The lies about Amarnath…
My�distrust of the Indian mainstream media deepens by the day.
Courtesy Dina Nath Mishra’s article,�”Amarnath land grant and the reality around it“, I learnt today how even “..in this age of widespread and fast communication”, it is possible to hide facts.
Fact #1:�The land was to be transferred NOT allocated
Fact #2: It was to be only for a period of two�months in a year when Amarnath pilgrims visited
Fact #3:�No permanent structure was to be constructed, for Article 370 forbids the same
And yet, we had the Hurriyat and assorted leaders crying hoarse over threat to demographics, ecological damage and danger to Kashmiriat…
And how has mainstream media reported these facts?
See this Rediff news-report in which�the words “allotment” and “transfer” have been used inter-changeably even though they have very different meanings and implications. And while the report clearly mentions “temporary structures” (which surely cannot be said to threaten any demographics), this important fact is soon forgotten (emphasis mine):
The forest land allotment controversy erupted soon after the state cabinet took a decision in May last to transfer 100 acres of land to SASB for raising temporary structures to facilitate the yatra.
HT refers to “land diversion”�in�this news-report…surely a very different thing from “land allocation”?
After NC patriarch Dr Farooq Abdullah demanded the government order sanctioning land diversion be revoked, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayed has asked for a cancellation too.
So why is no one talking about these “facts”?�
For one, they are very inconvenient to the whole “debate” around demographics, ecology and “Kashmiriat”…for another, why let pass a great opportunity for short-term political mileage by cleverly “ignoring” important facts?…
and since when did “facts” come in�the way of a good story?
While on this, how many of you�read the various references to the Amarnath cave being “discovered” by a Muslim shepherd…even�Srinagar District’s official site�mentions this “fact”?
Now,�Batu Malik may have had something to do with the Shrine and the cave…but it is a bit disingenuous to credit him with the “discovery” when there are historical records going back several centuries mentioning the shrine and the pligrimage.
But then a Muslim shepherd “discovering” a Hindu shrine is *news*…
History, unfortunately is *not news*…It is merely boring (and needs too much digging around – both literally and figuratively)
Here is a great post on the “History of the Amarnath Pilgrimage” (excerpts):�
The separatists in Kashmir and their �secular� supporters are trying to spread the myth that the Amaranth Yatra is of a recent origin. They claim that it started only after a Muslim shepherd of Batakot, a certain Buta Malik, originally�discovered� the Amarnath cave when he lost his flock and found that it had strayed into the sacred spot some 150 years ago. There is no documentary proof of this so-called discovery…
There is ample and conclusive historical evidence, on the other hand, to prove that the holy cave and the ice lingam were known to the people since very ancient times and have been continuously and regularly visited by pilgrims not only from Kashmir but also from different parts of India.
While the earliest reference to Amarnath can be seen in the Nilamata Purana (v.1324), a 6th century Sanskrit text which depicts the religious and cultural life of early Kashmiris and gives Kashmir�s own creation myth, the pilgrimage to the holy cave has been described with full topographical details in the Bhringish Samhita and the Amarnatha Mahatmya, both ancient texts said to have been composed even earlier.
…The original name of the tirtha, as given in the ancient texts, is of course Amareshwara, Amarnath being a name given later to it.
Giving the legend of the Naga Sushruvas, who in his fury burnt to ashes the kingdom of King Nara when he tried to abduct his daughter already married to a Brahmin youth, and after the carnage took his abode in the lake now known as Sheshnag (Kashmiri Sushramnag), Kalahana writes:
�The lake of dazzling whiteness [resembling] a sea of milk (Sheshnag), which he created [for himself as residence] on a far off mountain, is to the present day seen by the people on the pilgrimage to Amareshwara.�(Rajatarangini, Book I v. 267.Translation: M. A. Stein).
This makes it very clear that pilgrims continued to visit the holy Amarnath cave in the 12th century, for Kalhana wrote his chronicle in the years1148-49.
…There is yet another reference to Amareshwara or Amarnath in the Rajatarangini (Book VII v.183). According to Kalhana, Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063), �granted under her husband�s name agraharas at Amareshwara, and arranged for the consecration of trishulas, banalingas and other [sacred emblems]�.
In his Chronicle of Kashmir, a sequel to Kalhana�s Rajatarangini, Jonaraja relates that that Sultan Zainu�l-abidin (1420-1470) paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing a canal on the left bank of the river Lidder (vv.1232-1234). The canal is now known as Shah Kol.
…the pilgrimage (was already) in vogue in Akbar�s time – Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586 – but the phenomenon of waxing and waning of the ice linga was also well known.
Amareshwar (Amarnath) was a famous pilgrimage place in the time of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan also. In his eulogy of Shah Jahan�s father-in-law Asif Khan, titled �Asaf Vilas�, the famous Sanskrit scholar and aesthete Panditraj Jagannath makes clear mention of Amareshwara (Amarnath) while describing the Mughal garden Nishat laid out by Asif Khan. The King of gods Indra himself, he says, comes here to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva�.
As we well know Francois Bernier, a French physician accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in 1663. In his book �Travels in Mughal Empire� he writes while giving an account the places he visited in Kashmir that he was �pursuing journey to a grotto full of wonderful congelations, two days journey from Sangsafed� when he �received intelligence that my Nawab felt very impatient and uneasy on account of my long absence�. The �grotto� he refers to is obviously the Amarnath cave as the editor of the second edition of the English translation of the book, Vincient A. Smith makes clear in his introduction. He writes: �The grotto full of wonderful congelations is the Amarnath cave, where blocks of ice, stalagmites formed by dripping water from the roof are worshipped by many Hindus who resort here as images of Shiva�..�
Another traveler, Vigne, in his book �Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh and Iskardu� writes about the pilgrimage to the sacred spot in detail, clearly mentioning that �the ceremony at the cave of Amarnath takes place on the 15th of the Hindoo month of Sawan� and that �not only Hindoos of every rank and caste can be seen collecting together and traveling up the valley of Liddar towards the celebrated cave��� Vigne visited Kashmir after his return from Ladakh in 1840-41 and published his book in 1842. His book makes it very clear that the Amarnath Yatra drew pilgrims from the whole of India in his time and was undertaken with great enthusiasm.
…(Perhaps) During the Afghan rule when religious persecution of the Kashmiri Hindus was at its height and they were not allowed to visit their places of worship the pilgrimage was discontinued for about fifty or sixty years and during this period the flock of some shepherd may have strayed into the holy cave, but that in no way makes it of a recent origin�or a show window of so-called Kashmiriat.
On a related note, Dina Nath Mishra mentions in his article how “The NGOs and human rights activists, who have been in the forefront for defending terrorists, are nowhere to be seen at this moment of Hindu grief…”
Interestingly, I did come across one (lone?) Muslim voice in favour of the (earlier) land transfer decision…Are readers aware of anyone else coming out in support of SASB?
Related Posts:
How many �Hindus� would it take to change the demography of Kashmir?�
Of birth rates and Kerala Christians�
The great joke that is Indian media – part 2 *must�read*�
Good post Shantnu, very informative.
Media has a vested interest in ‘highlighting’ the Buta Mullick angel while suppressing the facts, as this makes them look ‘secular’ and help score ‘brownie’ points over Communal BJP.
Good thing is people are fast ‘realizing’ it and questioning it.
I see you are doing a fine job, keep it up. Shantnu I have an idea, should you want would like to share with you. Please contact me at ABC AT xyz.com we can chat there and possibly work on some thing.
regards,
PI.
It looks like a clear projection of the ‘moderate’ Hindu viewpoint needs to be amplified and made heard to all nationally. Unfortunately, the more extreme-demanding fringe are lapped up by ‘mainstream’ media and lumped together with the Al Qaeda type pronouncements of Islamists and the real issues on the ground are obfuscated.
Which political process or party will take this up on the national stage, I wonder? BJP? BJP’s stint at the centre didnt quell this Islamist agenda from spreading in India the last time around – what are they going to do differently if given another chance, I wonder
Well said Shantanu. There are probably only a handful of indian reporters who do their homework before writing an article. I wonder if any of these so called intellectuals have any idea about the history of the place. Most of it is just served like fastfood these days.
P.S.: Nice new layout. Style is nicer and more reader friendly.
Frankly, I do not understand the differences between transfer or allocation – to me they seem the same, when viewed in the context of a government. There is, of course, a big difference between temporary and permanent. The question that puzzles me is if the land was being temporarily transferred or allocated for two months, what would be the use of the land for the balance ten?
And, in the context of a bigger picture, may I once again recommend everyone on this site to see the movie, Dharm.
I have always held (organised) religion to be a divisive and evil force, conceptualised by the rich and powerful, to keep society in constant strife and one man’s hand raised against another, so that they can continue with their shenanigans without any checks. The recent events have only served to strengthen this conviction.
We are filled with “knowledge”, but we so utterly lack wisdom ……
Prudent, Hrishi, Prakash and Patriot: Thanks for your comments…
***
@ Prudent: Thanks for the compliments…I will email you separately re. the idea you have (I have taken out your email to protect privacy)
***
@ Hrishi: You are absolutely right…the moderate voice (and I would say, not just the Hindu moderate voice but also the Muslim moderate voice) needs to be heard, amplified and propogated…otherwise we remain hostages to stereotypes and prejudices…
***
@ Prakash: Your remark about fast food etc..reminded me of a memorable phrase I read recently: “Hamburger Hinduism”!
I hope to write more on that sometime in the next few days…
***
@ Patriot: “Tranfers” could be permanent or temporary (but usually have the ring of temporary); “Allocations” sound a lot more permanent…
Land “diversion” is altogether different…So what exactly was the deal? No one seems to be clear…
As for the use of the land in the remaining ten months, I believe it is/was forest land and I am guessing it remains unutilised for the period when the area is inaccessible due to extreme cold and/or snow.
More details on the history of Amarnath below. Please add it to your excellent historical writeup on Amarnath.
The Kashmiri Pandits gathered in Amarnath in 1675 and then went to meet Guru Tegh Bahadur in Anandpur Sahib…..
Source:
check this out on Omars speech
http://thekashmir.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/omar/
Amarnath vs Haj
The unfortunate events in Jammu & Kashmir regarding the transfer of land by the government to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board call for each one’s urgent attention and involvement.
What began as a simple effort to facilitate Amarnath pilgrims has suddenly developed communal and political overtones. This is appalling when compared to the facilities offered to the Haj and the Vaishno Devi pilgrims.
In an attempt to bring this to the attention of every responsible citizen of India, we would like you to have the benefit of some facts stated below.
In keeping with public policy statements, the Government of India makes elaborate arrangements for the welfare of Haj pilgrims and strives to improve the facilities provided to them every year. That is how it should be. The Government of India, and the ministry of external affairs in particular, deserves credit for providing perhaps the best arrangements that any government makes for their Haj pilgrims.
For eg: As reported in a newspaper article, here are the facts about the facilities provided to Haj pilgrims.
1. To begin with, the government provides an airfare subsidy to about 100,000 pilgrims selected by the Haj Committee of India who go for Haj annually. Pilgrims pay only Rs 12,000 for their air travel. This figure has remained unchanged for at least a decade or more. According to official figures, this subsidy was Rs 280 crores in 2006, or about Rs 28,000 per pilgrim. Today, with rising fuel prices, this figure would have gone up to Rs 350-400 crore. There is also a seperate Haj Terminal at Delhi International Airport.
2. There is a separate Haj cell in the ministry of external affairs. The Haj Committee of India has its own premises in Mumbai. Similarly the State Haj Committees have their own premises in various other Indian cities. These facilities have been built on land provided by the state governments.
3. Accommodation in Mecca and Medina is decided keeping in mind the need to provide maximum convenience and comfort to the pilgrims. Typically, all accommodation has lifts, telephones, running water, electricity and telephone at the minimum. There is total computerisation of pilgrim location and movement.
4. For Haj 2007, a contingent of 115 doctors (including 63 specialists with post-graduate degrees) and 141 nurses and other para-medical staff, 3 coordinators, 46 assistant Haj officers, 165 Haj assistants and 186 Khadimul Hujjaj were sent from India on short-term deputation to Saudi Arabia. Special attention is given to medical facilities for the pilgrims.
5. Some of the facilities provided by the government are: arrangements for polio, meningitis and influenza vaccinations for pilgrims before departure; a 75-bed hospital and 12 branch offices-cum-dispensaries in Mecca; a 15-bed hospital and 6 branch offices-cum-dispensaries in Medina; three medical teams at Jeddah airport to provide medical care round the clock to Haj pilgrims; 17 ambulances in Mecca and Medina; supply of medicines, medical supplies and critical medical equipment from India. All this adds up to the total money spent by the government to facilitate a hassle-free Haj pilgrimage each year for tens of thousands of Muslims from India.
What is due to one community by logic and fair practice is due to another. And yet in a discriminatory treatment lakhs of pilgrims who have been going to Amarnath for years have been denied basic human facilities. The question is what took them so long to consider these facilities and not whether or not they should be provided.
There isn’t any adequate medical and sanitary facilities for the pilgrims of Amarnath Shrine. As the agitation continues, it has been reported that a water bottle costing Rs 14 was sold at Rs 70. And a khacchar or a pony that took pilgrims at the cost of Rs 1,500 charged an abominable Rs 10,000. Compare this with the subsidies for Haj Pilgrims. Buses of pilgrims were also stoned by unruly elements.
The whole agitation was started by the Peoples Democratic Party on the absurd presumption that providing these basic facilities to the travelling pilgrims will result in a changed “eco-cultural character” of the state. Does this imply that Kashmir only has a “Muslim” character?
Kashmir originally and lawfully belongs to both Hindus and Muslims. Nevertheless, 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of Kashmir and are living as refugees and now even the very thought of Hindus settling in Kashmir is creating such violent repercussions. Is this a sign of a secular, healthy, fair society?
Even if we were to presume that it has a Muslim character, how can travelling pilgrims possibly change eco-cultural character of a place. Can there be a likelihood of someone settling down at the height of 13,500 ft? There can not be any possibility of Hindus settling down in the proposed land.
It is ironical that though the Hindus are being denied basic hospitable facilities to enable their pilgrimage, the temporary, pre-fabricated shelters built by the Amarnath Shrine Board were dismantled and sent for emergency relief operations during the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005. “About 60-70 pre-fab shelters were sent to Uri and Tangdhar, where they housed thousands,” a senior Government official is reported to have said. “The Amarnath Board also sent pre-fab toilets. There was no objection from any political party at that point.”
For centuries pilgrims have been making the arduous trip to Amarnath cave without any benefit from the state. They have to depend to private philanthropy for food, accommodation and other facilities. It is shameful that people have lived in torn taurpaulin tents. But a caring State in independent India can and should do more.
View online exhibition on exodus and selective killings of 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir at http://refugees-in-their-own-country.blogspot.com/.
At this rate the Congress govt might bring back the pilgrim tax on Hindus levied during the Mughal days.
From: Appeasement is never good for a nation, by Lalit Koul, Aug 06, ’08:
*** Excerpts (emphasis mine) ***
10,000 forest trees are chopped down to build the Mughal road in Kashmir. No one makes a noise.
Acres of land in the Kashmir valley are given to install mobile phone towers. No one screams.
Acres and acres of land in the Kashmir valley are allotted to lay sewage and drinking water pipes. No one objects.
But when 40 hectares of uninhabitable land is handed over to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board to provide better facilities to the Amarnath Yatra [Images] pilgrims, all hell breaks loose.
Why? Because the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board caters to Hindu pilgrims who want to visit the Amarnath shrine in the valley of Kashmir. It is as simple as that.
Politically correct politicians, policy-makers and administrators might try to tell you that it is not about religion, but the fact of the matter is that it is all about religion. It is a design by communal forces within the valley to completely Islamicise the valley by removing every symbol of Hinduism and other faiths from the valley.
Today, these communal forces are preventing the setting up of facilities for the yatra, tomorrow they will even go to the extent of banning the yatra altogether.
…
Let us take a hard look at the arguments presented by the locals who opposed the transfer of land:
1. The allotment would have adversely affected the environment around the area. One wonders where these tree-hugging environmentalists were when the same government allowed the felling of 10,000 forest trees to build the 89 km-long Mughal road.
40 hectares of land that was going to be used to provide temporary shelters and night-time facilities to pilgrims was in fact going to help in proper maintenance of the current day waste that actually pollutes the environment. But who can argue with senseless politicians who instigate people to come out on the streets?
2. The allotment is the government’s ploy to settle Hindus from outside the state to change the demographics of the valley. Look, who is talking! One has to only go back 18 years in the history and check who changed the demographics of the valley.
Islamic terrorists changed the demographics of the valley by ethnically cleansing Kashmiri Hindus from the valley. I wonder where these we-do-not-want-to-change-demographics-folks were when Kashmiri Hindus were slaughtered and the valley’s demographics were altered.
One would like to ask a few questions: a. Is 40 hectares of land enough to settle so many Hindus that it would change the demographics of the valley?
b. By putting this argument of demographic change, are the valley’s Muslims implying that Hindus are not welcome in the valley anymore? And I do not mean the Hindus from outside Kashmir. I mean the Hindus from the state of Jammu & Kashmir itself.
What if the Hindus, who hold the state subject certificate of J&K state and are legally allowed to purchase land in any part of the state want to purchase land in the area around the Holy Amarnath? Are the valley’s Muslims saying that those Hindus cannot buy the land there and settle down? Is that what they are implying? Are they trying to protect the environment by preventing the Hindus from settling in the valley?
Another argument Kashmiri Muslims present is that the land cannot be allotted to the Shrine Board because Article 370 does not allow anyone outside of J&K to own land. Their argument is that since the J&K governor is the chairman of the board and he is an outsider, this transfer of land is illegal.
How dumb does one have to be to understand that the land is transferred to the Shrine Board which is an institution based in the state of J&K and created by the J&K government. The land is not transferred to the chairman or the CEO of the board per se.
Having touched upon the outlandish arguments of those who oppose the allotment of land, let us look at some facts and the real story:
…
Now that we know the real story behind the story, how about the Hindu pilgrims who want to visit the shrine and what about their fundamental rights to practice their religion with complete security, dignity and honour?
Isn’t it a shame that Hindus living in India, where 80 per cent of population is Hindu, cannot freely visit the shrine and expect better facilities? It is only in India that the majority community has to make all the sacrifices in favour of minorities because our politicians believe in appeasing Muslims at the cost of Hindus.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on a television debate on this issue asked why there is a need for land and new facilities when the pilgrimage has been going on for many years.
Does Omar Abdullah mean to say that there is no need to improve the facilities provided during the treacherous pilgrimage? Is he implying that if the yatris were okay for so many hundred years, then why change and improve the facilities?
I have never heard him say such things with regards to the Haj pilgrimage. Every year Muslims from Kashmir and the rest of the country want better facilities and subsidies for Haj pilgrims. But when it comes to providing better facilities to Shri Amarnath pilgrims, it becomes a sore point for Kashmiri Muslims and their leaders.
…
Some of you might argue that it was not the valley’s Muslims, but the political parties and terrorists who opposed the land transfer order and forced people to come out on the streets.
I can buy that argument, but that does not absolve the valley’s people from their responsibility? They cannot always support these fundamentalist forces and then at the same time claim innocence.
They did the same in 1989 and in the early 1990s when they either stood as mute spectators or as vocal supporters while Kashmiri Hindus were ethnically cleansed. …
If they sincerely believe in peace, then they need to stand up and reject these terrorist outfits and their masters. Conversely, if they don’t, then they are as much party to the madness as the principals and thus need to be held accountable.
***
From: Kashmir on the Boil by Col. (retd) T.K. Tikoo
*** Excerpts ***
…
Let us examine the issue (…the points about ecology and demography) on its merits.
These 40 hectares of land in Baltal area are required to erect prefabricated shelters to house the pilgrims (yatris) during the two months of the pilgrimage (yatra) period. These are not steel and
concrete shelters that have the potential to disturb the ecology of the area. In any case, this area remains under a thick blanket of snow for 8 months in a year. For the bulk of the year the weather remains harsh and the terrain is no less treacherous. Living there on a permanent basis is unimaginable.
Even the hardy bakarwals (shepherds) who are used to living in such difficult conditions vacate this area in winter. Therefore, in no way can Hindus be settled there on a permanent basis with a long-term aim of changing the demography of Kashmir. Anyone who knows even a little of Indian/Kashmiri politics and the Valley’s ecology will find both arguments for Kashmiri agitation (changing demography and ruining Kashmir’s ecology) laughable.
But what certainly is not laughable is the fact that the Kashmiri genius for manipulating media and public opinion through sustained a disinformation campaign is once again proving as effective as ever.
Kashmiri’s sudden love for preserving Kashmir’s ecology is rather intriguing. For God sake, please ask them what did they do with Anchar lake, Manasbal lake, Dal lake, Nagin lake, the great Wullar lake and
thousands of water bodies (locally called “mars”). As far as Anchar lake is concerned, it does not even exist now. Nagin, Manasbal, Dal and Wullar lakes have shrunk drastically. This happened only because of a lack of Kashmiri’s concern for preserving these magnificent jewels that once had given Kashmir its distinct identity as paradise on earth and the Switzerland of the East.
…Such is the concern of locals towards its ecology that a couple of years back a German tourist was so moved by the plight of the Dal lake that he spent his own money, time and effort to clean up the Dal! This event was covered by both local and national media.
Similar has been the fate of the Boulevard that skirts the Dal lake. It has lost its pristine beauty as one of the most magnificent stretches of walkways anywhere in the world. …
Similarly, there was no hue and cry when many years ago a road was constructed from the base to the top of Shankaracharya hill and a huge monstrous communication tower was erected there to permanently scar Srinagar city’s precious landmark. And what has happened to Devi Angan (Godess’s lawn) surrounding the revered Hari Parbat? The lush green stretch has been so wantonly encroached upon that nothing much is left of it.
Even lately, huge chunks of forest land were given to Indian Railways to lay the track. Forest land was also given to various telecom companies to erect towers. A similar gesture was shown towards Jammu and Kashmir and Power Corporation. But there were no protests. Why? Because the local Muslims stood to gain from these projects. The prefabricated shelters at Domail will be only used by Hindus-hence, this hue and cry.
Numerous other examples can be quoted to refute the “ecological degradation” arguments. Significant ecological damage occurred when huge areas of forest land were sacrificed to construct the medieval Mughal road connecting the Muslim majority districts of Poonch and Rajouri with Kashmir valley via Lohran Mandi, across Pir Panjal to Suphiyan in the Valley. I myself have witnessed the ecological disaster that the construction of this road has entailed, wherein 10,000 trees till date have been cut, wildlife sanctuaries disturbed, and the fragile ecosystem damaged by blasting and blacktopping the newly laid road. Unlike
installation of pre-fabricated shelters at Baltal…blacktopped roads and constant vehicular movements on these roads passing through a fragile ecosystem is causing permanent ecological degradation.
…Let us now examine the truth regarding the sinister propaganda by the PDP/Hurriyat nexus about the supposed ulterior motive of the Central government to change the demography of the Kashmir Valley by settling down Hindus from elsewhere in India.
Take the case of Kashmir’s own history. It changed from a 100% Hindu dominated place till as late as the 14th century to what is today a 100% Muslim dominated area. Even after the British handed over power to so-called Hindus (Dogras), the latter could not ensure the safety and security of a few lakh Hindus who lived in Kashmir at the time of Independence. These few lakh Hindus were an eyesore to the Muslims. They were mercilessly cleansed from the Valley in 1990…
In the 1971 war, Pakistan captured some areas of Chhamb sector of the State. Refugees poured into Jammu. Till today they have not been rehabilitated. They continue to live as refugees without any rights whatsoever. In contrast, India did not change the demography of the Valley even when
Pakistan lay prostrate after its comprehensive defeat in 1971 war. That says much for its intentions….
*** Excerpts End ***
I find many comments which justify that Hindus are not going to change demography of JK. What is wrong if we change demography, this is free country and any guy from any state can settle down in any state. Why this special treatment for Jammu & Kashmir. Are Hindus going to eat up muslims if they are in majority? Are they not in majority in rest of India. Then why should not Hindus be allowed to change demography in JK. What is wrong with policy makers?
I just came to know about thekashmir.wordpress.com
He posted comment #7
Hi Shantanu, please look at it. We must support his efforts.
***
Thanks Indian…I did look at Pawan’s site…He is indeed doing a great job.
Dear Shantanu,
Great Job as usual. Researched and well documented to get disputes out of the way except “those who want to be on the right side of the pseudos of every kind in every which way they can”.
Understanding the importance of the topics that you raise it is of utmost importance that this information is “Taught to our children’ at a very impressionable age.
When they understand the importance of this and the lies of the “pseudo media’including the wasteful celluloid world we can expect a change.
For that we need to inbibe values that will take us on this right direction.
These may be published in the form of a small booklet and then distributed in languages of various types at all the different melas held in India. It will not be possible thru the electronic media as we have people who are willing to shackle it as they are afraid of the truth.
We can even get a slot in one of the upcoming radio channels and get a slot and propogate these truths. Radio reaches even the interior and community channels may need interesting information and truth can be disseminated.
Unless we move these thoughts and truths on a war footing they will be made travesty of truths over the years and we will slowly “Myths” being created over the years on these truths as it happened thru the 250 years of the white man rule.
Regards,
vck
vck: Re “These may be published in the form of a small booklet and then distributed in languages of various types at all the different melas held in India.“, please email me at JaiDharma AT gmail.com
I have some ideas that I would like to discuss with you.
Thanks
Sure. I will get in touch with you.
vck
From My neighbour, the environmentalist by RAHUL PANDITA, August 8, 2014:
..
But besides his false avowal, Mr. Geelani, in practice, is opposed to the idea of sharing Kashmir with non-Muslims, especially the Pandits. A few days ago, owing to his strong opposition, the State government withdrew permission to a small group of Pandits to undertake the historical Konsar Nag yatra in south Kashmir.
…
A journalist friend in Kashmir calls Mr. Geelani’s strategy to thwart Hindu pilgrimages such as Konsar Nag as a “multistage rocket.†The first stage involves terming such yatras as a “threat to [the] environment.†Then, very systematically, they are termed as “conspiracies to change Kashmir’s demography.†Then, as it happened in the case of Konsar Nag, Mr. Geelani fires his last salvo by denying the Valley’s Hindu past. “The Hindus had no stake over Konsar Nag,†he claimed.
..
In Nilmat Puran, the 6th century text on Kashmir, Konsar Nag is referred to as Kramasara (Kram: footstep, Sar: lake), and has been worshipped as Vishnupad (Vishnu’s footstep). According to the renowned Kashmir scholar, Shashi Shekhar Toshkhani, the Puran refers to it as a “sacred place†where “even evil-minded people are freed from their sins.†In Kathasaritsagara, a well-known 11th century collection of stories in Sanskrit by Kashmiri Brahmin scholar, Somadeva, Konsar (Kousar) Nag is referred to as the spot where Lord Vishnu put one of his three steps as Vaaman avatar.
…
From time immemorial, Kashmiri Pandits used to visit the lake in small groups, till this chain was broken in 1989 due to militancy.
…
In the last few years, Kashmir’s Hindu and Buddhist past have been subjected to large-scale effacement at the hands of radical elements in the Valley. Even Sufi dargahs have not been spared. One would think that Mr. Geelani is really concerned about environmental degradation in Kashmir. But how is it possible that a small group of 40 pilgrims could cause more pollution than tourists and local residents who are free to visit the lake, or than large groups of school children who are taken there for excursion?
The fact is that Mr. Geelani uses “environment†as a metonym for “you are not welcome here.â€
…
In the last two-and-a-half decades of insurgency, environmental laws have been rampantly violated in Kashmir, often with the connivance of the State administration. Unauthorised construction and illegal encroachments have pushed lakes such as the Dal, the Anchar, the Nigeen, and the Wular to the brink of extinction. Hyderpora, from where Mr. Geelani issues his diktats, is in Badgam district where at least 200 unauthorised brick kilns operate in brazen violation of over 12 environmental and other laws of the land. These kilns have wreaked havoc with the land and local water bodies, causing major ruin of agriculture.
…
As The Hindu has reported in the past, over a dozen cement plants of big business houses are operating close to the Dachigam National Park, which is home to, among other animal species, the endangered Kashmir stag, Hangul. Some of these plants are owned by a prominent business family from north Kashmir’s Sopore — Geelani’s home town.
An investigative report in a local daily, Kashmir Monitor, on August 4 pointed out the “unabated timber smuggling†in several parts of south Kashmir.
Wonderng wht our newly-minted environmentalist Sh Geelani has to say abt the environmental impact of air-fare subsidy for Haj
From Truth vs Fiction: Why have Kashmiri Pandits been denied permission for Konsar Nag Yatra? by Sunanda Vashisht, Monday, 11 August 2014 (On the Konsar/Kousar Nag controversy):
Where does this incident leave the exiled Hindus of Kashmir who are hoping to go back to their homes? Back to square one, I’m afraid.
…
It is clear Hindus are welcome only as tourists. They can come, visit their holy sites as tourists and go back. But if they show any kind of claim over what is rightfully theirs, mayhem will follow.
This incident also exposes the farce that the Muslims of the valley want the Hindus to return and live with them. I did not hear a single Muslim voice defying Geelani’s diktat. Not one ‘liberal’ Muslim voice in the valley spoke for the rights of the Pandits to visit their holy shrine via the traditional route of Kulgam. Those who rioted on the streets of Srinagar for Gaza did not even bat an eyelid when permission for the yatra was revoked. ‘Kashmiriyat’ is long dead. I hope it gets a decent burial in the hearts of bleeding heart liberals who propose ‘Kashmiriyat’ as panacea to all the sorrows and suffering of the Pandits.
…Kashmiri Pandits have been protesting for a long time for the passage of the Hindu Temples and Shrines Bill, long pending in the state Assembly.
The Pandits have alleged that government agencies are forcibly taking over the land and property owned by temples and Hindu religious places. Resettlement of Hindus in Kashmir is a long shot which will not happen anytime soon. In the mean time, to restore the confidence of the Hindus , this bill could be passed by the state legislature. Knowing the ground reality however, I won’t hold my breath.
A somewhat unrelated but delightful nugget on “Konsar Nag”, courtesy a post by Walter Slaje (slaje at t-online.de) on an Indology group on May 8, 2010:
Śrīvara, the Kashmirian court Pandit of Sultan Zayn (r. AD 1418/20 1470), was a noted Brahmin musician. His Rajatarangini (ed. Kaul 1966) abounds in references to musical performances, of which the one quoted below (1.4.34-36) deserves particular attention:
[34][Being myself] an expert in music of all kinds, I took an [ordinary] gourd lute in my hand [and] by playing it displayed my skills in new musical modulations. [35]Others such as Ǧa‛far [joined in] also and sang difficult Turkish tunes with me accompanied by the lute, in front of the Sulá¹Än. [36]While we were singing a song in twelve [different] modes in the ssembly, the tones [formed] from strings and voices seemed to reach perfect harmony out of [mutual] affection.
As to the Gitagovinda, cp. 1.5.99f:
[99]He then embarked on a boat surrounded by five or six boatswains and sailed out to Lake [Kramasaras], taking Bhaá¹á¹a Siṃha and me along with him. [100]When I sang the Sulá¹Än songs from the GÄ«tagovinda [there], he became immersed in love for Kṛṣṇa on listening to them, overcome with the particular sentiment [corresponding to my recital].
Lake Kramasaras is mod. Konsar Nag (elevation c. 15,000 feet) below Naubandha Peak on the Pir Pantsal.
Best, WS