In 1930s post-communal violence, Kashmiri Pandits laid claim on whole Hari Parbat (land around it was called “Devi Angan”) as their religious site. The claim was rejected by Glancy Commission even though they accepted it as Hindu land. The process was thought to be too inconvenient for majority community and prone to raise communal tension.
Info. not often mentioned (however recalled by poet Zareef Ahmed Zareef):
Decades later (in 60s-70s, exact date not known) Jia Lal Nagri associated with the temple came up with a plan to distribute (retained trunctated) empty “Devi Angan” land around the temple among needy people. According to the plan if 10 plots were carved out of the land, the distribution was to be in this proportion: 2 were to be given to a Muslim, 1 to a Pandit, every 6th to a Sikh.
Two rare Kashmiri painting collected by David J. F. Newall in 1850s and presented in his book ‘The Highlands of India’ (1882) and Preliminary Sketches in Cashmere; Or, Scenes in “Cuckoo-cloudland.” By (D.J.F. Newall.) [With Illustrations.] (1882).
“Hindoo Picture Emblematic of the Draining of the Cashmere Valley
The Water Demon Juldeva overwhelmed by Suttee (or Siva) below the hill of Harrie Parvat”
The only depiction of the deity that I have seen in which the bird is part of the scene
In the story, the goddess Sharika [Tripursundari] kill the demon Jalodbhava by taking the form of a Myna (Haer in Kashmir, hence the name of the hill. Identifiable in the painting) and dropping a pebble on the head of the demon (hence setting the precedent for stone throwing in Kashmir).
The stone depicting the goddess on Hari Parbat. 2008.
“Hindoo Picture emblematic of the creation of the river Jhelum or Vetasta.”
The only depiction of the river deity that I have seen
The story as collected by Newall and presented in ‘Notes on Pilgrimages in the Country of Cashmere’, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume XXXV, Issue IV, 1867
I now come to the last pilgrimage of which I Have noted the details, and which may perhaps be almost more properly called a fabulous account of the river Vetusta, as I am not aware that it is at any time undertaken by the Hindus of Cashmere, and as I rather think that some of the places named are under waters of that river. I extract exactly as I find it in my notes.
“Fabulous account of the origin of the river Jhelum or Vetusta.”
“Mahadeo being here engaged in self-contemplation, Raja Bhagerut arrived, and prayed for a Nag or spring in which to bathe and be cleansed from his sins. A stream then issued from the head of the destroyed which, on arriving at Wamoo, was swallowed by a certain demon, rejoicing in the name of Kalneemie Assur. A second spring was in like hammer swallowed by the thirsty demon. Whereupon Raja Bhagerut descended from his place of prayer at Vetusta Khoond, and engaged the demon, whom, after a brisk encounter (described in the graphic language of the Sanskrit ring (sic in MS.) he is stated to have injured, but was unable to destroy or drive away. (Kalneemie Assur probably graduated in the Vedic art of self-defence!) In fact it seems a polite way of stating that the Raja got the worst of it, as the demon is stated to have given chase, and to have come as far as Hurnag (Virnag) in pursuit. At this however, the wrath of the destroyer was aroused. He encountered the demon, and slew him, got his head in chancery and finally grassed him. I have in my possession a picture of this event where Mahadeo is represented as literally sitting on his face! Lion (or Mahdeo) then commanded the spring to follow Bhagirat Raja, who, descending the valley, passed successively.
1. Kanibul
2. Sumbooderi Tirat
3. Deokieyar
4. Bejbeharie
5.Sungum
6. Shriya
7. Mullyar
8. Gunputyar
9. Soomyar
10. Baramoola, the residence of Raja Bhagerur, where the pilgrimage terminates.”
Newall had no knowledge of Sanskrit, in fact the story was narrated to him by his source in Persian reading from a Sanskrit Manuscript.
Kalanemi, a very popular demon from Vaishnav stories, a perennial enemy of Vishnu, even Kansa is said to be a incarnation of Kalanemi. The story of birth of Vitasta seems to draw upon the stories of birth of Ganga (the reference to Raja Bhaghirath) and slaying of Kalanemi by Vishnu/Shiva in multiple puranas.
The imagery of the demon was uniform in Kashmiri style irrespective of story from which culture was being drawn.
An illustration to the Shahnama (“Book of Kings”): Rustam and the White Div,
Kashmir, circa 1800
Verinag.
Feb, 2014
From Newall’s writings it is clear that he had collected a lot more of such paintings but sadly only these two seem to have been published.
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The painters
‘Group of Hindu artist’ from ‘Afoot Through the Kashmir Valleys’ (1901) by Marion Doughty.
Sangin Darwaza/Per. Stone Gate: The more ornate of the two three gates (other two being Kathi and Bachi) built below Hari Parbat on orders of Akbar for his ‘Nagar Nagar’ township.
Cut out this bit about Ghulam Rasool Santosh (Srinagar, 1929 – Delhi, 1997) from docu “Contemporary Indian Painting” (1985) by K. Bikram Singh. [Full film here]. famous for paintings replete with tantric motifs. Trained under N.S. Bendre.
G. R. appended his Hindu wife’s name ‘Santosh’ to his after marriage. Daughter married a Hindu and son a Sikh. Lived in Delhi.
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Add caption
My favorite G. R. Santosh anecdote that I first heard at Hari Parbat from an uncle:
When pandits started building a ‘modern-updated’ temple on Parbat, G. R. Santosh was a much saddened man. He had spent quite some time studying the hill looking for tantric motifs in its rocks, offering an entire aesthetic theory based on what he saw in the hill. Now there was a wall coming around the main syen’der-ed rock. He pleaded, he cried, told them to stop and not mess with the yantra. The work continued. A new temple came up around a rock caught in between marbled walls. A work that still continues.
Photographs from ‘The Romantic East: Burma, Assam, & Kashmir’ by Walter Del Mar (1906)
Shankracharya Hill
Wular Lake
Bund
Sher Garhi Palace, the Summer place of 19th-century Dogra ruler, Pratap Singh. Most of it destroyed in a fire some years ago.
Fateh Kadal
Biscuit Tin Temple [ Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha or Gadhadhar Temple near Sher Garhi Palace ]
I believe the above image is of the Gadhadhar Temple or the Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha as it looked in 40s. This was also the site of old Secretariat. [Check comments on post Kashmir in 1945 ]
Update: Thanks to questioning by Man Mohan Ji and some subsequent self-questioning, I now believe that the above image is not of Gadhadhar Temple of Srinagar but may well be of Gadhadhar Temple of Jammu. It seems that Dogras built two temples with the same name in the two capitals of their Kingdom. [Check comments for more on this.]
Update: The above image may in fact be of a Jain temple in Calcutta. Check original post (Kashmir in 1945) for updates.
Kashmiri Beauties
Jama Masjid or The Great Mosque
Zaina Kadal, the fourth Bridge
Shah Hamadan
Hari Pabat
On the River, 1906
On the River, 2008
Jhelum Bank
Leaving on House Boat
A village on Naru Canal
Duck Hunter near Sopore. He is re-winding the turban to be photographed. His musket, lashed to the boat, projects forward.
Sometimes in the villages one finds the roofs of the larger houses and of the shrines {zidrafs) made of birch bark with a layer of earth above it. This forms an excellent roof, and in the spring the housetops are covered with iris, purple, white, and yellow, with the red Turk’s head and the Crown Imperial lilies. In the city nearly all the houses of well-to-do people are roofed with the birch bark and earth, so that looking down on Srinagar from the Hari-Parbat hill one sees miles of verdant roofing.
– “The Valley of Kashmir” (1895) by Walter Rooper Lawrence
Photograph: View of Srinagar city down from temple at Hari Parbat. June 2008
About the video presentation:
Photographs of Chakreshwari Sharika Devi temple at Hari Parbat, Srinagar, Kashmir.
All Photographs taken by me in June 2008.
Sound: A Kashmiri prayer (aarti/bhajan) in praise of Goddess Tripura Sundari. Recorded live at Kheer Bhawani shrine Kashmir.
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Visit to parbat usually meant a visit to the big red rock at the top of the hill and/or a trip around the hill.
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Five ancient hymns, collectively known as Panchastavi are still popular among Kashmiri Pandits.
