Vasak Nag
by Chander M. Bhat
Vasak Nag
Sanyaasai
Ha Gosaaney, Kuney Kaanay Yekh Na Vaaney,
Vasak
Nag Tchu Yooni Kaanay, Kuney Kaanay Yekh Na Vaaney.
Krishan
Joo Razdan
Vasuki
is a Sanskrit word for a naga,
one of the serpents of Hindu mythology. He is a
great king of the naga and has a gem on his head. Manasa,
another naga,
is his sister. The famous legend in Hinduism in
which Vasuki
took part was the incident of Samudra
Manthan, the churning of the ocean of milk. In
the legend, Vasuki
allowed devas (gods) and the Asuras
(demons) to bind him to Mount Mandara (name of a
mountain located on the highway between Bhagalpur
and Dumka which was used as a churning rod to churn
the ocean of milk) and use him as their churning
rope to extract the ambrosia of immortality from the
ocean of milk. In the Bhagvada Gita (Chapter 10,
verse 28) Lord Krishana explains his omnipresence by
proclaiming, “Of weapons I am the thunderbolt;
among cows I am the Surbhi.
Of causes of procreation I am Kamdeva and of
serpents I am Vasuki.”
Vasak
Nag also known as Sarsa
is located in the erstwhile Devsar
Pargana at the base of a mountain near Wagam in
Kund area near Qazigund in South Kashmir. The holy
spring is the ancient Vasuki
Nag pilgrimage of Kashmiri Pandits. Vasak
Nag is a fairly large spring and is dedicated to
Vasak the satellite of Shiva. It
flows for six months and runs dry for six months. A
week before it begins to flow the wind blows very
hard, there are rain and thunder storms, and people
of the area say, “Vasak Nag is coming”. A large stream flows out of it and irrigates
a large area. The water of this stream will run five
water mills. This
stream flows gracefully between willow orchards and
turfy banks covered with yellow buttercups,
columbines and forget-me-nots.
As soon as the autumn irrigation of the paddy
fields is over and the crops are ripe, it runs dry.
A story goes that a monk took Vasak
Nag away in his wallet to irrigate the arid
parts somewhere during winter, but the legend is
something else. My respected father Pt. Dina Nath
Bhat used to tell me the stories about Vasak
Nag when I was reading in 6th
standard. He was a regular visitor to this shrine. I
can very well recall one of his stories which go
like this, “In the month of April, one elderly
Kashmiri Pandit namely Pt. Neel Kanth Pandita of
village Levdoora heard an un-usual sound during the
day in the month of April. He became curious and
went out in the fields to see the source of these
sounds. To his surprise he saw a big snake crawling
through the fields and going towards South. On the
next day the news spread like a wild fire that Vasak
Nag is full of waters. It is a belief that the
water of Vasak
Nag comes back on trithiur
tray. According to Hassan’s account, though
not confirmed, the water continues to ooze till the
end of Bhadrapad,
when paddy ripens, after which the water suddenly
disappears and re-appears at a place at Bhaderwah
(since the history of Bhaderwah for the pre-historic
and pre-epic period is closely linked with the
history of Kashmir) and flows there for six months.
The phenomenon reverses for the next six months. The
shrine is spread over an area of about 8 kanals of
land and has a number of Chinar trees.
Now
the question arises, where the water does goes for
six months. There is a legend and a folk lore too
that the waters of this spring goes to Bhaderwah
during winter. Bhaderwah also known as “Nagon
Ki Bhoomi”, the land of snakes, a land of
natural beauty, clear streams, green turf,
magnificent trees and mighty mountains enveloped
with glistering snow peaks is the abode of the Vasak
Nag for six months. Numerous Naga
chiefs ruled Kashmir when the valley was a lake. One
water borne dragon named Jallodbhava,
started killing and eating Nagas
living in the lake relentlessly with the result many
Nagas and
their subjects migrated to different directions for
safety. Some went to Kishtwar and Bhaderwah, the
nearby areas of the valley. The folk legends and the
Purnic traditions
mention that notable Naga
chief like Gamani Nag, Kali
Nag and Pant Nag whose temples and springs still exist at different places
in Kishtwar migrated to Kishtwar and settled there.
Right back in Kashmir, after the death of Kashyap
Rishi, succession dispute started amongst his
sons born from two queens Kadru
and Vanita. From Kadru were
born Vasuki
Nag, Shesh Nag and Mahel Nag
and their elder sister Bhadra
(Bhaderkali) while Garud
and his brothers were born from Vanita. Garud the
eldest son attempted to eliminate Vasuki and his
brothers. Bhaderkali had already shifted to
Bhaderwah and settled there as ruling queen. She
extended invitation to Vasuki and his brothers to come to Bhaderwah for safety. Bhadra
divided her territory amongst the three brothers.
The Maon
Bhaderwah valley on the left bank of Neeru was given
to Vasuki. The temples of Vasuki
Nag at Bhaderwah are located at village Galtha,
Nalthi, Bheja and Nagar Bhaderwah where many locals
worship them as its ‘Kul Devi’ but at present it is believed that village Nalthi with
more than 100 springs is the abode of Vasuki
in Bhaderwah. The
idol of Vasuki
at Nalthi is marvellous and a wonder of art and
sculpture. Two idols of Nagraj
Vasuki and Raja Jamute Vahan are made of black
stone which stands at an angle of 88o
without any support from either side.
After
settling her brothers at Bhaderwah, Bhadarkali
migrated back to Kashmir valley and settled at a
village Wadipora situated at a distance of about
seven km from Handwara, and at present the temple
existed in the midst of pine trees on a hill top.
This temple is being maintained by Rashtriya Rifles
at present. Bhaderkali is the Isht
Devi (family deity) of some Kashmiri Pandit
families. One more temple of Vasak Nag is located at Gandh Top, some 30 km from Ram Nagar on the
way to Dudu Basantgarh in Udhampur District. The
temple is located at an idyllic location on the top
of a ridge, providing a magnificent panoramic view
on all sides. Another temple of Vasak
Nag forms the part of village Batyari near
village Khagote some 13 km from Udhampur on the way
to Ram Nagar.
Notes
and References:
-
Kashmiri
Pandit: Culture and Heritage by Shri C.L.Koul.
Dictionary
of Hindu Lore and Legend by Shri Anna L.
Dallapiccola.
History
of Bhaderwah by Shri Swami Raj Sharma.
Kashmir:
History & People by S.R.Bakshi.
Temple
Architecture of the Western Himalaya; Wooden
Temple by Shri Omacanda Handa.
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