Tag: pandits

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Islamic art in Pandit religious art

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, Ṣafavid 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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Notes on Pilgrimages in the Country of Cashmere, 1866

“The tendency of the Hindu inhabitants of Cashmere, to localise in his own small, though levelly valley the fabled incidents of his religion, common to all lands where the Brahminical faith prevails, is, I believe generally known. In putting on record, therefore, a few notes on the pilgrimages of Cashmere, I may be, perhaps merely on a small scale, assigning to local spots the fables which more properly belong to the entire Hindu Pantheon, and have their localities elsewhere in Hindustan.”
Notes on Pilgrimages in the Country of Cashmere
by Major D. F. Newall, R. A.
from travels in Kashmir valley in 1866
from
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
Volume XXXV, Issue IV, 1867

Pilgrimages covered, along with routes and other details:



1. Amarnath
Fourteen places for bathing (snan)
Stops:
Srinagar, Pandrethon, Padinapore,Jubroroo(?), Awantipore, Hurriepore (?), Wagahamoo, Husti-ki-nar-Nargum, Chakredhar, Deojie-zan,Wuzzeeshur,Hurrrichundra Raj, Tejwarrah, Soorie Goophar, Succur-gaom, Buddraroo, Sullur, Ganeshbul, Neela Gunga, Tanashur, Panch Taringini, Amreeshur, 
2. Hur Moktur Gunga (Gungabul)
four days before mid summer.
Vecha Kund (Vichar Nag), about a mile from the shores of Dul Lake on road towards Lar.
Walk along marshes of Hakrit Bul, reach Gundoor Nagar.
Mahirji gaon
Numoor
Karrung-ka-Nuddue
Ramaradun
Mahulish Merg
Mumsadar
Mundi-Kettur
Gangbul
Nara Nag
Wangut
Woosun
Ends back at Vichar Nag
3. Pilgrimage to Martund
Seven places for snan
Deokie Yar
Doomia Shrum
Anant Nag
Gutim Nag
Charkabul
Ends at Anant Nag
4. Pilgrimage to Vitasta Kund
Ten places for snan
Sooneyar
Gunpatyaar
Mullyar
Shriya
Bijbehara
Waupoosh, a part of old Bijbehara
Hur Nag
Virnag
[reference in paper to ‘Keer Bownie’…Khir Bhawani…]
Vitasta Kund
Kootee Teerut via Baramula
5. Pilgrimage to Suhoojun Teerut
Three places for snan
Mahadamuttie
Luhoojun (fire from earth). Pandits cook rice.
Return to Mahadamuttie
6. Pilgrimage to Kapal Muchan
Taken by grave sinner
[See separate note of Anand Koul on it]
7. Pilgrimage to Sheeva DEvi
In Bring Pergunnah. For old people. 
Shahabad towards Meribul Pass
8. Pilgrimage to Kunhyie Matar
Four places for Snan
Related to draining of valley.
Baramula
Papaharun Nag
Kinchijie Matar
Return to Baramula
9. Pilgrimage to Teiposh Kur
Two places for snan
In Bongil Pergunna. 
Karg
10. Second pilgrimage to Vitasta Kund
Eight places of snan
Kanibul
Meeting point of Vitasta, Sumbooderi and Rhiddur (Lidder)
Deokie Zar
Bejbehara
Sungum
Shriya
Mullyar
Gunputyar
Soomyar
Baramula
11. Pilgrimage of Raja Bhageerut, deity of Vitasta.
Ten places of snan
Kanibul
Sumbooderi Tirat
Deokieyar
Bijbehara
Sungum
Shriya
Mullyar
Gunpatyar
Soomyar
Baramula

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Paper uploaded and can be accessed here at archive.org

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Tikkoo to Graham

And interesting addition to the archive this year:

A postcard sent by one S. K. Tikkoo of Zaina Kadal to one Captain R. C. Graham of England in 1940. It wasn’t easy to read the handwriting but from the understandable bits it seems the two had met in Tangmarg. Sometime after that Captain who was placed in Peshawar moved to England due to World War 2. The two lost touch. But Tikkoo managed to find his England address. Along with new year greetings, Tikkoo wishes a sooner end to Nazism in Europe. That’s about it. After much searching I was able to find that one Sarvanand Tikkoo was postmaster of Gulmarg.

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‘Kah-Kah’ Pal

For centuries, no old chronicle of Kashmir, not even the later Persian ones, was complete without having a section on the ‘supernatural’ things witnessed at various places in Kashmir. In the photograph from 1970s (via Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Asian Art at The Ohio State University) can be seen the famous ‘Kah-Kah’ Pal (Eleven-Eleven Stone) of Vijeshwer Shiv Temple, Bijbehara. The green coloured conch shaped stone weighing roughly 60 kilograms, it was claimed could be lifted by eleven people using their index finger chanting ‘Kah’ (Eleven). The stone went missing in the 90s.

‘Kah-Kah’ Pal (Eleven-Eleven Stone) of Vijeshwer Shiv Temple, Bijbehara. Extract from a docu made in August 1977 on Gopi Krishna.

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Similar stone lifting practice among South-Asian Muslims and Tibetans:

Dargah of Qamar Ali Shah Dervish in Shivapur near Pune.

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Old Banihal Cart Road

A photograph of old Banihal pass (at 9,200 feet) by A. Hodgson for National Geographic magazine 1921.

‘A guide for visitors to Kashmir’ (1898) by W. Newman mentions Banihal route to Kashmir but adds that it was meant only for the royal family. In addition, Walter Rooper Lawrence, the Land settlement officer in Kashmir from 1889 to 1895 in his book ‘Valley of Kashmir’ (1895) regrets that valley in not connect to plains via Banihal pass which was something achievable and desirable. The route linking Srinagar to Rawalpindi railhead, Jehlum Valley Cart road was already operational by 1890 using help of Spedding & Co, a private army of civil engineers maintained by Charles Spedding. The modern route via Banihal must have first come up in between those years. The road called ‘new’ Banihal route  [BC Road, Banihal Cart Road] was finally completed in 1915 at a cost of about 40 lakh and opened to public in around 1922. The main Kashmiri engineer for the Banihal project was Pt. Laxman Joo Tickoo. With the opening of the motor-able all weather road, the dreaded ‘Begar’ system, in which people would be forceful made to act like coolies for people crossing the treacherous passes, died

Jawahar Tunnel,
the present route
2008
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Leh Polo Ground by Radha Krishna Kaul

The famous Polo Ground in Leh was commissioned in 1885 by Wazir Pandit Radha Krishna Kaul.


I travelled to walk on it
no trace of his name
Leh Polo Ground, September 2015
At the museum of Hemis monastery, I found a gift by Radha Krishna Kaul to the monastery, a huge silk thangka. They wouldn’t let anyone photograph. 

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A lifetime worth of Bathing rituals


If I were to live my life based on the old Pandit code, I would have to spend most of my time bathing. The world is just too impure.

Photo: River bank, Srinagar. 1970s. Albert Robillard.

Karmakandakramavali by Sri Somashambhu of 11th century A.D. South India, the Shaivite work lays down rules and regulations pertaining to the daily practices of an orthodox Hindu, who is a rigid follower of the Tantric system.

From Kashmir Sanskrit Series (1947) edited by J.D. Zadoo, Karmakandakramavali tells us following about Snana (Bath):
There are five kinds of Snanas, namely – Mala, Vidhi Varuna, Agneya, Mahendra, Pavana, Mantra and Manasa.
Mala consists in employing earth, like soap, to remove all dirt that may have accumulated on the body. It is kind of preparatory bath taken before the principal one i.e. Vidhi Snana (obligatory bath). The Varuna is the bath with water (as Varuna is the lord of water) which is to be taken if one touches a pigeon, fowl, murderer, crow, heron, ass, horse, cat, pig, vulture, camel, cremation ground, an out-caste, a corpse, and a woman who has recently delivered. The Agneya, which consists in smearing the body with ashes, is ordained to be taken when one comes in contact with dirty women, eunuchs, Shudras, cats and mice. The Mahendra consists in wetting one’s body with the rain accompanied with sunshine. Pavana, in taking on the body the dust raised by the hoofs of cows. Mantra in sprinkling water with mantra and Manasa, in reflecting on God Shiva, prior to taking breathing exercises.
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Tota Kaul’s Ragamala

First sarg (sa) has been taken from the cry of peacock; second, rekhya (re) taken from the cry of skylark (Papiha), third, gandhar (ga) from the sound of goat; fourth, madhyam (ma) has been copied from the voice of heron (Kulang); fifth, pancham (pa) from the melody of nightingale (Kokil), sixth, dhyot (dha) from the neighing of horse; and seventh nishad (ni) has been taken from elephant’s trumpet.
~ Pandit Raja Ram Kaul ‘Tota’, Ragamala
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areas in Kashmir

Abandoned Pandit houses in a village on route to Pahalgam

There are areas in Kashmir where Shias live.
There are areas in Kashmir where Sunnis live.
There are areas in Kashmir where Sikhs live.
There are areas in Kashmir where Armies live.
There are areas in Kashmir where Terrorists live.
Areas marked and divided like compost bin.
Some houses there are even for
Tibetan, Uzbek, Afghan and Iranian refugees.
They all have houses in Kashmir from which we often hear talk of war and peace.
Now, if you ask, “But, where do Pandits live in Kashmir?”
“I have heard three live about a mile from here, two a mile after that, seen them with my own eyes and the remaining – they all live in our heart.”
So lease me your big heart for a minute or two, I need to use the loo.
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