An enquiry into the Sectarian affiliation of the ruins at Harwan

Introduction:

This paper seeks to address questions of representation and interpretation of the monuments unearthed at Harwan, Kashmir. These days, strenuous efforts are being made to project Harwan as an unproblematic Buddhist site and promote it as a destination for cultural tourism by linking it with the great Central Asian tradition. In this effort, scholars have deliberately underplayed facts and attributed all monuments found in the area to Buddhists, ignoring any other cultic possibility.


Stein identifies ‘Harwan’ with Shadarhadvana (grove of six saints), a locality mentioned in Rajatarangini [Stein M.A., ‘Kalhana’s Rajatarangini,’ Vol. II, p. 455 & Vol. I, Book I, p. 31, Delhi 1989]. According to Kalhana, the great Buddhist thinker Nagarjuna belonged to this place; hence the Buddhist connection is inevitable

The Complete Paper published in:
Heritage of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh
Edited by G.L. Badam and K.K. Chakravarty, Research India Press, 2010
 
Contents:
 
Preface.
I. Historiography:

1. Kashmir's contribution to Persian historiography/Peerzada Mohammad Ashraf.
2. Some important Sharada inscriptions of Kashmir--a socio-political study/B.K. Kaul Deambi.
 3. Ahad Raza--Kashmiri Theory of politics/Manzoor Fazili.
4. The Bakhshali: an extant Sharada Manuscript/Sushma Z. Jatoo.
5. Our heritage our roots: an insight into the literary history of ancient Kashmir/Girdharilal Kaw.
6. The School of Historians in Kashmir/Mukesh Kumar.
7. A glimpse of Kashmir in Chinese travelogue/Devendra Nath Thakur.
8. Kashmir's Role in the development of India's Cultural traditions--an overview/S.S. Toshkhani.
9. Influence of Kashmir on the ritual literature of Orissa/G.C. Tripathi.

II. Art and architecture:

10. Master Artist--Pandit Sansar Chand Sharma/Navin Atal and C.K. Atal.
11. Indigenous architectural heritage of Kashmir/Virendra Bangroo.
12. An enquiry into the Sectarian affiliation of the ruins at Harwan/Geetika Kaw Kher.
13. An endangered monument in Ladakh--Sumda Gogpo/Nawang Tsering Shakspo.
14. Terracotta sculptures of Greater Kashmir/Mohammad Shafi Zahid.

 III. Philosophy:

15. Buddhism and its development in Kashmir/Advaitavadini Kaul.
16. The philosophical orientation of Trika spirituality/Moti Lal Pandit.
17. The ancient shrine of Summah Devta/O.P. Shahkir.

IV. Language and literature:

18. A survey of Sanskrit poets of Kashmir/Sudhir Kumar Lall.
19. Sanskrit and Kashmir/K.C. Sharma.
20. Stutikusumanjali/Vidya Sharma.

V. Performative traditions:

21. Drama in Kashmir and the North-West/R.K. Braroo.
22. Introduction to the history of the theatre in Kashmir/V.N. Drabu.
23. Bhand Pather (Folk Theatre of Kashmir)/Moti Lal Kemmu. VI. Bio-diversity:
24. The Karewas of Kashmir (Revisited)/G.L. Badam.
25. Folk herbal treatment in Kashmir/Badrinath Bhat.
26. High altitude lakes of Jammu and Kashmir--myths and mythology/Sati Sahni. Additional references.
 
 

Gloom

Ah that dreadful wail
that ceaseless river of despair
Despite all the boundaries
which did find its way

Ah that one weak moment
of untold frenzy and gloom
That hapless instant
which failed to hide the truth.

People's revolution:Fact, Fiction and Memory

Reading ‘Snow’, a novel by Orhan Pamuk, in these days of unrest in Egypt interestingly brought back the memories of my childhood spent in post revolution Iran. I am no political expert neither can I claim to understand the ongoing political situations in all their intricacies yet in recent developments there are some  issues which have caught my attention and which need to be put in a certain perspective....
 To read the whole column log on to
http://theviewspaper.net/people%e2%80%99s-revolution-fact-fiction-and-memory/

Book Review: Hamare Ishwar ko tairna nahi aata by M.K Santoshi (unedited version)

The apt title ‘Hamare Ishwar ko tairna nahi aata’ literally meaning ‘our lord doesn’t know how to swim’ poignantly betrays the feeling of helplessness and subjugation to the ordained fate which the stories in the book talk about.directly or indirectly. Comprising of thirteen stories revolving around author’s constant yearning for Kashmir, it makes a thought provoking and emotionally charged reading.




Having read earlier hindi poems by Santoshi and finding them intense and extremely stimulating it was with a feeling of excitement and curiosity that we started reading this book of short stories.. Every writer has a personal style, concerns and issues which are close to his heart and these get betrayed in all his artistic and literary productions regardless of the medium, however possessing flair for writing both excellent poetry and prose is a rare quality primarily because both demand a completely different manner of expression. In case of Santoshi an accomplished poet it is the lost land of Kashmir which hovers over every poem, every story that he writes. Whether it is a poem ‘Vitasta ka teesra kinara’ or the stories ‘Ghar devta’, ‘Akanandun’ etc it is the feeling of loss that characterizes the writing. This loss is contrasted with the narratives about the initial trying years spent in Jammu,and facing problems like harsh weather, indifferent beaviour,uncertain future ghettoization and petty politics, all these toghether becoming points of torture for his soul…a soul which keeps wondering what went wrong…why did our deities forsake us..why did they play a mute spectator when we were thrown out of our houses..It is in short a silent cry of a sensitive but helpless author to whom words and appropriate phrases come naturally..



Use of metaphors to enhance the quality of writing and to emphasize a certain point is a common practice but to use an actual incident and see it as a metaphor or as a premonition for future days to come is an interesting approach used by the author in the story ‘Ladai’. The story is about two fighting bulls belonging to pandit and a muslim family respectively. The intolerance of the majority community and violent reaction to the winning of the bull belonging to a pandit is deeply significant of the pent up anger and hatred that was unleashed completely in 1990’s . The words “to win you have to make your bull stronger” said in jest by the author to his muslim friend actually became a reality and then as most of us witnessed there was no stopping the bull…. The pain of exile comes across strongly in stories like ‘Bicchu ghass’ and ‘Aayenge lautkar ham ae vatan’ which are more of personal memoirs of early days of exodus. Yet in these emotional outpourings and other stories he manages to raise extremely important questions regarding who has benefited from this large scale exodus Are KM’s any better off without KP’s around?…Can suffering be only on one side and other side go completely unaffected?….Is the price that KM’s have paid in terms of their life and honor worth what they have today?…questions .which have no one answer but which makes us think about the absurdity and futility of violence. ‘Kokh’, one such story about three muslim mothers who lost their sons in different manners to this madness is heart wrenching and problematizes the whole issue of aazadi.



What is noteworthy is that the stories narrated are not lopsided. They give a fair view of the situation.They do talk about timidness of Kashmiri Pandits, pain of muslim mothers who lost their sons to mindless jihad, and muslims who felt things weren’t right but could not speak out for the fear of the gun. Repeatedly he stresses on his friendship with Kashmiri muslims but also talks about the mistrust and hatred they harbor as a group…his intense words to a KM friend ‘ bheed me tum vahshi ho jaate ho” expresses it all.It hints at the common culture of friendship, brotherhood and camaraderie, a great binding force till religion and faith does them part. ‘Apharan’ is one such story where these ironical feelings find a complete expression.



In Santoshi’s hands all these different issues connected with a common thread ,are deftly woven into sensitive stories to which anyone can react. Nowhere the writing is contrived or affected. It just flows like a steady river gaining weight and meaning as it proceedes and by the end it leaves your eyes tearful and yet there lingers a smile on your lips. Not only did these stories left me and my husband mesmerized but were read and enjoyed by my mother in law as well as my maid, a young girl from Orissa. We even read few of the stories to our four year old daughter who listens to everything about Kashmir with rapt attention and awe as if listening to a fairy tale.This is the magic of simple lucid yet forceful and emphatic writing which crosses the barriers of age, region and religion, touching hearts and stimulating the readers mind.







Book Details:

Hamare Ishwar ko tairna nahi aata

Maharaj Krishan Santoshi

Published by Unistar Books Pvt.Ltd.S.C.O 26-27,Sector 34 A, Chandigarh- 160022, India

Price Rs 150/-

Number of pages 92

ISBN 81-7142-939-4

Art bond

As Bharti started sketching the portrait of Majboor Saab for the condolence meet organized by Praznath I was glued to a chair next to her. Unfortunately all I could provide her as a point of reference was a picture downloaded on my phone which I had transferred to hers..thanks to blue tooth.. Line drawing was all I had asked her to do as there was hardly any time.I sat there studying her every move, my eyes were eagerly following her pencil which glided so easily and deftly on the paper. Ah how tempted I felt to pick up a pencil myself…Seeing an artist at work is one of the greatest pleasures .and seeing the end product right after two hours is nothing short of a miracle. I could see the simple line drawing gradually developing into familiar features of the dear departed poet scholar …The moment I could identify the portrait I was elated and could not thank her enough for such a beautiful experience. Soon she started playing with light and shade which automatically lend character to the well executed portrait. In between she would sit back and study the image on her paper and then cast a look at the small image flashed on the screen of her cell phone…I just sat there chatting with her quite casually but all the time I couldn’t help wondering how Majboor Saab would have reacted to this work of art executed in complete spirit of enthusiasm and dedication.

Bharti giving finishing touches...

Praznath:The Magazine

Praznath was finally launched on 18th March 2010. It was a great feeling to see our collective dream materialize in form of this magazine. The long sessions and discussions over the endless cups of tea and kehwa at Sushilji’s office ultimately did bear fruit. I congratulate the entire team for the successful show and also for a good magazine which has definitely a potential to become a great reference material. I have my fingers crossed…

to read a review of the Praznath launch function by me log on to :

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=339&page=22

Praznath Launch

Praznath Launch
Type:
Music/Arts - Opening
Date:
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Time:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location:

Gulmohar Hall
India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Description:
Praznath is the idiom of the discourse, a reflection of the self in the mirror of conscious.Together we shall write, rewrite, delve, learn, unlearn, work, enrich ourselves and the world around us with our focus on Art, Culture and Thought of and from Kashmir and Kashmiris. This shall be "the forum" for interactions and one day shall be the reference archive for anyone wanting to know KashmirWe request your presence at the launch of the quarterly - PRAZNATH at India Habitat Centre. Praznath will document Kashmiri art, culture, literature, tradition and history.

A panel discussion on - IDENTIFYING IDENTITY IN KASHMIR - will mark the occasion.

The PANELISTS are:

Dr. Kapila Vatsayan (Eminent Scholar)MP, Rajya Sabha & Member, Amarnath Shrine Board

Sir Mark Tully (Eminent Journalist)Padma Bhushan, formerly BBC Correspondent in India

Dr. Swapan Dasgupta (Eminent Columnist)

Mr. Francois Gautier (Founder, FACT India)Editor-in-Chief, La Revue de l’Inde

Dr. Khema Kaul (Eminent Writer)Awarded ‘Hindi Writers Award’ by the President of India, 1997.Her published works include Samay ke Baad, Baadalon Mein Aag (poetry) and Dardpur (novel).

For details contact: Rashneek Kher - +91-9810049979 - rashneek@gmail.com

Sinead Kachroo - +91-9717059747 - sinead.kachroo@gmail.com

An initiative by Roots in Kashmir.

Kashmir’s contribution to the visual imagery at Alchi

Introduction:
The monastic complex at Alchi in Central Ladakh largely datable to 10th - 11th century A.D. lies in the scenic mountain valley of Indus. It is considered as the most important of all the monastic complexes masterminded by Rinchen-bzang-po (958-1055 A.D.) primarily because it has been left intact. This complex comprises a group of six buildings and its importance lies in the fact that it has the best preserved mural paintings in the area especially in two of its monuments viz. Du-khang (The assembly hall) and Sum-tsek (three tiered temple)

According to the inscriptions at Alchi , the Du-khang was built by Kalden Sherap and Sum-tsek by Tshultrim O, both followers of Rinchen-bzang-po , undoubtedly the most dominating religious personality in Ladakh of that time. Moreover the iconographic program followed at Du-khang reflects teaching of this great religious teacher and the complete layout almost parallel the one seen at Sumda which can be directly attributed to him.


While on the one hand the mural paintings on the monuments here are considered as hallmark of Buddhist painting in the area on the other they have multitude of stories to tell about the contemporary painting scenario in Kashmir valley. Unfortunately as Huntington[i] ,Snellgrove[ii] and P. Pal[iii] unanimously observe there is hardly left any trace of Kashmiri painting of that time which can be directly compared to the ones at Alchi. Nevertheless there are enough historical, stylistic and epigraphical evidences which strengthen the contention and here onwards my hypothesis that Kashmir valley played a very important role in the the stylistic and iconographical development of the murals at Alchi and other temples/monasteries which fall on the route between Srinagar to Guge.

[i] Susan L. Huntington., ‘The Art of Ancient India’, NewYork ,1999 pp.385
[ii] David L. Snellgrove and Thaddeus Syrups, ‘The Cultural heritage of Ladakh’ Volt I- Central Ladakh, New Delhi, 1977 pp 8
[iii] Pratapaditya Pal., ‘Marvels of Buddhist Art’ Alchi- Ladakh, Paris, 1988 pp 19-20



The complete paper published in
Cultural Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits
Edited by S.S. Toshkhani and K. Warikoo, Pentagon Press, 2009, xxviii, 364 p, 26 black and white figs, ISBN : 81-8274-398-4

Contents: Preface.
1. Kashmiri Pandits and India’s cultural traditions/S.S. Toshkhani.
2. Kashmiri Pandits through history: from the early times to 1947/Tej N. Dhar.
3. Abhinvagupta and the Shaivite tradition of the Sarada Desa/Rajnish Mishra.
4. Social structure and cultural identity of Kashmiri Pandits/S.S. Toshkhani.
5. Religious rituals and ritual arts of Kashmiri Hindus/S.S. Toshkhani.
6. Kashmir’s Contribution to Sanskrit poetry and poetics/Ved Kumari Ghai.
7. Some Kashmiri Pandit historiographers/Mushtaq A. Kaw.
8. Shrines and pilgrimage places/K. Warikoo.
9. Amarnath—the Abode of the God of Immortality/K. Warikoo.
10. In search of roots/A.R. Nazki.
11. Shankaracharya and some Kashmiri Pandit traditions/Rashnik Kher.
12. Beginnings of Bhakti in Kashmir/S.S. Toshkhani.
13. Lal Ded and her spiritual journey/S.S. Toshkhani.
14. Political content in the Vaakhs of Lal Ded/R.L. Bhat.
15. The mystic and the romantic: Two Kashmiri women poets—Rupa Bhavani and Arnimal/Neerja Mattoo.
16. Paramanand: devotional raptures of Krishna Lila/S.S. Toshkhani.
17. Prakash Ramayana and other works on Ramayana Theme in Kashmiri/S.S. Toshkhani.
18. Krishnajoo Razdan—melodic expression of devotional ecstasy/S.S. Toshkhani.
19. Swami Lakshman Joo: the sage of Ishaber/Jankinath Kaul ‘Kamal’.
20. Kashmiri Pandits—originators of Pahari-Kangra School of Art/P.N. Kachru.
21. Kashmir’s contribution to the visual imagery at Alchi/Geetika Kaw Kher.
22. Deodar in a storm: Nadim and the Pantheon/Braj B. Kachru.
23. Kashmiri Pandits in journalism/M.L. Kak.
24. Kashmiri Pandits in retrospect and prospect/K. Warikoo.

Madhav mandir at Khaju near Guwahati

Vacant Eyes

Vacant eyes
staring hard at nothingness
Contemplate
on the growing void

Branded a naysayer
Othered at once
Tries to look forward
but for the blackhole blinding her vision

Scared
she shuts her eyes
Lest the gravity
sucks her sight too

In her closed eyes
dreams dwell
Her sole respite
where her gaze
for a change
can pierce the dense blackhole
And lead her to light

On the way to Bhairava temple in Gumkhal near Lansdowne