THE LAND OF KASHYAP RISHI
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Me: “are we really going to the paradise?”
Father: “yes, we are. Pack your bags and carry a diary.”
Seven years ago, me and my family went to the most beautiful place on earth, the place was also known as the “Centre of knowledge”. The land of Rishi Kashyap, “Kashmir”. When I went there, I saw the majestic Himalayas and “Pir Panjal” mountain range. The mountains, rivers, temples all just made so much sense to me. Before, packing my bags I did some research about the “paradise”. Greeks said that ‘Kashmir is the Cardle of Civilization’. Philosophy, Panchatantra, Natyashastra all of these things were researched in Kashmir. Bharat Muni: discovered the science of Natyashastra, Shankaracharya: researched about philosophy and Vishnu Sharma wrote the great ‘Panchatantra’. These great leaders studied and discovered about their subject in the ‘paradise’ itself. During the journey of Kashmir, something mysterious happened. We were going back to the hotel from the temple (Amarnath Temple) and that’s when I overheard my father and driver talking:
Father: “please take the safe route, even if it is a long path”.
Driver: “sir, nothing will happen things are changing now. The news reporters have a habit of exaggerating things”.
Hearing this conversation felt a little out of place. Kashmir a place of knowledge, peace and not forgetting the beauty, it sounded all way too perfect. Despite its ethereal charm, I wanted to know more about it:
On the banks of Sarswati Nadi used to live the Aryan Sarswati Brahmins. The Brahmins migrated to the Kashmir Valley and with the passage of time they assumed the name “Bhatta's.” Now, they are commonly known as the “Kashmiri Pandits.” The people living in Kashmir were closely associated with their culture, customs and ‘dharma.’ The ruler who ruled Kashmir for about three decades from 855AD and was the grandson of ‘Utpala Dynasty’ he was one of the five brothers who had taken control over the ‘Karkota Dynasty.’ He was the son of ‘Sukhavarman’ and he was known as ‘Avantivarman’. Under his rule the people of Kashmir prospered. He built magnificent temples and Buddhist monasteries. Around the 14th century, the Kashmir came to contact with the Muslims. Invaders took advantage of the week administration of the ‘Lohra Dynasty’ which was then ruled by ‘Suhadeva.’ Due to the external invasions the ‘Lohra Dynasty’ was now coming to an end. During 1301–1320AD the rulers encouraged the influx of Muslims into the valley to counter the supremacy of Brahmins most of the rulers who came later tried to do away with them. After the successful establishment of ‘Shah Mir Dynasty’ the people now felt insecure and uncomfortable with the methods this Dynasty was adopting. This administration was also noted for the visits of “Sufi Saints” who contributed to the propagation of Islam. The 6th ruler of this Dynasty “Sultan Sikander Shah Miri” also known as “Sultan Butshikan” meaning — the ideal breaker. He was a cruel and oppressive leader who adopted tyranny as a tool for his administration. He imposed taxes on Hindus and forbade them from practicing their religion. He and his ministers burnt and destroyed any Hindu Texts they found. They also killed a large number of ‘Kashmiri Pandits.’ It was during the Sikander's rule that a cry escaped from the Helpless Pandit, to be spared the sword: “Na Bhatto Aham, Na Bhatto Aham!” (I am not a Pandit, I am not a Pandit). Sultan did not just burn the texts or destroyed the temple but also banned the wearing of Hindu Style clothes. The rule of Islam took an extreme turn when he ordered that all the Hindus (mostly Brahmins) should convert to Islam or leave. This brutal act led to many conversions, while some people ran away (mostly to Delhi or Punjab) and few of them killed themselves. He forbade Hindus and Buddhist aesthetic pursuits including iconography, dance, theatre and music.
During the stay in Srinagar, I saw some slogans that were there written on the walls of an apartment. They made me more furious to know about the meaning of that slogan, especially when it was written in a different language:
Me: “father what is the meaning of that slogan written there?”
Father: “I don’t know beta, maybe it’s just a regular slogan.”
The Slogan said “RALIV, GALIV YA CHALIV.”
Q} What did this slogan actually meant? What role did it play? What exactly happened after the rule of Sultan Shah Miri?
ॐ नमः शिवाय
