Kashmir’s vedic past preserved in hariparbat rocks

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Kashmir's vedic past preserved in hariparbat rocks

Wed, 2006-10-11 03:02

By J N Raina - Syndicate Features

 

"Men do not make their history in isolation from the past. The

memories of dead generations hang like a millstone around the necks

of present generations", said Karl Marx long years ago. This is true

of Srinagar. Founded originally by Emperor Ashok in the third

century B C, the city might have lost much of its resplendence,

because of militancy, but a lot of its pre-historic grandeur,

hovering around Vedic period, remains preserved in Hariparbat, a

hillock in the heart of the old city.

 

The abode of Goddess Durga, Hariparbat, over which a fort was built

by Emperor Akbar in 1592, is a saga of the ancient history, which

finds mention in Kalhana's Rajtarangani (chronicle of kings) and the

Mahabharata.

 

The 12th century historian, Kalhana, in his Sanskrit chronicle, has

described Hariparbat as "the epicentre of spiritualism in Kashmir".

Mahabharata and other religious scriptures refer to Hariparbat as

the `principal' seat (Pradhumna Peeetha) of the Goddess, worshipped

locally as `Sharika'.

 

Till militancy made its presence felt, circumambulation of the

hillock was a ritual for devout Hindus. It is believed that

Hariparbat represents the abode of nine crore (90 million)

manifestations of the Goddess.

 

Each and every rock is regarded very sacred by the local Hindu

community, or Kashmiri Pandits, who have been exiled by the Pakistan-

backed terrorists. The Pandits, now scattered all over the country,

are the original aborigines of Kashmir. They pine to see Hariparbat,

which used to be the centre of cultural and religious activities.

 

Although very few authentic documents have survived various

invasions of Kashmir, much of the 5000-year-old Vedic period has

been preserved in the hillock. Sadly enough, the hillock has been

neglected and it is facing extinction. People who live in its

vicinity have been damaging the image-bearing rocks, because of

ignorance. They have been using stones for house construction and

other purposes.

 

According to Kashmiri litterateur and Sanskrit scholar, "Ghulam

Rasool Santosh, there exists no less than 30 million of `Trikuti'

Gods on Hariparbat". He extensively studied Hariparbat rocks till

his death in the mid-nineties. Santosh was among the early targets

of militants for his scholastic qualities and deep knowledge of

Vedic philosophy.

 

Said Santosh at a well attended lecture, "So far my findings and

observations go I have been able to locate all the rocks and stones

on the hill. They are chiselled and shaped as if by human hands; and

carved images are produced there from. This fully supports the

ancient tradition".

 

About the parikrima (going around) of the hill, he used to say, it

leads "one to truth". Why? Because all `mantras' are alive and

vibrant in the hillock. However, in his view, `mantras' are not

written or carved on any rock. The very visual images on the hillock

represent the sound images as produced by the mantras, according to

him.

 

Santosh claimed to have decoded the images and "derived thereof

both `mantras' and `yantras'. Every mantra as a pure sound must

correspondingly have a pure image," he believed. Geometry is a pure

image, which is a `yantra' and `Mantra' as a composite sound must

have a correspondingly composite image. All the carved images on the

hill are of a composite nature, he contended.

 

Kashmir has been the seat of ancient learning, which is attested by

an account left by the fifth century Chinese traveller Fa-Yong.

Kashmir, known as `Rishivar', was the abode of Rishis (sages). The

Rishi lineage goes upto Maharishi Kashayapa. Goddess Sharika had

appeared before him in the form of `Haer' (bird) Sarika.

 

The Kashmiri proverb "satan sendran tal (hidden under seven sindoors

(vermilion)", denotes the vow to preserve `the secret'. "Literally,

it refers to the seven sindoor-smeared rocks enshrining the ancient

secrets of the Rishis, discernible only through their visual and

sound-bearing images", Santosh said in an article, which appeared

in `Shiraz', a journal published by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of

Art, Culture and Languages in 1987.

These smeared rocks represent: Mahaganesh, Zala (the Goddess of the

volcano), Sapth Rishi, Mahakali, Chakreshwari, Sheetla and Haer,

known as Sedda, All of these are located to the north-east of the

hillock. "The primeval `roopa' (manifestation) of Mother Sarika---

`Haer'--- crowns the hillock right up to the fort", said Santosh in

the article.

 

Geologists believe that the land reclaimed as `Kashmir', is between

three lakh years to four lakh years old. It is a legend that water

of the vast mountain lake called `Satisara' got drained out due to

the penance of Maharishi Kashyap, who had got this boon from Lord

Shiva.

 

There is a reference to it in the Neelmatpurana (this is an

additional Purana for Kashmir) that when Sati (consort of Lord

Shiva) burnt herself in the `yagnya' performed by her father

Dakshiprajapata (father-in-law of Lord Shiva), Shiva brought the

burnt corpse of Sati and immersed it in the Satisar. The existing

remnants of this dead-water lake are the water bodies of Wular lake,

Dal lake, Anchar lake, Hokarsar and many other lakes in the Kashmir

Himalayas.

 

Kashyap Rishi had devoted his entire spiritual life in fighting the

water demon Jaladabhava, because he had obstructed the flow of the

lake water down the gorge, near the north-western end of the lake.

The demon was finally killed by the Goddess Sharika, who had

appeared in the form of the bird `Haer'.

 

The death of the demon later led to the speedy flow of the water and

the lake turned into a heaven-like vale, which late came to be

called as Cashmere or Kashmir.

 

- Syndicate Features -

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