Land of Kashyapa - Page#22 - Naranag, a Yatra and the massacre of the Hindus

Land of Kashyapa - Page#22

Naranag, a Yatra and the massacre of the Hindus

To understand the importance of Naranag one has to understand the importance of Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra.

Situated at 16,870 feet above the sea-level, the Harmukh Peak is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva. Since time immemorial, Kashmiri Pandits have been carrying the ashes of their departed souls for immersion in the Gangabal lake, which is locally believed to be the Ganges of the Hindus. The Gangabal Lake also called Haramukh ganga, is situated at the foot of Mount Haramukh. The lake is considered sacred in Hinduism and is one of the homes of Lord Shiva. Kashmiri Hindus perform the annual pilgrimage of Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra after performing Puja at the Naranag temple. The Yatra trek is a 36-km journey on foot.
The Yatra is performed during Ganga Ashtami which is a ritual dedicated to the dead ancestors, parents, and relatives. It falls during the month of September. The ashes of those who had died during the past year are immersed in Gangabal lake.

Let's revisit some happenings of 1518 AD here - "During the Chak period of Kashmir history, Muslim bigotry and intolerance touched a new crescendo, and Hindus were brutalized, tortured, and killed on an unprecedented scale...Shams-ud-Din Araki, a frightful crusader from Talish on the shores of Caspian sea, had two stints in Kashmir, one in the times of Sultan Hasan Shah and the other during the reign of Mohammad Shah. His stay in Kashmir was highly controversial as he clandestinely propagated the canons and credos of Shia Sect of Islam, which the Sunni Muslims bitterly resented and opposed, thus setting the ground and pace for Shia-Sunni strifes and feuds. Shams Iraqi's mission and role in Kashmir was the same stamping out and extirpation of infidelity and he in his conversion campaigns was extended all manner of support and succour by the governments led by Musa Raina and Kaji Chak, who as principal converts to his faith executed his fiats and played a second fiddle to him."

"Thus in the year A.H. 924 (A.D. 1518), corresponding to 94th year of Kashmiri calendar, during the 'Ashura, about seven to eight hundred infidels were put to death. Those killed were the leading personalities of the community of infidels at that time: men of substance and government functionaries."

In the year after the massacre, that is 1519 AD, a large group of Kashmiri Hindus took the pilgrimage to Gangabal lake carrying the ashes of the 850-odd Pandits who were massacred for immersion. 10000 Hindus - you read it right - Ten Thousand Hindus were massacred again. Let that sink in. After that horrific genocide which the world does not want you to know, it took nearly 400 years for the yatra to begin. Only from 2009, the yatra has restarted.

"Tohfatu'l-Ahbab" is a biography of Shamsu'd-Din Muhammad Araki by Muhammad Ali Kashmiri (written in 1642) : It records the following:

"As many as eighteen big temples in the city of Srinagar and in the rural areas of the valley were completely destroyed under the instructions and orders of Shams-ud-Din Iraqi and Malik Musa Raina." "At the behest of Shams Iraqi, Musa Raina had ordered 1500 to 2000 infidels to be brought to his door-steps every day by his followers. They would remove their sacred threads, administer Kalima to them, circumcise them and thrust lumps of beef into their mouths,'' mentions Tohfatul Ahbab.

"Naranag is the modern name of ancient Sodaratirtha which was an important place of

pilgrimage from early times. It contains two groups of temples. The first comprises six temples constructed with colonnades. It has a pyramidal roof and a domical ceiling. The two sides which are closed are decorated externally. The second group of temples is enclosed in a peristyle pierced by a two-chambered gateway"

"At the feet of the mighty Buteshar (Bhuteshwar) mountains lies one of the most important archaeological sites in the country, the Naranag temple. In around 220 BC, King Jaluka built the Shiva temples of Bhuteshwara, Jyestarudra, and Muthas around the spring site in Naranag. King Jayendra used the shrine to worship Shiva Bhutesha in 61 BC. After a victorious season, King Lalitaditya Muktipada (Naga Karakota Dynasty) made a sizable donation to the shrine between 713 and 735 AD. And lastly, between 855 and 883 AD, King Avantivarman assumed the job of building a stone pedestal with a silver conduit for the bathing of sacred idols at the shrine."

"At Naran Nag, there are temples erected in honor of Siva Bhutesa and Siva Ugresa. Bhairava together with a 'circle of mothers' (Matrachakra) is worshipped close to Bhutesa temple. As Bhairva is connected with bloody sacrifices, his shrines are kept some distance away from those of other deities. Matrachakra refers to the Saivite goddesses, the Sapta Matrka or seven mothers, representing Life and Death, radiant loveliness and hideous ugliness."

The drive to Naranag is scenic. That such a beautiful and divine location can exist on earth has to be seen to be believed. The location of the temple ruins with the backdrop of the Haramukuta mountains (diadem of Shiva) will make any devout Hindu weep!

There were cows and goats on the ruins and I made a low-angle picture. The goat looking forlornly at the lord seemed to me as if it were Daksha Prajapati in the Chamakam - asking for :

“Balam cha may, oojas cha may, sahas cha may, aayus cha may, Jaraas cha may, aathmaas cha may, thanus cha may, sarmas cha may, varmas cha may…”

“Strength of organs for gaining knowledge are with me, Strength of sensory organs are with me, Strength of soul is with me, Strength to defeat enemies is with me, “.

The flare of light on the Goat seemed to me as if Shiva were listening to the pleadings of the followers of Sanatana Dharma.!

Sriram(Hari)