The natural hardships of
the people were further aggravated by an oppressive feudal system. The
autocratic rule of the Maharaja, exploitation by the landlords and
moneylenders, and inhuman practices like beggar (forced labor) made the life of
the Dogris miserable under the so- called Dogra rule.
A part from the Gujars
and Dogri –speaking Muslims, a majority of the Pothoari –speaking people living
across the Chinab and in the districts of Rajouri and Poonch are also Muslims. They
came from the neighboring states of Punjab and Kashmir. The local Muslims were
converted under the influence of Sufi preachers like Sayyid Farid –ud- Din and
his son Issar –ud- din who lie buried in Kishtwar. Budhan Shah, a contemporary
and friend of Guru Nanak, and Roshan Shahwali, are both buried near Jammu city.
These saints are revered by Hindus and Muslims alike.
Rugged, rocky and barren
lands made life in Jammu extremely hard. Women had to walk miles to fetch
drinking water in pitchers from ponds which were also used by cattle. Men folk
had to eke out a living from dry and infertile fields, which they did not own.
According to a Dogra poet, there is no life worse than that of the Kandi. A
saying in Dogri, however, describes the hardships of climbing hills of the
Kandi rather good- humouredly: `Climb through perseverance, seduce a woman
through talking.