in bits and pieces
| From ‘Vaishava Art and Iconography of Kashmir’ (1996) by Bansi Lal Malla |
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| Feb, 2016 |
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| 2016. |
John C. Huntington, L. Susan. 1970.
2016. Called “Brashib” in Kashmiri.
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| Inside of Bijbihara temple. From “Kashmir” (1977) by Francis Brunel. Notice the Ganesha at the right, in corner. both eyes intact. |
Present location. Outside the temple. Under a tree. The statue was attacked by someone in around 1990. One eye destroyed.
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Details of the trip and temple: Bijbehara Shiva Temple
It is tough. It is tough to track down Buddhist remains in the state. Most of the times, no one seems to know the exact location even if you give them the name.
I hired an ‘auto’ and told the guy he is going to be with me for the whole day and go where I ask him to go. I was going to look for Ambaran in Akhnoor, a place considered the norther-most border of Harappan civilization.
On leaving the Jammu city, on way to Akhnoor, the road is lined with these local temples.
The road is also lined with brickkiln.
The Buddhist monastic complex is on the right bank of river Chenab. I found trucks dumping construction waste all day long into the river.
The place itself has been “restored”.
I found the complex locked, with not a soul in sight. I watched the site from the fence.
The excavations at the site started around 1990 even though a lot of terracota figures ( 7th century A.D.) now known as “Akhnoor Buddhist terracotta heads with Greeco-Roman influence” had been found in Akhnoor around 1950s. The figures are closely related to figures found at Ushkur near Baramulla, Kashmir (to be visited).
The site is dated along 4 periods:
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| Mourners of the Sikh man who had died |
That was Ambaran, the oldest Buddhist site in entire Jammu and Kashmir.
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When the bird season arrives, around February, the local villagers burst crackers. They scare away the visitors. The villagers don’t want visitors, not the birds, not the bird lovers. Gharana Wetlands fall in a region that has rich soil for Basmati production. It is called “the city of white gold”. Agriculture has brought prosperity where doom is just a shell away from Pakistan border. People want more progress. Men who came as visitors to the land of birds have now claimed the land and are increasingly staking further claims. The conflict goes on.
When I visited the place, the birds had not yet all arrived. The water was low, you get more water if a water pipe bursts in a Basti in the city. Yet, this is the Gharana wetlands, divided by an International border between India and Pakistan.
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| Indian Roller |
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Winter arrives in Srinagar
Hasantika
of many blazing holes
is seen flashing in women’s quarters
like a row of lovelorn eyes
on fire
out to conquer Siva
~ lines from 12th century Kashmiri poet Mankha in his work Srikanthacharitam. This is the earliest reference to use of ‘hasantika’ in Kashmir, the early form of beloved Kangar.
Retelling the 15th century tale of a Pandit woman who became sister of a Muslim Prince. Re-interpreting the undying symbols of mixed masala culture. This is SearchKashmir video Dastangoi Episode 1.
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Nund Rishi. 14-15th century. This popular image Nund Rishi comes from a manuscript dated 17th century and titled “Kashmiri Kalaam”.*
The Mullas flourish on money
fests
These Sheikhs like honey
stick to wealth
The sufis half-naked
do no work
yet, enjoy
unrepentant
many scrumptious meals
None pursue knowledge,
It’s all just another game
these selves
unrestrained
Seen them lately?
Catch them live
Try this old trick:
Announce a grand feast,
from pulpit
now watch
This Mulla run to the Masjid
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*According to Kashmir Research Biannual Vol 1 No 1 P N Pushp, 1960. The painting comes from private collection of Hakim Sayyid Shah Sahib of Astan-e-Pain, Kashtawar. Water colors in Kangri with Mughal touches.
A group of kids. 1950s. Kashmir.
The thing to note in the photograph is a glimpse of ancient pre-islamic Kashmir. Notice the kid in the front with the partial tonsure. The one with Ronaldo cut.
Tarikh-i-Kabir of Muhammad-ud-Din Fauq (1892) mentions that muslim kids just like non-muslim kids used to grow a tuft of hair on the crown of their head. This hair used to be later shaved off on a particular day, at some shrines (like at Baba Rishi near Gulmarg), and the event was much celebrated (zarakasai). The tuft was known as Shika (Sanskrit), topp (“cap” in Kashmiri) or bichur (‘tuft’ as in Bil-bichur like of Bulbul).
In Islam, there are hadith against keeping partial tonsure. As the Kashmiri Muslim society moved closer to following a more literal and puritan version of Islam, the practise disappeared
Left: Goddess Sharada enthroned surrounded by fairies. From a Private collection. Probably 18th century. Kashmir. Notice the way angels are painted around the orb. Came aross the image in “Cosmology and Cosmic Manifestation: Shaiva Thought And Art Of Kashmir by Bansi Lal Malla (2015). While writing about the image, the author missed an important art connection.
Right: 16th century, á¹¢afavid Iran. Miraj painted by Sultan Muhammad for a manuscript of Nizami Ganjavi’s Quinary (“Panj Ganj” or “Khamsa”. Art styling inspired by Buddhist China. Khamsa was a work popular in Persian and Mughal courts. Notice the way fairies are drawn and the headgear on them.
In the right image, Khamsa influence on the court culture of Kashmir can be seen as late as 18th century. This mixing of culture, arts and “sacred” was not a phenomena unique to Kashmir, other major cultural centers also experienced it and continue to experience it. Only in case of Kashmir, it is least studied in detail.
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Vesiye Gulan aamay bahaar
Perhaps the best remembered song by Raj Begum. Lyrics by Maqbool Shah Qraalwari (1820–1876)
Here’s a cleared and voice enhanced version of the recording. [The original audio (probably from tape) was uploaded by Muneeb Haroon]
Video: Clipping from “Spring Comes to Kashmir” (1956)
Lyrics:
Suchetgarh Border in RS Pura sector, Jammu.
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| A Thirsty Special Train. First Train to Jammu from Sailkot. 19th Cent. A.D. |
Prior to 1947, Suchetgarh used to be an important railway station connecting to Sailkot. The railway line is now defunct and the place is now being promoted like “Wagha”, a place from where you can see Pakistan.
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| This is the season of mustard. All the border villages burn beautiful yellow. |
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| Border fences cut through the agricultural fields |
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| Sailkot is only 11 kilometers from here. This is the shortest road from Jammu to Pakistan. |
The other side
Here, at the border date, an old banyan tree is the function border pillar. Half of it is Indian and half is Pakistani.
On the Pakistani side, under the shade of the same tree, a worker.
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| A Pakistani tower |
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On the Indian side, the BSF office is where stood the old railway station. The wall facing the border has bullet marks, tagged as “Bullet Marks fired by Enemy”. The firing occurs only when tensions between the two countries run very high. When the body burns in fever, bullets arrive like sweat. The last recent bullet marks were from time Kargil war of 1999.
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| Tourists from Kargil region |
Just next to the border post is an old Hindu temple. This is said to be original Ragunath Temple that was later shifted to Jammu.
Across the temple is shrine of Muslim peer “Baba Neeli Tali Walla” that was recently renovated.
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I wonder if there’s any old temple being renovated across the border fence at Post Inayat.
