Aurel Stein’s ‘Memoir On Maps Illustrating Ancient Geography Of Kashmir’ (1899) from ‘Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. LXVIII, Part I., Extra-Number 2. – 1899.
kashmirsahasranāma
KaSir in Kashmiri
KasHmir in Persian
KASmir in Hindi
Kasmira in Sanskrit of Panini and Patanjali
Kashmiras of Mahabharata and Puranas
Kasmira or Kasmiraja.
from may be Saffron or root of kustha.
In whimsical etymologies of early Persian Tarikhs –
Kashap (Kasyapa) + mar (matha)
Or
Kasvira in Prakrit
Kasvira in Prakrit
Kasmir of Kalhana
Maybe Ki-pin of Chinese
Shie-mi of To Yeng and Sung Yun
Shie-mi of To Yeng and Sung Yun
Hiuen Tsiang’s Kia-shi-mi-lo
Ptolemy’s Kaspeiria
Maybe Kaspatyros of Herodotos
Kaspeiroi in Dionysiaca of Nonnos
Maybe Wilson’s Kasyapapura
This Cashmir
of early Angrez and their Casyapapur
Their Cassimere, Chismeer, Ouexmir
Our KasHmir, KASmir, KaSir
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Chilla-Kalan, 1897
‘Kashmir Snow’. 1897.
“Here in Kashmir we call the winter the time of Three Sisters – Forty Days’ Death, and Twenty, and then Ten.”
~ Kingfishers Catch Fire (1953) by Rumer Godden.
Ever-New Kashmir. Prof. Devendra Satyarthi. 1935
Punjabi folklorist Devendra Satyarthi was the first to introduce Mehjoor’s work to India. In the following article published in The Modern Review, February, 1935, Devendra Satyarthi explores the folk scene in Kashmir.
The article offers some interesting observations about Kashmiri way of living back then.
Habits in Precious Metal and still more precious Money
“The Panditanis, the Brahman women, never like to wear silver ornaments, but they may prefer brass to pass it as gold.”
Ever New Kashmir by Prof. Devendra Satyarthi (for The Modern Review, February, 1935) [Entire article here]
I read a rather interesting thing in Pandit Anand Koul’s ‘Kashmiri Pandits’ (1929). At the end of the book, there is section of ‘gifts’ due in a daughter’s marriage. Apparently, there was some kind of a official scale set for it. And among other things, and an elaborate ‘gifting’ system, we read that on the higher end a first class bride was expected to bring in 150 tolas of Gold while on the lower end a grade seven would bring in 5 tolas.
Prior to 1898, Indian currency was tied to silver, later tied by British to Gold. In 1929: Gold was trading at around $20 per gram. And Rupee was at .3620 (1 Dollar = 22.53 Rupees). So, 1.749571875 Kgs (150 Tolas) back then meant about 34990 Dollars or about 788324.7 Indian Rupees [ lower end, 5 tolas comes to about 26278.56]. Today, based on gold, thats like 4194038 Lakh Rupees on higher end and 139801 on lower end. [Pretty much the same scale today!]
Now, just for the fun of it, I had a little ‘tolas of Gold’ talk with some of my uncles. Of course they laughed. Even now 150 tolas sounds quite big. They imagined stuff. What it all meant. Then they recalled. In memories, no one came across as rich. Some maybe better then other. Yet, I teased some more.
In was obvious what had happened. Among Pandit families, thanks to the gifting system, Gold was getting divided over and over. With no new value getting added, it was used as the backup, a reserve. And women were something that consumed this precious gold reserve. And son was the one who increased it.
Then, one of them remembered an interesting practice among Pandits for ‘marriage gold’. ‘Pah Son‘: borrowing (pah: borrowed) gold for daughter-in-law by the husband’s side. So, if in normal scenario some amount of gold was going to come back to the girl, in this case, she was left with none.
Another one pointed out that often brass was used as pretend gold. He said brass was so common that in 1947, during Kabali attack, the tribals actually looted a lot of brassware thinking it was gold.
Same old stories…
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How geography was taught in Kashmir, 1920s
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| Came across it in rarest of Biscoe books, ’50 years against the Stream’, 1930. [Among other things can be seen the famous flood lights that were donated by Maharaja of Mysore in around 1918. A major milestone for electrification of Kashmir] -0- |
Apple eating competition, 1957
I now have the November 1958 issue of National Geographic Magazine in Brian Brake’s Kashmir photographs appeared. [for those coming late, read this detailed previous post]
And actually found some more unseen photographs even though most of his work is now available online.
Apple eating competition’. Brian Brake. 1957. In the background can be seen (and ignored) G.M. Bakshi. The photograph is from one of his ‘jash-e-kashmir’ festivals. I don’t know about now, but even in late 1980s, ‘apple eating competition’ was a popular school game event…at least at Biscoe. I remember losing it once.
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Saffron Market. Pampore, 1948
I now finally have all the old issues of National Geographic Magazine in which Kashmir was majorly featured.
Here’s a sample from year 1948:
‘Saffron Market’. Pampore, 1948. By Volkmar Wentzel. For National Geographic.
[Created by combining a two page spread]
Caption read: “At Autumn Harvest, Farmers, Pickers, and Buyers Swarm in Pampur’s Saffron Market. Homer sang of the “saffron morn,” Solomon of “spikenard and saffron.” Greeks perfumed theaters with saffron, a royal color; Romans tossed it in Nero’s path. England once cultivated the plant at Saffron Walden.”
Clear Dal Postcard
Another recent addition to my collection….a post card of Dal Lake from Mahattas.
Undated. But probably from 1920s.
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My friend Yaseen Tuman adds: Small hillock in photo is Shankaracharya Hill. Exact corner where Nehru Park Shikara Ghat Stands today and Hotels from this point to Dalgate.
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Kashmir Market Boats, 1920s
A recent addition to my collection…
This postcard came with very little information. It was published by ‘Bombay Phototype Company’, which was in business around 1910-20. The place…I don’t know…that building in the background should be a good clue. I was hoping someone will be able to identify it.
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