Purshiyar Riddle

Clues to a place in a riddle

Hapat kandur; breth pandit; talim poni hyur khasan; breri brahman; gagar suts; kashuri parimil shal gadah-hannz; thapal sarraf.
Bears (are bakers); stupid people (are) pandits; the lower waters flow up; cats (are) brahmans; rats (are) tailors; Kashmiris (are) Panjabis; jackals (are) fishermen; usurpers (are) bankers.

The place to the left. From Habba Kadal
2008

Ans: Purshiyar, the name of a ghat in Srinagar city just below second bridge.

From: Kashmiri Riddles by J. Hinton Knowles (1887)

191 Kashmiri Riddles

Finished extracting

After his ‘A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and Sayings: A Classified Collection Explained and Illustrated from the Rich and Interesting Folklore of the Valley’ (1885) [here] and before his mammoth ‘Folk-tales of Kashmir (1888)’, in 1887 Knowles also compiled a list of Kashmiri riddles based on his interaction with locals, both Pandits and Muslims of various class. The work containing 140 riddles was published in Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, No. III, 1887.

Kashmiri Riddles by J. Hinton Knowles (1887)

[now available at archive.org]

Sample:

92. “Abah gan gan, babah gan gan, kapar kichih kichih,” son sikah bachah sairas drav. 

(It cries) “abah gan gan, babah gan gan, kapar kichih kichil ” (and) our Sikh boy goes out for a walk.

Ans. Yindar, a spinning-wheel.

The words in inverted commas are supposed to represent the sound the wheel makes when revolving. A Sikh boy is here mentioned became the top and bottom of the yandartul, (the little wheel of the spinning- wheel on which the thread being spun is wound) are fastened together with long hair ; and a Sikh boy has long hair.

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A collection of 51 Kashmiri riddles presented by Pandit Anand Koul in February 1933 issue of ‘Indian Antiquary’ magazine. Among other things, the interesting bits in this work are the sayings of Lal Ded which were popular as riddles. It was this simple act that helped preserve the legacy of Lal Ded in popular Kashmiri culture.

Kashmiri Riddles By Pandit Anand Koul (1933)
[now available at archive.org]

Sample:
12
Baras peth kala-shahmar
Lat ta as milavit;
Ora ayas kenkalat,
Lat ninas gilavit.
A black snake is on the door
With tail and mouth joined;
A lizard came up;
It twisted away its tail.
Answer: padlock and key

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Kashmiri names of Birds of Kashmir

Based on ‘The Birds of Kashmir’ by Samsar Chand Koul, 1939.

The crow family (Corvidae)

The Raven (Corvus corax tibetanus)
Kashmiri name:
Botin kav
Khata in Leh

Common in Ladakh region

The Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos intermedius)
Kashmiri name:

Diva Kav, Pantsol Kav
Can be seen around higher reaches of Pahalgam
The House Crow (Corvus splendens zugmayeri)
Kashmiri name:
Kav
The Jackdaw (Corvus monedula monedula)
Kashmiri name: 
Kavin
The Red-Billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax Pyrrhocorax)
Kashmiri name:
Wan Kavin
The Yellow Billed Magpie (Urocissa flavirostris cucullata)
Kashmiri name (in Lolab valley):
Lot Raza
The Tit Family (Paridae)
The Grey Tit (Parus major kashmiriensis)
Kashmiri name:
Ranga Tsar
The Crested Black Tit (Lophophanes melanolophus)
Kashmiri name:
Pintsakon
The Babbler Family (Timaliidae)
The Streaked Lavghing-Thush (Trochalopteron lineatum lineatum)
Kashmiri name:
Sheena-pi-pin, The Snow Whistle
The Bulbul Family (Pycnonotidae)
The White-Cheeked Bulbul (Molpastes leucogenys leucogenys)
Kashmiri name:
Bill-bi-chur
The Himalayan Black Bulbul (Microscelis psaroides psaroides)
Kashmiri name:
Wan Bulbul
The Creeper Family (Certhiidae)
The Himalayan Tree-Creeper (Certhia Himalayana)
Kashmiri name:
Koel dider
The Wall-Creeper (Tichodroma muraria)
Kashmiri name:
Lamba dider
The Thrush Family (Turdidate)

The Bush chat (Saxicola torquata)
Kashmiri name:
Dofa Tiriv
The White-Capped Redstart (Chaimarrhornis leucocephals)
Kashmiri name:
Chets tal,
Kumidi in Kolahoi area
The Plumbeous Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosa fuliginosa)
Kashmiri name:
Kola Tiriv
The Black Throated Thrush (turdus atrogularis)
Kashmiri name:
Wanda kostur
Tickell’s Thrush (Turdus unicolor) 
Kashmiri name:
Kostur
The Himalayan Whistling Thrush (Myiophoneus temminckii temminckii)
[Lawrence’s The Song Thrush of Kashmir]
Kashmiri name:
Hazar Dastan, Kava Kunur
The Flycatcher Family (Muscicapidae)
The Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paadisi leucagaster)
Kashmiri name:
Young and female, Ranga Bulbul
Adult, Fhambaseer (cotton flake)
The Shrike Family (Lanidae)
The Rufous Backed Shrike (Lanius schach erythronotus)
Kashmiri name:
Hara wataj (wataj means executioner, the bird name is used also as a phrase in Kashmiri for someone mean)
The Campephagidae Family 

The Short Billed Minivet (Pericrocotus Brevirostris Brevirostris)
Kashmiri name:

Wozul mini

The Drongo Family (Dicruridae)
The Indian Grey Dronga (The King Crow) (Dicrurus leucophaeus longicaudatus)
Kashmiri name:
Gankots, Telakots
The Warbler Family (Sylviidae)

The Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens)

Kashmiri name:
Kurkoch

The Pale Bush Warbler (Horornis pallidus pallidus)
Kashmiri name:
Dofa Pich
The Oriole Family (Oriolidae)
The Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus kundo)
Kashmiri name:
Poshi Nul (flower mongoose)
The Starling Family (Sturnadae)
The Starling (Sturnus vulgaris humii)
Kashmiri name:
Tsini-hangur
The Myna (Acridotheres tristis tristis) (The sad grasshopper eater)
Kashmiri name:
Hor

Cinclidae (Dipper Family)
The White Breasted Dipper (Water Ousel) (Cinclus cinclus kashmiriensis)
Kashmiri name:
Dungal

Family Fringillidae
The Black and Yellow Grosbreak (Perrisospiza icteroides icteroides)
Kashmiri name:
Wyet Tont


The Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus roseatus) (erythrinus wrongly given as crythrinus)
Kashmiri name:
Gulob Tsar

The Goldfinch (Carduelis caniceps caniceps)
Kashmiri name:
Sehara


The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus parkini)
Kashmiri name:
Tsar

The Gold Fronted Finch (Metaponia pusilla)
Kashmiri name:
Adult, Tyok
Young, Taer

The Green Finch (Hypacanthis spinoides spinoides)
Kashmiri name:
Saboz Tsar

The Meadow Bunting (Emheriza cia stracheyi)
Kashmiri name:
Won Tsar

Hirundinidae (Swallow Family)
The Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Kashmiri name:
Katij

Motacillidae (Wagtail Family)
The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba hogsoni)
Kashmiri name:
Dobbai

The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea melanope)
Kashmiri name:
Khak Dubbai

The Yellow-headed Wagtail (Motacilla citreola citreoloides)
Kashmiri name:
Ledor Dub-bai

Alaudidae (Lark Family)
The Little Skylark (Alauda gulgula guttata)
Kashmiri name:
Dider

Order – Pici Picidae (Woodpecker Family)
The Green Woodpecker (Picus squamatus squamatus)
Kashmiri name:
Koel Makots

The Pied Woodpecker (Dryobates himalayensis)
Kashmiri name:
Hor Koel Makots
Koel-Ku-Kor (tree hen) Koel Tatak in Lolab area

The Wryneck (Iynx torquilla japonica)
Kashmiri name:
Viri Mot

Order – Anisodactyli (Coraciadae Family)
The Roller (Coracias garulla semenowi)
Kashmiri name:
Nila Krash

Meropioae Family
The Bee-Easter (Merops apiaster)
Kashmiri name:
Tulri Khav

Alcedinidae (King-Fisher Family)
The Blue King-Fisher (Alcedo atthis pallasii)
Kashmiri name:
Kola tonch

The Pied King-Fisher (Ceryle rudis leucomelanura)
Kashmiri name:
Hora Kola Tonch

The Upupidac (Hoopoe Family)
The Hoopoe (Upupa epops epops)
Kashmiri name:
Satut

Order – Coccyges Cuculida (Cuckoo Family)
The Pied Crested Cuckoo (Lamator jacobinus)
Kashmiri name:
Hor Kuk

Order – Psittaci 
Psittacidae (The Parrot Family)
The Slaty Header Parakeet
Kashmiri name:
Tota, Shoga in Lolab valley

Order – Striges The Strigidae (Owl Family)
The Indian Barn Owl (Tyto alba Javanica)
Kashmiri name:
Rata Mogul

Order – Accipitres (The Birds of Prey)

The Pandionidae Family
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus haliaetus)
Kashmiri name:
?

Gypidae (The Vulture Family)
The Himalayan Griffon (Gyps Himalayensis)
Kashmiri name:
Grad

The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus percnopterus)
Kashmiri name:
Patyal

Falconidae (Birds of Prey)
Pallas Fishing Eagle (Cuncuma leucorypha)
Kashmiri name:
Gada Grad

The Black-Eared Kite (Milvus migrans lineatus)
Kashmiri name:
Gont

The Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Kashmiri name:
Bohar

Order – Columbidae Family Columbidae
The Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis meena)
Kashmiri name:
Wan Kukil

The Ring Dove (Streptopelia decaocto decaocto)Kashmiri name:

Kukil
Order – Gallinae  (Family Phasianidae)
The Chakor (Alectoris graeca chukar)
Kashmiri name:
Kakov
Order – Grallae (Family Rallidae)
The Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus parvifrons)
Kashmiri name:
Tech
The Purple Coot (Porphyrio pollocephalus pollocephalus)
Kashmiri name: 
Wan Tech
The Common Coot (Fulica atra atra)
Kashmiri name:
Kolar, Kav-put
Family Jacanidae
The Pheasant-Tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
Kashmiri name:
Govind Kav, Gair Kov
Family Charadriidae
The Common Sand Piper (Tringa Hypoleuca)
Kashmiri name:
Tont Kon, Kula Kavin
Order – Gaviae Family Lardiae
The Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias leucopareia indica)
Kashmiri name:
Kreu

Order – Herodiones Family Ardeidae
The Common Heron (Ardea cinerea cinerea)
Kashmiri name:
Brag

The Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax)
Kashmiri name:
Bor

The Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus minutus)
Kashmiri name:
Goi

Order- Anseres-Ducks Family Anatidae
The Mallard (Anas platyrhyncha platyrhyncha)
Kashmiri name:
Male, Neluj, Female, Thuj

Order-Pygopodes Family Podicipidae
The Dabchick (Podiceps ruficollis albipennis)
Kashmiri name:
Pind

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Some additional names from ‘The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Commercial Industrial, and Scientific: Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures, Volume 3’ by Edward Balfour, 1885.

Great Snow Pheasant

Kashmiri name:
Gor-ka-gu and Ku-buk-der
Impeyan, or monal (Lophophorus impeyanus)
Kashmiri name:
Male, Lont and Ham, female
Chukor (Caccabis chukor. Gray)
Kashmiri name: 
Kau-kau (see Koul’s naming)
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Still some more from ‘The Valley of Kashmir’ (1895) by Walter Lawrence, (who does point mention that Kashmiris, even if they loved them, had little knowledge about birds around him)
The Snow Partridge (in Gilgit, Koreish)
The Himalayan Snow Cock (Ram chikor of sportsmen ; Gurka-kao in Kashmir)

The Chikor Partridge (Kashmiri, kak)

Lophophorus refulgens. The Monaul Pheasant (Kashmiri, male Sunal or Suna ‘ Murg ‘ ; female Haum)

The Simla Horned Pheasant (Rang RawuI of some Kashmiris; Riar in Hazara)

The Kashmir Pucras Pheasant. Commonly called Koklas
The Bald Coot (Kashmiri, Kolar)

The Laughing Gull (Kashmiri, Krind)

The European Common Tern (Kashmiri, Kreu)

The Curlew (Kashmiri, Golar)
The Woodcock (Kashmiri, Zar Batchi)
The Grey Goose (Kashmiri, Ans)
The Ruddy Shielddrake (Kashmiri, Tsakao)
The Shoveller  (Kashmiri, Honk)
The Gadwall (Kashmiri, Budan)
The Pintail Duck (Kashmiri, Sok Pachin)
The Widgeon (Kashmiri, Shiewrni Budan)
The common Teal (Kashmiri, Keus)
The Blue-winged Teal (Kashmiri, Kulkilar)
The Red-crested Pochard (Kashmiri, Tur)
The White-eyed Duck (Kashmiri, Harwat)
The Smew (Kashmiri. Gagur)
The Lesser Cormorant (Kashmiri, Mung) [The word that triggered this post thanks to a recollection by my grandmother]
The European Cuckoo (Kashmiri, Shakuk or kuku)
The Eastern Calandra Lark. (Fall in Kashmiri.)
The Indian Great Reed Warbler (Kashmiri, Karkat, Kurkoch of Kaul )
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Some from: Grierson, George Abraham. A dictionary of the Kashmiri language. Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1932.

(f.-kröshü -क्रा&above;शू&below;), a certain bird, the European Roller (Coracias garrula) (L. 136, nilakraish); cf. nīla-krôshu, s.v. nīl 2.-pūtu -पूतु&below; । पार्वतीयः कपोतःm. a kind of pigeon

Seda Khan’s Tomb Inscription

Tomb inscription of one Seda Khan – who died in a battle in the reign of Mummad Shah (1484-1537). It is in the cemetery next to Ziarat of Bahauddin at Hariparbat. The inscription is in Sharda as well as Arabic script. Photograph by Kakori Lewis.

Came across it in the book “The Arts of Kashmir” Ed. by Pratapaditya Pal.

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#tovisitinfuture

The burning of Mansur in Kashmiri poems

When Kashmiris wanted to burn someone, they would often choose Mansur. Burning of Persian Sufi Mansur Al-Hallaj (c. 858 – March 26, 922) in Baghdad, was one of the most common idioms in Kashmiri sufi poetry.

If Lal Ded is considered the beginning of Kashmiri poetry, even in some of the lines attributed to her, we find Mansur. And Mansur is there in lines of Nund Rishi:

Koran Paraan Paraan kuna mudukh
Koran Paraan Paraan kun gai suur
Koran Paraan Paraan Zind kith ruzukh
Koran Paraan Paraan dodh Mansur

Why didn’t you die listening to Koran
How many turned to ashes listening to Koran
How did you live listening to Koran
Listening to Koran, Mansoor went ablaze

The same lines are sung by Pandits as vakh of Lal Ded replacing Koran with Gita. [listen
In fact in Abdul Wahab Shaayak’s Taareekh-e-Kashmir (1756), Lal Ded is called as Mansuur-al-Haaj’s sister. [*Political content in Vakhs of Lal Ded by R.L. Bhat]

A leaf from an illustrated manuscript on poetry, Kashmir, 19th century. 
via: christies.com. 
The scene depicts the burning and crucification of Mansur al-Hallaj.

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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
Kasmir of Kalhana

Maybe Ki-pin of Chinese
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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First Kashmiri Bible and the translation affairs, 1821


The first meeting of Kashmiri language and English language happened through a translation of Bible, in Bengal. In 1821, missionary William Carey of Serampore, who spent a most of his life producing translations of Bible into various Indian languages, brought out the Kashmeere Holy Bible. Carey is known to have used native experts for most of his translations, but the names of his Kashmiri helpers isn’t known. What is known is that the script used for this book was Sharda.

A snippet of Kashmiri Bible in Sharda Script
[An Introduction to the Critical Study of the Holy Scriptures, Volume 2.
By Thomas Hartwell Horn. 1836]
Update [Transcription of the lines by Mrinal Kaul: “yima lookh anigati andar bihith a’yes timav…………dochas (?) hiy kaayaayi andar behan vaalyen emad sapa (?).
Which I believe would probably mean Matthew 4:16: The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.]

Kashmiri was a new language for English people. Mistakes were bound to happen. And the genuineness of the translation was yet to be tested. A mistake had in fact been made. They were soon to realize that perhaps Sharda was the wrong script for reaching out to Kashmiri people. 
An entry dated July 2nd, 1938, in journals of Rev.John Newton of Lodiana (Foreign Missionary Chronicle, 1838), we find following curious entry:
“Two parties of Kashmrii brahmans who live in Amritsar, (120 miles from Lodiana) came this morning for books. I was gratified to find they were able to read and understand Dr. Carey’s Kashmiri Testament. Ever since we came to Lodiana, we have been looking for some one who could read this work, and give us some opinion of its merits; but such a one has not hitherto been found. The fact seems to be that four sixth of the Kashmiris , or more are Mohammedans; these are accustomed to no written character but the Persian or Arabic. Those who have adhered to the ancient faith of the nation, retain likewise the old written character, which is based on the Sanscrit. There are very few of them in Lodiana, and comparatively few, I suppose at any place. Since they are so small fraction of the nation, the Kashmiri Testament can be used by a much smaller number of people, than if it had been come out in a Persian dress. The merits of the translation I could not learn from the men who were here this morning, though for the most part they made out the true meaning of what they read.”
Kashmiri language was to befuddle the missionaries for quite sometime. The confusion it caused can be gauged from the fact that a grammar for Panjabi published around the time was confused by most for a Kashmiri grammar. They obviously needed vocabularies, glossaries and dictionaries of authentic Kashmiri. 
Strangely enough, the first of these grammars and vocabularies were brought out not using the help of Kashmiri living in Kashmir, but the immigrant Kashmiris of Punjab. 
*The first grammar and vocabulary was brought out by Mr. M.P. Edgeworth of the Bengal Civil Service, and it was based on the dialect of shawl-weavers of Ludhiana, through the assistance of one Meer Saf-u-deen, ‘a respectable Syud of that place’.  The second help for understanding Kashmiri language was just a grammar by one Major R.Leech, C.B.. This one too was brought out with the help of Kashmiri weavers of Ludhiana. 
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* Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1867). 
Vocabularies, Glossaries and Dictionaries of Kashmiri Language

M.P. Edgeworth (1841), [ref]

Major R.Leech (1844) [link]

H.S. Godwin Austin (1866) [collected]
L.B. Bowring (1866) []
William J. Elmsie (1872)
[Link]
A Grammar of the Kashmīrī Language: As Spoken in the Valley of Kashmīr, North India 
by Thomas Russell Wade (1888)
[Link]

[Also to his credit goes: The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration, &c …. (in the Cashmírí language). Published by the Punjab Christian Knowledge Society. First edition. Amritsar; Printed at the Safir-i-Hind Press, . . . 1884.]

Kashmiri Persian Dictionary (Sonti Pandit, 1893)
Kashmiri-Sanskrit Dictionary by Ishwara Kaula. Incomplete.

A Dictionary of Kashmiri Language (1916-1932, 4 parts) by G.A. Grierson based on material by Ishwara Kaul. [Online Word Search Engine, Part 1]

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chobuk

“How they frighten birds in Kashmir by means of a cracker made of plaited strips of bush ten feet long”
~ ‘Indian Memories: Recollections of Soldiering Sport, Etc.’ (1915) by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, father of Scout Movement.
Action in ‘Shikargah Pather’.
Delhi. April. 2013.

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