Feb, 2016.
Kalaam: “Chan” Rasul Mir
Singer: Rashid Hafiz
Recorded in Srinagar. At place named after a Pakistani Commando who crossed over for Jihad in 1965.
Khaane Kam Kam tchai karith vaeranai Paane ashqo chui katyo dhikaano
Houses many have you destroyed
Love, what is your own address?
The is the last piece of 2nd set of my Kashmir travelogue. 3rd set to start soon.
First dig. Burzahom 1935
Many a discoveries in Kashmir were purely accidental. Among the many is the discovery of Burzahom.
In 1932, Helmut de Terra arrived in Kashmir valley on a geological study tour. On a clear spring day, he undertook an excursion on the river Jhelum. Travelling along the river bank, at one place, he noticed a strange object emerging from the river bank. On close inspection he realized it was a stone knife made of volcanic rock and fashioned like old Paleolithic Levallois blades. It was the first such discovery in the valley, in fact, first sign of Stone Age man ever found in the Himalayan region.
De Terra was to return to Kashmir many times looking for more signs. In 1935 , De Terra with T. T. Paterson as part of Yale-Cambridge University Expedition, finally arrived on the curious stone mounds atop Yanderhom Karewa about 10 Kms north-east of Srinagar, just above the marshy flood-plain of the river Jhelum. To the discoverers it was obvious that the stones were menhirs. In subsequent did, stone axes, pestles and bone tool were found.
The flood plain is now where people live. While the stones still stand, next to a cricket field.
Road to Burzahom
The burial pits discovered in 1960s
Burial pit. Burzahom. 1962 . From 1960 to 1971 extensive digging was carried out by T.N. Khazanchi to discover the cultural remains of a civilization.
The people who live around the area believe the pits to be dwellings of Jinns and consider the place to be haunted. Some people come and tie threads on the steel mesh, making wishes.
In February 2014, I tried to look for Harwan Buddhist site, ended up finding a water filtration plant, returning believing it to be the heritage site. [Read all about it here]
In November, I went back to look for it.
I found Harwan.
I took the right turn this time. I realized why most people miss it. The place is too hidden, you have to hike to the place. Most Pandits visiting are too old, can’t climb, have no old association with the place.
And older cousin of mine however did remember the quite little place near Chandipur where they would sometime go for excursion with Walden school.
Diaper Pebble Technique
The lonely worker was carrying out repair for damage suffered by Stupa due to the flood of September.
I remembered that this high terrace was buried under debris due to cloudburst and flood of 1973 and finally cleared in 1978-80.
Coming in from some distance, I could hear the sound of men sitting somewhere inside an invisible security bunker.
The sun was setting, it was time for me to move.
I am convinced that when the place was conceived, the level of Dal Lake would have been higher. The site would have stood just next to the water body.
From Louise Weiss’s Cachemire (1955)
In 1950s, you could just walk around Harwan and the now famous tiles could be seen strewn all around the place. Back them people hoped, it would be an open museum for the tiles.
One the way back, I again lost the way. I couldn’t figure out how to get back to the main road.
Wood carving workshop on Jhelum river.
Fateh Kadal, Urdu Bazaar.
Way to the Ghat
Upper floor
The entire building used to be wooden. It is now being remade in cement and bricks. The upper floor was still under works. If I could get into that floor, the view would have been something like this:
Baramulla bridge with Gosain Teng in background (with in Kaznag and Shamasabri ranges, an extension of the Pir Panjal Range). Illustration published in ‘Church Missionary Intelligencer’ (1854).
Gosain Teng, Baramulla. ‘Teng’ is the Kashmiri word for ‘Hillock’ and ‘Gosain’ is the Hindi/Sanskrit Goswami meaning ‘Ascetic’. Nowadays atop the hill is an army bunker. According to entry for the place in Hasan Shah’s (1832-1898) ‘Tarikh-e-Hassan’ there are supposed to be four springs atop the hill. Kunds named after Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman.
About sixty days after the flood
A city still damp
daubed in two shades
Camps near Dal
Camp dwellers. Most of the government camps look empty. People mostly stay with relative with a nominal person staying in the camp the mark his presence, expecting relief. People on radio sound angry about the way damage is being assessed and relief being handed out.
Clearing silt from the ghat near Fateh Kadal foot bridge
Not wishes tied to the walls of a shrine Polythene and rubbish brought in by water stuck to the Mesh panel of a little garden by the ghat
Soaked ancient brickwork of a house along the river
After two weeks under fifteen feet of water Dead plants in a private garden along Nageen lake A positive side effect of the flood has been that the markets are flush with vegetables of great quality.
A roadside stall offering flood infested material for sale.
The level at SPS museum along Bund road
Level of water inside the museum Knees of the deity I was told, most of the damage to display material has been to the papermache works. With about 2% almost of them gone.
Soaked old journals inside the Library of the museum
