The salt quarried during Sikh rule was both eaten and used as a source
of revenue. In 1872, sometime after they had taken over the Sikhs' territory,
the British developed the mine further. They found the mining to have been
inefficient, with irregular and narrow tunnels and entrances that made the
movement of labourers difficult and dangerous. The supply of water inside the
mine was poor, and there was no storage facility for the mined salt. The only
road to the mine was over difficult, rocky terrain. To address these problems
the government leveled the road, built warehouses, provided a water supply,
improved the entrances and tunnels, and introduced a better mechanism for
excavation of salt. Penalties were introduced to control salt smuggling. While
working with Geological Survey of India in 1930s and 1940s, Birbal Sahni found
evidence of angiosperms, gymnosperms and insects from the Cambrian period
inside the mine.
Khewra Salt Mine is a major tourist
attraction, with around 250,000 visitors a year, earning it considerable revenue.
Visitors are taken into the mine on a train. There are numerous pools of salty
water inside. The Badshahi Mosque was built in the mining tunnels with
multi-colored salt bricks about fifty years ago. Other artistic carvings in the
mine include a replica of Minar-e-Pakistan, a statue of Allama Iqbal, an
accumulation of crystals that form the name of Muhammad in Urdu script, a model
of the Great Wall of China and another of the Mall Road of Murree. In 2003 two phases of development of tourist
facilities and attractions were carried out, at a total cost of 9 million
rupees. A clinical ward with 20 beds was established in 2007, costing 10
million rupees, for the treatment of asthma and other respiratory diseases
using salt therapy. The "Visit Pakistan Year 2007" event included a
train safari visit of Khewra Salt Mine. In February 2011 Pakistan railways
started operating special trains for tourists from Lahore and Rawalpindi to
Khewra. For this purpose the railway station of Khewra was refurbished with the
help of a private firm.
Other visitor attractions in the mine
include the 75-meter-high (245 feet) Assembly Hall; Pul-Saraat, a salt bridge
with no pillars over a 25-meters-deep (80-foot-deep) brine pond; Sheesh Mahal
(Palace of Mirrors), where salt crystals are light pink; and a cafe.
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