Roots and Reflections - Exploring Ideas, Experiences and Wisdom

Arnimal: 8th Century Poetess of Kashmir Kashmir - the paradise on earth is famous for giving birth to many poets and poetesses from ancient time. One of the famous and inspiring poetess of 8th century was Arnimal. She did poetry on the tradition and style of the most famous and great poetess Habba Khatoon who is  household name in Kashmir. Arnimal was born in village Palhalan Pattan Kashmir near Srinagar. She was married at a very young age to one Munshi Bhawani Das Kachroo. Arnimal was born in 1737. She was known for her heartfelt and simple kashmiri poetry. Unfortunately her husband Munshi Bhawani Dass Kachroo abandoned her and left for the Afghan court in Kabul. All this misfortune pained and shocked Arnimal and she began to do poetry on the pangs of her separation from her husband. She expressed the pain of separation from her husband in her poetry. Theme and Contents of Arnimal's Poetry: In her poetry, she in fact expressed longing and sorrow of her separation which she could ...

                (Image courtesy: Internet) Lalleshwari: The Mystic Soul of Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir has given birth to many saints and Faquirs in ancient times or we can say that the land of Kashmir is rightly called Reshvaer or Reshi Vaer because of it being the land of saints and Godly men. She was born on 1320 and left this mortal world on 1392. Lalleshwari left her parents home at the tender age of merely 12 years and to marry a Pandit boy. Her fathers name is Chandra Ju Bhat. It was at the age of 26 years that she renounced her in-laws house and went for realising God. Folklore recalls severe mistreatment by her mother-in-law, who often placed a large stone underneath a thin layer of rice on Lal Ded’s plate to make it look like a full, heavy meal. Lal Ded bore these hardships silently and with immense patience. She had enough faith in Shiva and she meditated on Shiva. She is called by many names such as Lal Ded, Lali Arifa, Padmavathi, Lales...

Background and Introduction of Mata Kulwagishuri Temple:  (Sacred Pond/Nag/Chashma)                        (Entrance of temple) Whole Jammu and Kashmir has been a pious land of temples, shrines, saints, seers and faquirs'. So kulgam is no exception to this truth. The Kulwagishori temple/shrine is a very famous and sacred shrine in south Kashmir. It is situated in the Bongam area of Kulgam and in the vicinity of the river Kawl and historic Vishaw. It is located at the most scenic natural beauty. There is a stone statue of Mata Kulwagishori in the temple building and devotees used to visit this shrine from far and wide of Kulgam before militancy and migration. Kashmiri Pandits have much faith and belief in Mata Kulwagishori shrine. It is historically, culturally and religiously very famous so much so that it is believed that Kulgam had derived its name from Kulwagiswari  and it is rightly so and thus both Indus and Musl...

Introduction: Kashmir is considered a land of the Rishis, saints, sages and mystics who enriched the Valley with their knowledge, rich experience and ascetic life. The Valley of Kashmir has given the world numerous holy men and women who taught people about the values of compassion, selflessness, detachment and self-realization. Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj was a great ascetic who devoted his life to the God, wisdom, service and establishing Dharma. Through his asceticism and preaching, people found true knowledge about themselves and the meaning of human life.                   (Image Courtesy: Internet) The Beginning of an Extraordinary Spiritual Journey: Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj was born in 1920 on the auspicious occasion of Janamashtami at Panzmulla in Anantnag. His father, Late Shri Ram Chand Taploo, was a humble farmer who brought him up with traditional values. From his early childhood, however, Swami Ji displayed an extraordinary incl...

Introduction: Shamas Faquir does not need any introduction as every one knows it well that he is a great poetic and mystic of the 19th century. He is the mystic and poetic of sufi school and his poetry is full of sufiyana thought  he has watered sufism with his sweat and blood. His poetry has the tinge and fragrance of sufism. He has an important place in the devotional poetry of Kashmir. He was born in 1843 in Chinkral Mohalla, near Habbakadal Srinagar Kashmir. His original and first name is Mohammad Sidiq Sheikh but he is known and famous as Shamas Faquir. He passed away at the age of 57 years in 1901 and his resting place is Braripora Shamshabad,  Budgam. His main interests were sufism and Tasawuf. He is also called as Shamas Seab and Shah Samas. He was a staunch Muslim and followed sufism.                (Resting place of Shamas Faquir) Childhood days and his career: Shamas Faquir became a disciple of various sufi saint. He went to A...

Wahab Khar: A celebrated Sufi poet Wahab Khar a celebrated Sufi poet of the Kashmir of yester years needs no introduction as people are aware of his poetic and Sufi genius. His name stands tall among a large number of the Sufi poets. He occupies a special position and place in the cherished tradition of Sufi poets. Wahab Khar is the 19th century Sufi poet and it was the time of many political ,social and cultural upheavals in Kashmir. Despite these changes mystic Sufi poets and their life and teachings had much impact on the then society and these poets continued to give direction to the people in those good olden days.                  (Image courtesy: Internet) Wahab Khar took birth in a modest family and he was simple, humble and devoted his life in the search of truth and God. Just like other Sufi poets his life too cannot be separated from his poetry as his poetry contained his journey in search of truth and ultimate reality as well as t...

              (Image source: Internet)  Background:   Kashmir had given birth to many great saints, seers, poets. poetesses who have excelled in their sainthood and poetic greatness respectively. One of such great poetess and ascetic was a kashmiri Muslim women known as Habba Khatoon also famous as the nightingale of Kashmir. She has got an important place in Kashmiri culture and language. She had and continues to mesmerise Kashmiris by her melodious and sweet voice and her poetry is even today on the tongue of the elders Kshmiris both Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. Habba Khatoon has enriched Kashmiri language, poetry and culture by her poetic and mystic contributions. She was 16th century poetess and ascetic and has greatly influenced Kashmiri language and culture by her poetry and she has carved her name in the then culture fabric of Kashmir and her sweet voice and style of singing is a feast to human mind. Her poetry is based on th...

                    Samad Mir: The mystic voice of Kashmir:                            Samad Mir was a great sufi saint and poet of repute of Kashmir. He was the mystic and poet of Kashmir of the 19th century and his name figures a top among poets and sufi saints of Kashmir. His name is taken by the people of Kashmir with reverence and respect. He has written his poetry in the mother tongue Kashmiri despite the fact that Persian  was at its peak in those good olden days. His poetry being in Kashmiri was understood by the Kashmiris and this also made Samad Mir a very popular poet and saint. Samad Mir has an  important place in Kashmiri literature and language as one of the finest sufi poets to whose credit goes the depth and dignity of Sufi poetry in Kashmiri language and verses. He lived a very simple life and was deeply immersed in the spiritual traditions o...

Kandur: The Traditional Bread Maker of Kashmir A kashmiri Kandur is a conventional bread maker who bakes various variety of breads in a clay tandoor oven. There is an intrinsic connection between Kandur and Kashmiri culture. Kandurs are spread throughout the length and breadth of the valley. They make use  clay tandoor and burn fire of woods to bake variety of breads. The shops of Kandur are called Kandurwan. The kandurwans are not only just the shops which sell variety of breads but it is social place where people assemble and discuss current news and social issues. It can be said to be a social place for gossips and conversations as well as interactions. There is a great cultural significance of Kandru’s in kashmiri culture and identity. Kashmiris start their day by morning tea especially none chai with which they eat Lavas, Girda, Teelworu etc. With the militancy and migration of the Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu and other places, the Kashmiri Kandur-the bread makers have also set u...

Riche Ded was born in Srinagar in 1880. She lived an disciplined life giving little importance to material things. The name Riche Ded means "Noble Lady" and Riche Ded lived as if this name was true. Riche Ded’s spirituality and poetry were compared to those of Lal Ded, a mystic from the century. Riche Ded had her own voice and her own special pain. While Lal Ded’s poems were passed down orally. Riche Ded’s poems stayed hidden for years. People saw Riche Ded as a devout woman. Many believed Riche Ded had healing powers. Yet what made Riche Ded special was her kindness. Riche Ded helped people of all religions and backgrounds. She did not make and see any difference. Riche Ded showed a way of peace and tolerance. Riche Ded never used anger or fights. Riche Ded’s life was about service and harmony. Riche Ded’s life had moments. Her husband, Janardhan Kaul "Sagar" was a learned man. He spoke Urdu, Persian, Arabic, English, Hindi and Sanskrit. He was a writer and poet. I...

                  (Image Source: Internet)  Kashmir has no dearth of men and poets of fame. Dina Nath Koul Nadim was one of the great poets of 20th century. His name stands written in the history of progressive poets as he was an outstanding poet of progressive movement and was immensely influenced by the life,poetry and works of greatest poet Mahjoor. Nadim was born on 18th March 1916 in Srinagar city. It is no exaggeration to state that with him began an era of modern poetry. He was a famous poet of Kashmir and all Kashmiris' regarded and respected him & his poetry reverberates even today in Kashmir. Nadim Saheb led the progressive writers movement in Kashmir and his name is etched in the memory of Kashmiris progressive fraternity and he was famous in the literary circles of Kashmir. Being a down-to-earth man he initially began writing poetry in Urdu and Hindi language but later on switched to his mother tongue Kashmiri and his gre...

      (Photo of Famous Kashmiri Poet Arjan                                  Dev Majboor)  (Family Photograph of Kashmiri Poet Arjan                            Dev Majboor)  Arjan Dev Majboor was a scholar, teacher, humanist and above all a poet of repute. He was famous in literary and linguistic circles and with hard work and concentration as well as by his poetry, he created an exalted position in J&K’s literary circles. Majboor Saheb was a villager, simple, honest, punctual, hard-working and down-to-earth man. He was well educated and qualified. He was MA Hindi and BT and he wrote poetry in Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri. Arjan Dev has also penned down several books. Pt. Arjan Dev Majboor was a well known poet and educationist and was born on 16th of August 1924 at Zanapora, district Pulwama Kashmir. For over ...

Pt. Prem Nath Dogra is a famous political and social leader of Jammu and Kashmir. Dogra Shaib was a true nationalist and a great patriot and his contribution in founding and launching the agitation under the banner of Prja Parshad cannot be exaggerated. This movement was the apt reply to the forces inimical to the countries unity, integrity and above all nationalism. Prem Nath Dogra had a humble beginning and he was born in a humble family of Brahmins in village Smailpur some twenty kms from Jammu. He was born on 24th October 1884. Panditjee completed his basic education in his village and passed matriculation in 1904 from Lahore. He also did graduation and was appointed as Tehsildar at Akhnoor by the then British government. In 1910 Pt. Jee was posted at Udhampur as Assistant settlement officer. Later on he was deputed to Jammu with the powers of Munsiff. In 1931 Pandit jee was appointed as Wazir Wazar-e-Wazarat at Muzafarabad, where he became very popular among the people. Due to the...