A panoramic view spanning about 5000 years, Cashmeer boosts of having a distinct and a recorded history. The Pre-modern era was the centre of Hinduism and later on the seat of Buddhist learning. The Trikha philosophy originated in the 9thcentury; in Kashmir Trikha was adopted as a consolidation of both Hinduism and Buddhism, better known as Shaivism.
The Shaviites worshipped the Triad female deities. However, the common lot of women here was not any better than the rest of them over the globe. The fact however remains true that the ancient society of Kashmir was mired in horrible customs and superstitions. Sati or the bride burning was prevalent, divorcing the wives on mere pretexts was a norm, polygamy was very common, and the females did not have any hereditary property rights under the Manu Smriti, child marriages were common so on and so forth.
However, historians have idealized the elevated position of women in the early epochs especially those belonging to the royalty of Kashmir in that they were women of learning and commanded clout in the political affairs of the State and had a lot more freedom.
One among such women who has of recent also found some mention was Kota Rani. She belonged to the ruling Hindu family. She had married Rinchin Shah the Ladakhi runaway prince at a time when Kashmir was in a state of political decline. He is also known as Sultan Sadar-ud-Din as he had converted to Islam after conquering Kashmir. She tried her level best to regain the Hindu regency by crowning Udyanadeva as the King and marrying him after the death of Rinchin Shah. This king was an incompetent coward and Kota Devi dispelled the invasion of Achala by mobilizing the common masses and negotiating with the invader.
Some writer’s say in the year 1339 she married Shah Mir/Shams-ud-Din Shah Mir, an official in her ministry who had overtaken the throne from her when both were at an advanced age, but subsequently committed suicide by stabbing herself. Thus with Kota Rani the Hindu rule came to an end.
Islam was readily accepted by the people of Kashyap Maer/Kashmir. There were mass conversions to Islam from the time of Rinchin Shah under the patronage of Bulbul Shah. But deep rooted customs and die-hard traditions were aggressively followed even by the neo-converts.
Lalleshwari
In the middle of the 14th century the Sayid dynasty was laying its foundations when a prodigal daughter Lalleshwari was born (1332 A.D- 1392 A.D) to a staunch Shaviite Brahmin family. Spiritually inclined Lalla set a new order of ascetism which was unheard of; denouncing the patriarchal set up and renouncing the worldly affairs in search of Truth-the ultimate. She kindled the spark of enlightenment when the society was suffering in the clutches of superstition and stagnating in orthodoxy. Lalla revolutionized the aesthetic thought, met and interacted with the Muslim missionary Sayids and held intellectual discourses only to strengthen her belief in Monotheism. She charted her own unconventional course of devotion embracing Humanism containing both the precepts of Shaivism and Islam. Her vakhs (literal meaning ‘the voice’) are the panacea of ‘Consciousness’ merged into ‘The Absolute’ and ‘The Ultimate’. Vakhs form an important part of Kashmiri literature. The people irrespective of her faith embraced her whole heartedly. If she is Lalleshwari-the Yogini for the Hindus she is Lalla Moj or Lalla Arifa-the enlightened Sufi for the Muslims. She is an emblem of Kashmiri confluence.
But, she too had her share of misery and ordeal. She was married very early and had to suffer in her matrimonial house. She was starved and a kajwat/boulder was put at the bottom of the bowl containing sparse layer of cooked rice. Lalla in one of her vakhs says,
‘Hond maran ya kath, Lall’e nil’e vat tchale ne zanh’
(If a sheep big or small is slaughtered
Lalla will get the same rice in the bowl with boulder underneath.)
Once she returned home carrying an earthen pitcher full of water on her head, her husband hit the pitcher hard breaking it; the legend has it that the water stood still on her head but filled all the utensils in the house. She threw out the remaining water which formed a pond known to this day as Lalla Trag/Pond of Lalla, which is situated at Pampore on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Lalla had in her spirituality, surpassed even her guru Srikantha. Her spiritual and ideological persona was anathema to her matrimonial household, who were deeply entrenched in conventions. She had a disastrous marriage, and had to suffer her husband’s indignation as she had transcended the man made barriers into the divine and surreal realm of spiritual attainment. Intellectually he was no match for her. She renounced the worldly life when she was in her prime, and became a wandering ascetic. The profundity of her vakhs found a place in the hearts of the people burning the hearth of progressive thoughts therein. She was opposed to the frivolous rituals, usages and the orthodoxy that had marred the social fabric of the society. She idealized ‘life with a purpose’ and propagated non-attachment to the worldly interests and extolled the sole purpose of a seekers path is to reach salvation. Self-abnegation, awareness and purity of thoughts are trademarks of her revolutionary philosophy.
It is said that her philosophy was adopted by Bud Shah-King Zainulabideen. He is remembered as the most generous and benevolent king, his reign is remembered as the Golden Era of Kashmir history. Sheikh Noor-ud-Din, the Alamdar/Torch Bearer of Kashmir was her protégé.
Habba Khatoon
Zoon Nee Habba Khatoon; the 16th century genius poetess had been composing lyrical renditions from her early childhood. She too seems to have received some formal education. However, in a social setting besought with illiteracy and orthodox patriarchy she had an unhappy marriage. Her husband was ashamed of the fact that his wife could compose poetry and was admired by the rural folks for her melodious singing. Jealousy of the over-wrought husband and envy of her in-laws had the better of her. She was forbidden to compose and sing. But her scintillating intellect could not be curtailed. Such a repressive atmosphere was ill suited to her cadence and temperament.
She went on to become the queen of Yusuf Shah Chak after a bloodless divorce was secured from her husband. However, when Yusuf Shah Chak was taken prisoner by Akbar and exiled to Bihar, Habba Khatoon left the palace wandering through Kashmir. Like a nightingale she sang lovelorn romantic melodies famous to this day.
One is filled with a sense of wonder how a female viz. Begum Saliha the wife of Mohammad Shah the ruler of Kashmir rebuilt the shrine of Shah Hamdan which had been burnt down during civil war against the ruler by selling all her jewelry without accepting any financial help from her husband. It shows the strength of her character and her unfailing faith.
Rupa Bhawani
Rupa Bhawani aka Alakheswari meaning the one who is imperceptible and the indescribable was born in the 17th century, and is the second great mystic poetess held in great reverence by the Kashmiri Muslims and the Pandits alike. She was born in the household of Madhav Joo Dhar who was a devotee of Sharika Devi (Durga). He used to regularly visit her temple for worship and meditation situated at the Hara Parbat or the Sharika Parbat. It is reported that once the Goddess granted him a boon when he asked of her to be born in his household as the daughter. Madhav Joo himself became the guru of his daughter and initiated her into yogic practices.
She was married at an early age to a learned Pandit named Hiranand Sapru. However, she experienced tremendous hardships in her married life. Her mother-in-law despite her miracles could never reconcile with her spirituality and meditative spells, when she used to spend endless hours of meditation at the Sharika temple. Rupa’s circumstances became unbearable for her, and she left the matrimonial house as well as her father’s house never to return back. She sought solitude, and in her retreat at a location in the north-east of the valley, she meditated leaving deep impressions on her thoughts. The people started thronging to her retirement, so she left for Manigam, Wusan in Ganderbal north of Kashmir. She made a hermitage for herself abode a hill top. Here she meditated and reached the pinnacle of spirituality. From Manigam She moved to Waskura. Its here she gave written instructions to Bal Joo Dhar and Sadanand Mattoo in the form of quatrains or vakhs which are well preserved to this date. Her poetry too is a blend of Shaivism and the Islamic Sufi thought. Therefore she is revered both by the Muslims and the Pandits who regard her as a saint.
Arnimal,
Arnimal, another 18th century poetess was a pretty petite young girl who was married to Munshi Bhawani Das Kachru when she was just a child. He too was a poet but had abandoned her before she came of youth. She grew up to render verses of torment and pain of separation from her husband, lamenting her desertion and his absence from her youthful life. Customary as it is for the female to remain bound and sincere to the capricious person who has deceived and deserted her. She remained his faithful wife even when he had never joined her in matrimony. The pathos in the songs exemplifies vulnerability of her situation in particular and that of her creed in general.
These women from history are representatives of the challenges and experiences of their times. The millennium moved on!
Shefan Jahan Gazi is a Practicing Advocate
