Shri Badat: The Legendary King of Gilgit-Baltistan

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 Shri Badat was a cruel king who ruled the valley of Gilgit long ago. People were very afraid of him because he treated them harshly and forced every family to bring him food every day. At first, the people had to give him goats for his meals. One day the king noticed that the goat meat tasted unusually good. When he asked the cook about it, he learned that the goat had been fed with human milk after its mother died. This made the king curious and cruel, and he began to think about eating humans. Soon he ordered that a human child must be brought to him regularly for food. Because of this terrible order, the people of Gilgit lived in great fear and called him the Cannibal King.

During this time a brave man named Azur Jamshed came to Gilgit. He met Nur Bakht, the king’s daughter, and she secretly helped him because she did not support her father’s cruelty. One day the king told his daughter that no sword or weapon could kill him and that only strong fire could destroy him because his heart would melt in great heat. Nur Bakht secretly told this weakness to the people.

The villagers then made a plan to end the king’s rule. They dug a large pit and filled it with wood and dry grass, then covered it with a carpet. They invited the king to walk over it. When Shri Badat stepped on the carpet, it broke and he fell into the pit. The people quickly set the wood on fire, and the cruel king was burned. In this way the people of Gilgit finally became free from his rule.

Even today, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan remember this event. Every year in 21 december  they celebrate a traditional festival called Nasalo. During this celebration people light large bonfires  in every villages to remember the end of Shri Badat’s cruel rule and to celebrate their freedom. Some people of Gilgit-Baltistan also believe that if they do not burn the fire and remember the defeat of Shri Badat every year, he may return and rule the region again. Because of this belief, the tradition of lighting the fire continues every year as a symbol of freedom and victory over the cruel king. 

Comments

  1. Explore North with SaroshMarch 15, 2026 at 2:31 AM

    Such a beautiful and inspiring place truly a gem worth exploring.

    ReplyDelete

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