Kahmir Cultural Tours

 

The oldest written accounts of Kashmir is found in the sixth century Sanskrit classic, the Nilmatpurna. It  begins with a legend : a vast lake, Satisar ( lake of Sati ,the consort of Shiva ) surrounded by towering snow bound mountains , was inhabited by a demon Jalodbhava ( Born of Water ). His victims, the Nags, inhabitants of the mountainous region, appealed to the sage Kashyap, for deliverance .Since the demon was invincible within water, his element ,the sage did great penance and was thus able to secure divine intervention. The mountain to the west of the lake was pierced with a trident  and water drained away through  this gorge .The demon, deprived of his element ,was easily slain by VISHNU. The valley  that emerged from  under water was Kashmir , a name said to be the  corrupt  form of Kashyappur or Kashyap Mar or stretching a point , Ka ( Water ) shimir ( desiccated ).

 

Whatever  be  the truth of these legends, geological findings confirm that the valley ,with its fossil remains of aquatic animals  and plants was once submerged in water. Scientific  opinion based  on the valleys physical features holds a major  volcanic  convulsion responsible for  draining away the great lake. Another proof  of the valley having lain submerged under water for countless  years  is the peculiar  formation  of Karewan ( Wudar  In Kashmir ) found here.

 

Nags  ( sanskrit  for  Serpent ) the earliest  Inhabitants of  Kashmir, are  sometimes imagined as human bodied snake worshippers ,sometimes as snake – tailed deities who could assume human form.

 

According to  another myth  Kashmiris  are believed  to be  the lost  tribe of Israel. And Kashmir  the promised land that Moses should have found  but did not ! This theory suggests  that Jesus Christ, alive after being taken off the cross ,was  brought here by his  disciples to recover at Aishmuqam near pahalgam.Aish is the local name for Isa ( JESUS ) and muqam means the  Place of Stay, but  Aish  also means , enjoyment,  and is quite appropriate as a name for this pretty spot on the  banks of the lidder  stream. It is believed that Christ was finally buried at Rozabal   Khanyar  In Srinagar . The name recorded on the shirne at Rozabal is   YUZ –ASAF which according  to the believers of this theory  means Jesus, son of Joseph. Though this theory is an matter  of some debate, there is no douht  that  in spite  of  its mountainous  terrain  Kashmir has been  remarkably  accessible  to outsiders. There is evidenace of intercourse  with the   ancient  Greek, Roman  and  Persian  civilizations, as well as  those from  other parts of India.

 

Some  Kashmiris believe that the Pandavas of the great  Hindu epic the Mahabharata lived and ruled here.In fact  the gigantic ruins of old  temples in Kashmir are known as Pandav – Lari or the houses of the  Pandavas.

 

In the  third century BC , Kashmir came  under Buddhist  influence  when Ashoke , the great King,made  Srinagar his  capital. The Zenith Of Buddhist power  in Kashmir was reached  in the reign of King Kanishka,  convenor  of the fourth   great  Buddhist  council  which was  attended by a large number of scholars, theoreticians and commentors .

 

Buddhism was followed by a revival of Hinduism and Kashmir was ruled by Hindu rulers till  AD 1320.One of the most remarkable Hindu kings  was  Lalitaditya Muktapida of the  karkota  dynasty who  ruled from  AD 724 to  761.Apart from being  a millary  genius , Lalitaditya was a  great  builder.  His most  glorious  legacy  is the  sun temple  at Martand , 8 kms  from  Anathnag, A great warrior, he is often compared to Alexander in his ambitions  and successful  military campaigns.

 

When Islam came to the valley in the twelfth century , it did so in  a quietly  persuasive manner  rather than through the power  of a strong arm or a royal commandment. The first Islamic preachers who set foot in the valley were Sufis ,the mystic poet –saints of Islalm. They won  converts to the new faith even before  the beginning of the rule of the first Muslim king Rinchen in1320.the  meditative religion of these Muslim mystics was a product  of  the influence of the austere, inward –,  looking ,non violent Mahayana  Buddhism of central Asia of  Islam. In 1320, the most enlighetened of the Sufis, Bulbul  shah came to Kashmir. He is the one who through his piety  and remarkable life  converted Rinchen to Islam. the interaction of Sufism , Buddhism and Hinduism gave rise to a distinctive form of Sufism the practitioners of which were called  rishis  in Kashmir. the   greatest  of these rishis was Sheikh Muruddin , born in 1377, the patron  saint of Kashmiris, also  known  simply  as  Nund Rishi .His counterpart , born in the middle of the fourteenth century, was  Lalla,  popularly known as  LAL –DAD. Their  sayings,  highly philosophical  and abstract yet  most practical, have  become maxims that Kashmiris live  by  and frequently quote . Nund Rishis adage   “ AN  POSH  TELI YELI VAN  POSHAN ” meaning  ‘ food  grains will last  only  as long as the forests.’ Could very well serve as the slogan of modern conservationists!

 

Sultan Sikandar was, in fact , a great patron of scholars and gave refuge to many Muslim theologians and Sayyids from Iran who were fleeing from  the persecution of Timur. He is the builder of the beautiful hospice at Srinagar , The Khanqah  Mohalla.

 

The most glorious chapter in the history of ancient and medieval Kashmir was written by Sultan Sikandar’s son Shahi  Khan  (1420 – 70)who assumed the title of  Zain – ul – Abbin. Such was his popularity that he came to be known as Budshah ( The Great King ) .Deeply impressed with central Asian architecture and Iranian arts and crafts ,he invited artists and craftsmen from Iran , Khorasan, and Bukhara to settle in Kashmir, thus  laying  the foundations of the sophisticated crafts  that flowered into  the world famous  Kashmiri cottage industries of Silk, Carpets, Shawls, Papier Mache  and wood carvings. He also had magnificent palaces built ,one of these  was Zoonnadub ( literally Moonlit Verandah )

 

Native rule came to an end in 1586 with the conquest  of Kashmir  by  Akbar, the great  Mughal  King of India,and appointed a governor to rule over Kashmir.Akbar  built  the fort at Hari Pharbat,Jehangir, with his celebrated queen Nur Jahan ,loved Kashmir.The splendid  gardens around Ac habal  and verinag. the Mughal raod  passed over the Pir Panjal which wide enough for huge  royal processions. The Mughals  are also credited  with planting the glorious  Chinar ( Platinus  Orientalis ) on a large scale.

 

As Mughal power declined  Ahmad Shah  Abdali , the Afghan conqueror, invaded and annexed Kashmir in 1953. Fed up with the cruel ,tyrannical and exploitative Afghan rule Kashmiris secretly sought the intervention of  Ranjit  Singh, the sikh  ruler of Panjab .The Afghans were defeated in 1819 and sikh rule established in the state. with the breakup of Sikh empire in 1864, Gulab Singh , Ranjit Singh ‘s emissary in jammu,  Ladakh and  Baltistan, negotiated a  separate treaty with the British at Amritsar. Apart from the territories already in his possession, the valley of Kashmir was handed over to him for  Rs 750,000