Tag: metaphysical star wars

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Two Srinagars

‘The Rope Bridge at Serinagur’ by Thomas Daniell (1800)

“One can only wonder at the fortitude of the early travellers  men such as Huien Tsang, or the painters Thomas and William Daniel. Their determination must have been supreme in order to press them ever forward and eventually reach the Vale, settled as it is high among seemingly impenetrable mountains at the end of a route that was, and still is, full of hazards.”

~ Visiting Kashmir by Allan Stacey (1988).

All that is fine but…

Sometimes a familiar image and a familiar name can cause all find of confusion. A lot of people consider Thomas and William Daniel to be among the first Europeans to reach and paint Kashmir. Painting titled ‘The Rope Bridge at Serinagur’ by Thomas Daniell only confirms it. There are a bunch of books that claim this. All this because the place they visited is Srinagar. But the fact remains, the two never visited Kashmir. Thomas Daniell (1749-1840) and his nephew William Daniell (1769-1837) were in India during 1785 and 1794. In 1789 they visited of the city of Srinagar on the banks Alaknanda river in Garwhal which is named so because . That’s were ‘The Rope Bridge at Serinagur’ comes from.

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Now, coming back to ‘Srinagar’ or rather the two ‘Srinagars’, and continuing with the word games and antonymic folklores… it is believed that the town of Garwhal gets its name after the goddess of Fortune, Sri or Laxmin. Some say the same of the city of Srinagar in Garwhal gets its name from ‘Sri Yantra’, a giant rock which could kill you if you even looked at it. The rock had origins in a tale in which a Goddess kills a demon named Kalasura thanks to the device/rock . The local storytellers say that this rock was turned upside down by Adi Shankaracharya, in the 8th century AD and chucked into Alaknanda. He thus put an end to all the tantric exercises associated with the rock and laid down the plan for the city of Srinagar. Interestingly, there are places in Garwhal were Sri Yantra is worshipped. One of the belief associated with Sri Yantra in Garwhal is that installing a roof over Sri Yantra would bring disaster. [This last bit from ‘Marriage And Customs Of Tribes Of India’ by J. P. Singh Rana (1998)]

The Srinagar in Kashmir still has the Sri Yantra rock at Hari Parbat. The origin of the rock/hill in local folklore has killing of a demon named Jalobhava by a Goddess using a rock, hence laying the foundation of Srinagar. The temple that was reclaimed in Srinagar by Adi Shankaracharya is across this Hill and on top of another Hill that is now renamed after Shankaracharya. The Sri Yantra is roofed at Hari Parbat. Done only in recent times. The only person to protest construction around the rock was an artist named G.R. Santosh.

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Mr. Vigne is responsible for the strange derivation of the name of the Kasmir  capital, Srinagar (Srinagara, or as he spells it, ‘Siri-nagur,’ from ” Surya Nagur, the city of the sun” (p. ii. 137). Judging from the persistence with which the error has been copied by a succession of modern writers on Kasmir, this etymology bids fair to establish itself as a piece of orthodox creed with European visitors to the Valley.

~ Ancient Geography Of Kashmir by M A Stein (1895).

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A walk on Water

“And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.”

~ Mark 6:45-53, King James Bible.

At the appointed time a murmuring crowd gathered on Nehru Park Island to witness the miracle.  For days the local newspapers had advertised the event: “A Man to Walk on Dal wearing only a Khrav.“

 A silence fell on the crowd as a young man carrying a garland of marigold around his neck stepped forward and approached the waters. This was The Walker. “The sheen of his face is unmistakably that of a man with great spiritual powers,” said someone in the crowd. It was a perfect day for a miracle.

The Walker poised to take his first step, took a deep breath, unimagined the water, kept his head straight and looked ahead. Across the waters, on the other side, another crowd stood in anticipation, ready to receive him. He exhaled and unimagined the crowd. Looking at the scene unfolding in front of them, even the doubting Thomases, even as they we getting unimagined, for a second did start wondering, ‘But, what if…’

For The Walker the world faded away. The was no water. It was just him and his Khrav.

The Walker raised his foot and as it was about to hit the surface of water, in confidence, he moved his other foot to meet the water too. To the onlookers it looked like a jump. Just as his first foot was about meet the surface, a thought sprang like a bolt in his mind, he remembered something, words and a face. His body in response to the thought wanted to undo its previous two actions. His two feets now sought solid ground. To onlookers it looked like a jolt. The Walker tried to balance himself. But he knew it was too late. He was done. His body craved for land and found water instead. Gravity took over. As he fell face first in water, Khravs slipped off his feet and floated away from him and towards shore. A kid picked them and ran away. A few brave onlookers, not in spell anymore, jumped into water and pulled him out.

In time, the reason for this failed miracle soon became apparent to people. It was a girl. Only a few months ago, The Walker was indeed on way to spiritual greatness under the guidance of his Guru. But then love god played his tricks. The Walker used to teach music to a young blind girl. In time, as often happens, the two fell in love. The Guru had advised The Walker to remain celibate. ‘No girl, ever.’ Ignoring the advise, just days before the ‘Water Walk in Khrav’ event, The Walker had married the blind girl and thus ending any real chance of him making history by walking on water wearing only wooden Khrav. He had drowned himself in love, fallen for the oldest miracle and got baptized in icy waters of Dal.

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Based on the story of a kin told by an Uncle. The Walker did go on to be acclaimed as a saint. But as the joke in the family goes, that day he did almost drown himself in Dal in front of a big crowd.

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Staff Battles of Sannyasis

On the morning they left Pahlgam there was a battle among the Sannyasis, which almost came to a bout with staves. One flag only is carried on the pilgrimage to Amarnath, and it entitles the standard-bearer to a third of the pilgrims’ offerings. For years the privilege has fallen to the Shivaites of Bhairon Asthan in Srinagar, but the Mahunt of a rival temple, the shrine of Mahadeva on the Takht-i-Suleiman, claimed that his followers were more numerous. He had carried his banner far through sun and rain, and he swore by all the attributes of Siva he would not leave it behind. When he drove his little standard in the ground, the others protested with loud cries, and the two parties met in the streamlet which separated their camps, shouting and waving their staves. The magistrate of the pilgrims rode up on his ambling tat, and in the middle of hearing both sides declared in favour of the Bhairon Asthan party. It was the order of the Maharaja of Kashmir that they should carry the standard as before, and that there should be no other flag.

The Takht Sannyasis boded foul weather and disease if the Bhairon flag advanced. The Bhairon party threatened some special visitation if the unorthodox standard was raised, whereat the Takht
priest cried out angrily :

“Under what provocation, then, has the cholera goddess scourged the camp in past years?”

One of the others struck at him with his staff, but a bearded khaki-clad Mussulman of the Maharaja’s police intercepted the blow and pushed the scowling Sannyasi aside. He threatened to go back. Thus a scourge would fall upon the pilgrims.

“It will be ill for those who disobey the orders of the Maharaj Adhiraj,” the magistrate said as he rode away. And the defeated Shivaites retired to their camp with sullen murmurs. The sun stood high over the valley between the cliffs, and the last of the Maharaja’s camp-followers had filed by when they rose sulkily and followed in the track towards the snows.

~ On the edge of the World (1919) by Edmund Candler who visited Kashmir around 1913.

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Scenes of Chaddi Procession in Srinagar  captured by Brian Brake in 1957.

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Previously: Trash for Icicle God, 1921

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Kashmiri songs and stories for Rustam

An illustration to the Shahnama (“Book of Kings”): Rustam and the White Div, Kashmir, circa 1800
Source: christies

“Even now, the people of cashmere read and hear with pleasure, some of the touching episodes about the ancient persians in the Shahnameh of Firdousi. During my visit to that country, last May I frequently heard the Pandits saying:

i.e.,”the person who reads Shahnameh, even if he were a woman, acts like a hero.” The episodes are rendered into Cashmiri songs, and sung on special occasions by musicians and singers, before large assemblies at night. In the midst of a very touching episode, when, owing to the difficulty or the danger of the favourite hero of the episode, who has for the time become a favourite of the audience as well, the excitement of the hearers is raised to the highest pitch,the singer suddenly stops and refuses to proceed further. The hearers get impatient to know the fate of their favourite hero, and subscribe among themselves, a small sum to be given to the singer as the price for releasing the favourite hero from what they call his “band,” i.e., difficulty or danger. It is only, when a sum is presented, that the singer proceeds further. They say, that even on marriage occasions, some of the marriage songs treat of the ancient Persians. For example, I was told that one of the marriage songs, was a song sung by the mother of Rustam, when her son went to Mazindaran to release king Kaus.

It was for the first time, that I had heard in Kashmir, the following story about Rustam and Ali. I do not know, if it is common to other parts of India. They say, that Rustam was resuscitated about 500 years after his death for the following reason. Ali, the favourite of the holy Prophet, had fought very bravely in the war against the infidels. The Prophet complimented him, saying: “You have fought as bravely as Rustam.” This remark excited the curiosity of Ali, as to who and how strong this Rustam was. To satisfy the curiosity of Ali, but without letting him know about it, the Prophet prayed to God to resuscitate Rustam. God accepted the prayer. Rustam re-appeared on this earth, and met Ali once, when he was passing through a very narrow defile, which could allow only one rider to pass. Rustam bade Ali, Salam Alikum, i.e., saluted him. Ali did not return the Alikum Salam. Having met in the midst of a narrow defile, it was difficult for anyone of them to pass by the side of the other, unless one retraced his steps. To solve the difficulty, Rustam lifted up the horse of Ali together with the rider hy passing his whip under his belly, and taking him over his head, placed him on the other side of the defile behind him. This feat of extraordinary strength surprised Ali, who on return spoke of it to the Prophet.
After a few days Ali again met Rustam, who was sitting on a plain with his favourite horse, the Rakhsh, grazing by his side. On seeing Ali, he bade him Salum Alikum, but Ali did not return the salam. Rustam then requested Ali to bring to him the grain bag of his horse, which was lying at some distance. Ali found it too heavy to be lifted up, and it was after an amount of effort that he could carry it to Rustam. Ali thought to himself: What must be the strength of the horse and of the master of the horse, if the grain-bag of the horse was so extraordinarily heavy? On going home, he narrated to the Prophet, what be had seen. The Prophet then explained the matter to him, and said that it was Rustam, whom he had seen during these two visits, and that God had brought him to life again at his special request. He then reprimanded Ali for his want of respect towards Rustam, in not returning his salams, and said, that, had Ali been sufficiently courteous to Rustam, he would, have prayed to God to keep him alive some time longer, and in that case, he (Rustam) wouid have rendered him great help in his battles.”

~ Cashmere and the Ancient Persians, Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, B.A. (1871), read on 9th December 1895 for Asiatic Papers Papers Read Before The Bombay Branch Of The Royal Asiatic Society. Published 1905.
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Faqir Bahadin Vs Shah-i-Chin


Tradition says that Kashmir was once a tributary of China; and because there was not much money in the valley and cattle was difficult to transport, men and women were sent yearly as tribute to that country [Begar System]. When Zainulabadin [1423-1474] obtained possession of Kashmir he declined to pay the tribute, whereupon the Shah-i-Chin sent a parwana, censuring him, and threatening him that if he did not quickly comply with the custom of his predecessors in the valley he would make war on him, and ruin him and every one and everything belonging to him.

Found the photograph in A lonely summer in Kashmir (1904)
by Margaret Cotter Morison

Now Zainulabadin had heard of Chinese, of their vast numbers, and power, and cleverness, and therefore was somewhat frightened by these stern words. He took counsel with his ministers and friends as to what he should do, but they could not help him. He then sought advice from faqirs. At that time there lived in Kashmir a very famous faqir by the name of Bahadin [Ziarat of Bahauddin Sahib is near Akbar’s rampart, Hari Parbat. And built atop the ruins of the temple of Pravarisha, built by King Pravarasena II, founder of Srinagar in around middle of sixth century], who begged the king not to be distressed, and promised to arrange the matter for him. This faqir, by virtue of his sanctity, flew over to China in the twinkling of an eye, and brought back the Shah-i-Chin lying on his bed to his own humble abode. In the morning, when the Shah awoke and found himself in a meager hut, he was very much surprised.

 “Oh, holy man,” said he to the faqir,”I perceive that you have done this thing. Tell me, I prey you, why you have brought me here.”

“I have transported you hither,” replied Bahadin, “in order that you might meet face to face with Zainulabadin, and promise him that you will abolish this wicked custom. Give it up, and God will bless you, and the people of this country will thank you.”

 The Shah-i-Chin was pricked to the heart by these words, and cutting his finger, so that the blood oozed out, he called for a pen and some paper, and at once wrote an order declaring Kashmir an independent state. Then Bahadin presented him with some peaches, apricots, walnuts, and other fruits, and caused him to arrive at his country again. When the Shah related to his people what had happened to him and what he had seen, his people would not believe him; but afterwards, when he showed them the differed fruits that the faqir had given him, they were convinced, and applauded his deed.

~ A footnote in ‘Folk-Tales of Kashmir’ by Rev. J. Hinton Knowles (1888).

Kashmiris still tell strange tales of their saints intervening in wars and saving Kashmir.

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Update: The part about “Kashmir was once a tributary of China” seems to have confused a few people who see the world as it is today and think it was always like this. Here’s some more on the tradition that histories written in Kashmir conveniently forgot to mention:

During the time of the Chinese progress in far West,
Turkestan, Western Tibet, and Kashmir became part of the celestial empire.
These conquests took place during the first part of the eighth century. From
the Chinese annals we learn that “the first embassy from Kashmir arrived at the
Imperial Court on or shortly after A.D.713. In the year 720 Tchen-tho-lo-pi-li,
ruler of Kashmir, the Chandrapida of the Kashmir chronicles, was accorded by
imperial decree the title of king.” It is of some interest to notice that the
Kashmir book of chronicles, the famous Rajatarangini does not make the least
mention of the subjugation of Kashmir by China, nor does it refer to the annual
tribute that had to be sent to China. The Kashmir policy of those days seems to
have been one of yielding to the strong and bullying the weal. It looks as id
the Kashmir troops had not offered much resistance to the Chinese, and as if
the Kashmir king had early sought the friendship of the Chinese. He was
apparently quite satisfied with his recognition as a vassal king. It was
different with Western Tibet. Although the land was split up into a great
number of petty principalities, as will be shown more fully in the next
chapter, the Tibetans were ready  to
fight; and the state which offered the most serious obstacle to the progress of
the Chinese was Baltistan. Several expeditions became necessary against Po-liu,
as Baltistan was then called, and the first of them took place some time
between 736 and 747.
With a sufficient army at one’s disposal, it could not have
been very difficult to gain a victory over one or other of the numerous little
kingdoms between Leh and Kashmir which were continually at war with each other;
and this fact was recognized by the next Kashmir king, Lalitaditya, or
Muktapida, the Mou-to-pi of the Chinese annals. He boasted of his victories
over the Tibetans, and, although his expeditions against them were mere raids
for the sake of plunder, he pretended he had been engaged in serious
operations.
He sent an envoy called Ou-li-to to the Chinese court. This
man was to report the victories of his master over the Tibetans, and at the
same time to solicit the establishment of a camp of Chinese troops by the banks
of the lake Mo-ho-to-mo-loung (Mahapadma, or Volur lake). The Kashmir king
offered to provide all necessary supplies for an auxiliary force of 200,000
men. But the “Divine Khan” found it more convenient to content himself with
issuing decrees for the sumptuous entertainment of the ambassador and for the
recognition of Muktapida under the title of king. “Since that time the
relations of Kashmir with the celestial empire and the payment of tribute from
the former is said to have continued to this day.”

 [parts quoted from Dr M. A.
Stein’s Ancient Geography of Kashmir] 
~ From ‘A History of Western Tibet: One of the Unknown Empires’ by August Hermann Franck (1907).

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“China supplied military aid to Kashmir. In Lalitaditya’s time she [Kashmir] depended on Chinese help to fight the Tibetans…It is apparent that Kashmir as a subordinate ally assisted China in her enterprises in that region…so long as the Tang dynasty was in power, she evinced great strength. But with the decline of the Tangs…Kashmir is no longer seen to carry on a policy of expansion. She retired from the scene, never to appear again.”

~ Early History and Culture of Kashmir by S.C. Ray.

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Vivekananda’s Last Day in Valley

Years were 1897-98. Vivekananda wanted to set up as Math in Srinagar. He needed some land. Like most visitors, he stayed on houseboats, traveled on boats. Camped at sweet European camping spots. Met the royalties. But land was refused by the British Regent Adelbert Talbot. With his foreign friends, he celebrated American Independence day floating on Jhelum, holding on to a locally made crude American flag. He even wrote a poem about the day: Bethink thee how the world did wait, And search for thee, through time and clime. A few years later, died on the same day of July. In Kashmir, he visited Mughal gardens – Shalimar, Nishat… and ancient temples – Bijbehar and Mattan. He climbed hills- Shankaracharya and Hari Parbat, and trekked his way to mountain abode of god Amarnath.  Here he told shell shocked Sadhus to not treat Muslims, and others, as infidels. Suffered what his doctor called a ‘massive heart attack’. Survived and claimed: ‘Now I have seen Shiva too’. In valley, he worshiped four-year-old daughter of his Mohammedan boatman as goddess Uma. He told Pandits that it is fine to send their children to a missionary school. At Khir Bhawani, he wondered why Goddess of this land didn’t protect herself from the Muslims. Claimed Mother Goddess answered, ‘It’s alright! I protect you, not the other way around.’ Here he picked up a Muslim devotee, a man he cured of migraine by a roll of a hand over the head. Here he made a mistake and found himself in middle of an ancient game of metaphysical star war. This man used to be a devotee of a local Muslim Fakir. The Fakir on losing a soul, cursed the man in orange robe, ‘Before you leave this valley, you shall taste your own blood. You shall remember, you too have a body. You shall vomit blood. Mark my words!’ And the words soon turned true. The story goes: Just before leaving the valley, Vivekananda vomited blood. It shook his core: ‘I have seen gods, talked to them, understood their mind, and yet something as crude as this can happen to me. I can be cursed. How? Why? What chance do the common folk have? What are we up against?’ His mind tossed and turned. His disciples took notes. Once back in his land, virgin-widow of his dead Guru advised, ‘Even Shankaracharya couldn’t survive these machinations. Even your Guru Ramakrishna was once cursed and vomited blood. Don’t worry. It probably saved your life. Had the blood gone to your head, you would have surely died. It’s probably all the yoga that you do.’ Some disciples wrote: Even gods are susceptible to craft. Rules of craft-  words, written, said and thought – are all binding even on Gods.

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* Based on ‘The Life of the Swami Vivekananda’ by Swami Virajananda (Publisher K.C. Ghosh, 1912) [archive.org]

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