Sargodha’s rare sheep attract Eid customers

Kajla Lela is known for its beauty in Punjab, Sindh and K-P

SARGODHA:

Each year, dozens of markets are set up in Sargodha district as soon as Eidul Azha approaches, where cattle are sold.

In every market, the sacrificial animals sold by traders are of various varieties but those in Sargodha have one thing in common and that is the breed of Kajla Lela.

The breed of sheep is known not only in Sargodha for its beauty but also in other districts of Punjab and Sindh. Customers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and other areas also arrive at the markets in Sargodha to buy the sheep.

There are five physical qualities of a Kajla Lela which distinguish it from other sheep.

Malik Aslam Khokhar, who hails from Jhauriyan area, has been rearing the breed for the past decade. He told The Express Tribune that “this animal has dark circles around its eyes, as if someone has applied kajal in its eyes. It is because of this facial feature that it is named Kajla Lela”. He remarked that dark and large eyes look great on the light golden colour of the breed. Khokhar elaborated that the Kajla Lela's ears are long and black as if their ends are dipped in paint.

In addition to this, he added, four black marks are visible on the lower lip of the sheep. “These black marks are the real beauty of Kajla Lela.”

Sardar Abdul Basit Khan said that the banks of River Jhelum from Bhera to Khushab were famous for raising the breed. “Many people have tried to rear this animal in other areas but the beauty of the special breed found along this bank of the river could not be replicated anywhere else. This is a special gift of the nature on this river bank.”

Khokhar further said the place where this breed came from, a town near Jhauriyan in Sargodha, used to be a large estate of the Tiwana family.

“Before the Partition of India, this breed was found at the farms of Punjab’s leader Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana.”

“This breed came here from another region of India,” he explained. “Later, the cattle of the Tiwana family's farms also began to be sold to local people and the breed spread throughout the region.

He asserted that the Kajla Lela of the region was famous all over the country. In addition to the distinguishing qualities, it’s shiny, spotless golden wool adds to its beauty.

The price of the animal for slaughtering ranges from Rs30,000 to Rs150,000. However, if it is bought for breeding, it may cost up to Rs300,000.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2020.