Kashmir:
The Crown of India
Kashmir
occupies a special place in India, because of its
geographic location, its scenic splendour, and its
great contributions to the arts and culture of
India. In the history of our Republic is written
another chapter on the
unique issue of Kashmir.
Its strategic position adds one more dimension to
the overall security of this sub-continent.
Geographically
and climatically Kashmir is the child of the
mighty Himalayas receiving in abundance the
paternal grace in the form of captivating scenic
beauty, lush green pastures and lofty glistening
snow covered mountain peaks which capture the
changing hues of the brilliant sun, in a hundred
thousand ways, the ever gurgling rivers and
rivulets and the great lakes of mythological fame.
In her valleys grow the rarest of trees and herbs,
including the most precious of all flowers - the
Kesar (Saffron). In her forest are found the best
pines and deodars. From her orchards come apples,
apricots, pears, walnuts and cherries of different
kinds. On her green meadows graze the lambs
bearing the most exquisite wool fit to drape the
Gods. Her Dal lake and her house boats, Gulmarg
and her glaciers have made her an international
tourist spot. What to talk of her temples, the
dream of every devout Hindu - the Holy Amarnath
where thousands and thousands trek to every year,
regardless of inclement weather and a host of
other dangers; the Shiva temple, the Kshir Bhawani,
all with their lofty associations with great
masterminds and the impeccable Shaivite
philosophy. Surely the name of Kashmir should
conjure up a thrill in all Indians.
Through the
following web pages, we invite the attention of
the readers, not only to the beauty and grandeur
of this land but also the significant
contributions made by it to the fine arts and
culture of India.
 Swami
Ashokananda as I Knew
He
was born in a poor Mukherjee Brahmin family in a
small village in Jessore district now in Bangla
Desh. When he was of three years age, hisfather
died and he was left alone with his elder brother
aged 12 and widowed mother. Being poor, they had
to live a hard life on the earnings of the lady
and her first son.
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 Nagadandi:
Some Reminiscences
Foremost
among Kashmiri Saints was the
great mystic "seer",
Lalleshwari, popularly known as
Lal Ded (Mother Lalla), who
profoundly influenced the thought
and life of her contemporaries and
whose sayings still touch the
Kashmiri's ear, as well as the
chords of his heart, and are
freely quoted by him as maxims on
appropriate occasions.
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Buddhism in Kashmir
'Nilmata Purana' (the
Purana of Kashmir) refers to the gaity with which the Vaishakha Purnima-the
day on which Buddha was born, attained 'Bodhi' and 'Mahanirvana' - used
to be celebrated in the picturesome vale of Kashmir. Buddhist Chaityas -
Stupas' used to be decorated with flowersand paintings. Lord Buddha's
statues used to be decorated with Aushdhis and Ratan. This tradition
continued almost to the eleventh century A. D. Kshemendra (10th-11th A.
D.) started the writing of his famous treatise 'Avdhankalaplataon' on this
auspicious day.
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Kashmir's Contribution to
Indian Culture
Some scholars in the Centre
of Central Asian Studies of Kashmir University are probing in the direction
of establishing the thesis that First man appeared in the Kashmir Valley.
This has reference also to the Burzahom excavation and the remains of the so
called pit-dwellers found there. All scientists agree that the earliest Homo
Erectus named as Ramapithecus Panjabicus appeared in the Northern parts of
India situated just south of Kashmir. >>>
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Kashmir: The
Fountainhead of Indian Culture
From
the time of the beginning of the formation of the
present Asian continent, Kashmir has remained an
unseparable part of Indian Peninsula. This
unchallengeable geographical truth has been
expressed by Kalidasa in the first verse in Kumara
Sambhava giving the description of the northern
boundary of India thus
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An Outline of
the History of Kashmir
Kashmir
is perhaps, to possess an authentic account of its
history from the very earliest period. This past
account of the valley, its culture and traditions,
rise and fall of various Kingdoms, victory and
defeats of the people have been noted carefully,
yet critically by the sons of its soil. True it
is, that the Kashmiriat literature is very rich in
information about Kashmir. >>>
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Some Marvels of
Kashmir
The
happy valley of Kashmir is well known throughout
the world for its Natural beauty. Here nature has
been prodigal enough in crowning this ancient land
with all its splendour and glory. Gulmarg,
Pahalgam and Mughal gardens attract visitors from
all over the world. Its lakes, green meadows,
dancing and foaming streams, majestic forests full
of fir and pine, snow-capped peaks are common
attractions to the outsider as well as to the
native. >>>
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Kashmir's Place
in the Cultural Mosaic of India
Kashmir
suddenly flashed into the world news when
Pakistani marauders came over the mountains to
annex Kashmir by force. Although repeated attempts
to annex Kashmir on the flimsy ground of majority
Muslim population, have been frustrated in the
recent past, grim clouds of a more organized
attempt, backed by modern arms and armoury that
are being supplied to Pakistan, are again
gathering in meancing proportions. >>>
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Kashmir School
of Painting
The
Kashmir school of painting is an obscure topic in
the otherwise scholarly field of Indian art
history, although much has been written about the
ancient Kashmiri architecture and sculpture in
recent times. It is true that Kashmir yields no
archaeological remains of paintings nor do we know
anything regarding the painting to reorganise the
chronological history of painting in Kashmir. This
paucity of archaeological material, of course,
poses a severe lacuna in reorganisation and
interpretation of the history of painting of
Kashmiri people in early days but nevertheless it
means that painting was an unknown or omitted
discipline of fine arts to the Kashmiri society.
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Saivism in
Prospect and Retrospect
The
circuitous upper valley of Vitasta, is the famous
Kashmir in the Himalayan region. There are
Harimukh (Haramukta) and Amarnath mounts,
branches off from the great Himalayas a little
further east, proceeds due south and encircling
the sources of Vitasta, turns north west, where it
is called Pir Pantsal or Panchaldhara now Banihal
range). These lesser mountains of the Himalayas
surround the valley of Kashmir on all sides;
leaving only a narrow outlet for the Vitasta at
Baramulla. Kashmir valley is thus surrounded by
the Himalayas and Vitasta has been the life and
source for the socio-economic welfare of Kashmir.
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