Land of Kashyapa - Page #7 - Hari Parbat fort

Hari Parbat fort

A long time ago Kashmir valley was a glacial lake. As per legend, when Sage Kashyapa prayed to Vishnu asking him to drain the lake, the Lord as Varaha (Boar) opened a path for the river at what is called Baramulla today (Varahamula). Geology says that tectonic activity opened up a deep fault / gorge for Jhelum to flow westward and then south to join the Chenab river.
But I read in an article that when this place was a lake, Hari-Parbat was amongst the islands that existed. Also known as Kooh-e-Maran, the hillock rises about 400 feet from the floor of the valley and thus was a vantage location for a fort. Sri Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan says that though Akbar started work in 1590, the Mughals didn't end what they started to do. When the empire waned after Aurangzeb the Afghan Durranis took control of Kashmir and in 1808 completed the fort.
Kashmiri Pundits pray the Hari Parbat as Maa Parvati. She is worshipped as Sharika (as cosmic energy pervading the universe) with 8 arms and sitting in Shri Chakra. There is a mosque and and a Gurudwara in as well on location.
There have been instances of Pakistan and Taliban flags being hoisted on the fort. "The Indian government on 15 August 2021 (the 75th independence day) hoisted a 100 feet tall Indian flag on the top of the fort." We were happy to make a picture with the flag on the fort. From anywhere in the city the fort and the flag are visible. The fort is fully litup during night and from the city, looks outstanding.


If you are in Srinagar do climb the fort around noon or in the evening to have spectacular views of the city and the Dal Lake. The climb is not very difficult. You need to show your ID to the Army folks who guard the fort and be ready for checks.







The place is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
Sriram(Hari)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Land of Kashyapa - Page#13 - Bumzua Cave

Image
Bumzua Cave The Bumzuva Cave and Temple north of Mattan in Anantnag is on the list of monuments of national importance in Jammu and Kashmir maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Bumzua cave is carved out of a limestone cliff. Bumzua cave is reached via a narrow pathway from an unremarkable road. There is Zero respect for an ASI property that belongs to the 12th century. I suspect it is more so because it belongs to a "kafir". At the foot of the caves, are two temples that have been converted into Muslim Ziarats (tombs).  There is not one ruin that we went to and did not find an intrusive building of another faith. Cunningham the historian notes that..."The history of Martand or Mattan is incomplete without any mention of Bumzua, a sleepy hamlet at a distance of one Kilometer and situated at the mouth of the Lidder, more known for the cave temple, dedicated to the Kaldeva that stands at the far end of a natural, but artificially enlarged fissure in the lim...
Read more

Land of Kashyapa - Page#16 - Awantipora

Image
Awantipora Wherever we went in Kashmir I saw copper utensils that were tastefully decorated in floral motifs and geometrical patterns. The most beautiful thing I saw was a copper Samovar that served delicious "Kahwah" tea. The mountains of this place have copper deposits which have been mined since ancient times by Kings to mint currency. Much before Islam came to this place, Kings had been minting coins in silver and copper. Successful Kings were able to keep prices of essentials low and affordable for the masses. The currency of Kashmir in ancient India was complex and structured. Currencies were graded as Kowri, Bahagain, Punsu, and Hath. I read that even Dinar was a currency - only that its value was ridiculously very small. The need to mention the coinage and currency is to help the reader understand why history gives great importance to the lowering of prices of grain when it talks about kings like Avantivarman. It is said that during his time the price of paddy showed ...
Read more

Land of Kashyapa - Page#12 - Martand Sun Temple

Image
Martand Sun Temple Traveling 60 kilometers south of Srinagar along the path of river Jhelum, one would arrive in the city of Anantnag. I was surprised to learn that some locals still call it Islamabad. The name Anantnag comes from Ananta, the great serpent of Vishnu and the emblem of eternity. 10 kilometers east of the city and on the road to Pahalgam, are the ruins of the once magnificent Sun temple built by Lalitaditya Muktapida. The location is now called Mattan - perhaps from the name Marthand. From a distance, the 75 feet high temple ruins standing on a modest platform looked as if they were torn down by the hands of fate. Every possible piece of rock has been moved out of its place. If you look at the picture of the main structure, two outer walls (which I believe are retaining walls to the main columns) have been pulled equally outside of the plinth. The main structure is magically being held on by the arches and its keystones. The outer corridor presents a picture of wanton de...
Read more