A Tourist Spot or Sacred Landscape?
Mool Raj
The Seven Waterfalls of Sarthal is located in Kharkal village of the picturesque Sarthal Valley in Bani Tehsil of Kathua district, Jammu region, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This unique waterfall is situated along the Bani-Sarthal road, where five of its cascades are visible from the roadside, while the remaining two are hidden deep within the forested mountains. Surrounded by dense forests, rugged hills, rich biodiversity, and an unspoiled natural environment, it is one of the most beautiful yet least explored natural attractions of the Jammu region. Despite its remarkable beauty, the waterfall remains largely undocumented, with very little information available in online sources or print media.
Content creators, travel vloggers, and social media influencers have started visiting the site to produce videos and photographs, often attempting to climb different levels of the waterfall for dramatic visuals. Such activities are highly dangerous and pose serious risks to human life.
A few days ago, on 28 June 2026, a tragic incident occurred at the Seven Waterfalls when a 21-year-old youth from Kathua drowned while bathing at the site. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Kathua Police launched a search and rescue operation. After two days of continuous search and rescue efforts, the body was recovered and handed over to the family after the completion of legal formalities. The incident raised serious concerns about visitor safety and the lack of adequate safety measures at the increasingly popular tourist destination.
Following this tragedy, the district administration declared the area a Red Zone and issued safety advisories prohibiting public entry, bathing, and risky activities such as taking selfies or filming videos near the falls. The waterfall is surrounded by steep and slippery rocks, while the force of the flowing water creates dangerous currents that make rescue operations extremely difficult. Consequently, public access has been restricted to prevent further accidents.
This unfortunate calamity, which deeply shocked everyone, unexpectedly brought the Seven Waterfalls of Sarthal into the public spotlight. Soon after the incident, the waterfall began trending on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Before the rise of social media and digital tourism, the Seven Waterfalls remained relatively unknown outside the local region. Very few tourists visited the site, and there was very limited information available in online or print media. Although the waterfall possesses exceptional natural beauty, it had not received significant attention from tourism authorities.
However, unlike many destinations that actively seek tourism development, the local communities of Sarthal hold a different perspective. For them, the Seven Waterfalls is not merely a scenic tourist attraction but a sacred landscape closely associated with their cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and collective identity. As a result, many local residents have expressed concerns that uncontrolled tourism and social media-driven promotion may disturb the sanctity of the place and increase the risk of further accidents.
For the people of Sarthal, the Seven Waterfalls is not merely a natural tourist attraction but a sacred landscape deeply connected with their traditional belief system. According to local folklore and oral traditions, this waterfall is inhabited by divine beings, local deities (Devi-Devatas), and other supernatural entities. Some village elders narrated that the place has long been regarded as the abode of spiritual powers and therefore deserves respect and reverence.
At the same time, another popular belief exists among the local people that the area is inhabited by invisible supernatural beings such as ghosts, Bankhandi (forest ascetics), bhoots, reikhs, fairies, and other unseen spiritual beings. In Duggar Pradesh, local folklore holds that mystical beings known as fairies (Par) inhabit areas near water bodies. They are generally regarded as harmless to humans. However, according to popular belief, these beings may possess men who urinate near places believed to be their dwelling sites. This belief reflects the community’s traditional understanding of sacred natural spaces and the need to show respect while interacting with them.
These beliefs form an important part of the local oral tradition and are passed down from one generation to another. According to these narratives, outsiders who visit the waterfall often shout, whistle, or call into the waterfall in an attempt to experience something mysterious. However, local people discourage such behaviour, believing that these sacred beings neither communicate with strangers nor appreciate disturbance within their domain.
The people of Sarthal themselves generally avoid visiting, bathing, or swimming in this mysterious waterfall. Their restraint is not based merely on physical danger but also on their cultural worldview, which considers the waterfall to be the sacred residence of their Kul-Devi, Devtas, and local guardian deities. Entering the waterfall without reverence is believed to violate the sanctity of the place. Thus, the restrictions observed by the local community are shaped by both practical concerns and religious or spiritual beliefs.
Unlike many regions where tourism is viewed as an opportunity for economic development, a significant section of the local population does not favour large-scale tourism or commercial activities at this site. They believe that such development may disturb the ecological balance as well as the spiritual purity of the waterfall. For them, the forests, mountains, rivers, soil, water, flora, and fauna are all part of a sacred ecosystem protected by their local deities. The Devta culture reflects a worldview in which nature and spirituality are inseparable, and the deities are regarded as guardians of the land, weather, forests, and village territories.
From an anthropological and sociological perspective, these beliefs can be understood through the concepts of animism, naturalism, and totemism, where elements of nature are viewed as living entities possessing spiritual significance. Such belief systems continue to shape people’s interactions with the environment and encourage respect for natural resources. Rather than seeing nature as a resource for exploitation, local communities understand it as a sacred space requiring protection and preservation.
Folklore can be understood as a form of “autobiographical ethnography” that reflects the collective memory and shared worldview of a community. It represents the values, beliefs, practices, memories, and knowledge that are collectively preserved and transmitted across generations within a particular cultural and historical context. These cultural expressions are embedded in narratives, songs, rituals, performances, proverbs, and other oral traditions, which serve as important vehicles for preserving collective memory, particularly in societies that were historically dependent on oral rather than written traditions.
Folklore plays a significant role in sustaining cultural values and preserving local knowledge. Oral traditions, myths, legends, and folktales not only maintain the historical memory of the community but also explain places that are regarded as sacred, mysterious, or culturally significant. Whether understood literally or symbolically, these narratives regulate human behaviour by discouraging actions that may harm people, disturb sacred spaces, or damage the natural environment. In this way, folklore functions as an indigenous system of environmental ethics and cultural conservation, reinforcing respect for both nature and the cultural heritage of the community.
Across the Himalayan region, many waterfalls, lakes, rivers, forests, and mountain peaks are regarded as sacred landscapes under the protection of local deities. Human intervention in such places is often restricted by customary beliefs and ritual practices. The Seven Waterfalls of Sarthal represents one such sacred geography where ecological conservation, religious belief, and cultural identity are closely interconnected.
Physically, the Seven Waterfalls is extraordinary. Each of the seven cascades differs in height, depth, and water flow, creating a unique and spectacular landscape. The waterfalls descend through steep rocky cliffs, making access extremely difficult even for experienced trekkers and mountaineers. The powerful currents, deep pools, and slippery terrain make the site one of the most dangerous natural locations in the region.
Therefore, the Seven Waterfalls of Sarthal should not be viewed merely as a tourist destination. It represents a living cultural landscape where nature, spirituality, folklore, and indigenous ecological knowledge coexist. While the site possesses immense tourism potential, any future development must be undertaken with sensitivity towards local beliefs, visitor safety, and ecological sustainability.
Preserving both its natural beauty and its cultural significance is essential to ensuring that this unique Himalayan landscape remains protected for future generations.
The author is a regular columnist and freelance writer.
