The
Wonder Saint of Kashmir
Nand
Babh the Omniscient
by
Justice Janki Nath Bhat & Prithvi Nath Razdan
(Mahanoori)
Edited by:
Prof. Gopi Kishen Muju
Who
is there in Srinagar who has not seen at one time
or the other, a quick-walking, queer-looking
nimble man with a big hat on his head and a tight
belt round his waist, taking long strides in quick
succession along the streets of the city and
elsewhere ?
Swami Nand Lal
(Nand Babh ji)
1896-1973
This thin tall man, with
a big walking stick in one hand and a bunch of
papers in another, was none other than late Swami
Nand lal Ji of Nunar Village. A couple of his
devout disciples who followed him often found it
hard to keep pace with him. Son of Raj Guru of
Maharaja Amar Singh, Shri Shanker Sahib and his
wife Subadhra Ji, Swami Nand Lal Ji shifted his
residence from Purshyar, Habba Kadal, Srinagar to
Nunar Village, near Ganderbal enroute to
Tullamulla, to live with his brother who was
adopted by his maternal aunt there. He was
employed in the police department and posted at
Ladakh. His return from Ladakh proved to be a
turning point in his life. He took to spiritualism
and became a mystic saint.
A large number of
outstanding miracles are attributed to him. Some
of these miracles are described in the following
pages. The writer was deeply impressed by the
spontaneous display of love and affection shown
towards Swami Ji's mortal remains invariably by
all sections of people irrespective of caste and
creed, the high and the low alike while these were
being carried through the city to the cremation
ground at Karan Nagar, Srinagar in an elegantly
decorated truck. Pedestrians, householders,
shopkeepers ranking the road stood up in reverence
showering flowers, small sugar balls (shirin) etc.
on it in plenty as a mark of deep rooted respect
for the departed soul.
He showered his
munificence on all and sundry who went to him.
There were no barriers of caste, creed, colour or
religious beliefs in his holy Darbar. Members of
all communities flocked to him and were equally
benefitted with his spiritual bliss. He saw one of
his pious Muslim admirers rise to the highest
office of his choice and when their time came to
part with this mundane world for good, he said to
him (the disciple ) " Dear one, we have to go
home now ". Pointing to himself and to his
devout Muslim disciple, he said to him, "Two
coffins are needed, one for you and one for
me". What a prophecy. Soon the Muslim
admirer died and Swami Ji flowed him due course.
Reference to a coffin for Hindu looked odd at the
time. But on his demise in 1973, at New Delhi,
Swami Ji's mortal remains had to be embalmed and
put in a coffin before being flown to Srinagar for
final rites.
Ishwarswaroop Parmaswami Nandlalji Sahib Kaul
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