BY JALAL-UD-DIN SHAH
STORY ABOUT DISTORTION OF KATHI DARWAZA FROM KANTH DARWAZA.
Kanth Darwaza( as was written on the foundation stone on the wall). After settling the crisis about Akbar seizing treacherously independence of Kashmir and subsiding the public resistance. King with the advice of some trusted persons conceived to locate his army and cavalry in safe place around in Hari Parbat Qila and to make it a walked city. He called his most efficient person Mir Mohd Hussain S/o Mir Kamal ud din Qabily to design and manage the construction of great wall on three sides of fort and leave sufficient place from inside to settle his forces and well wishers. Eastern side was protected naturally by Dal Lake. Mir Mohd Hussain was awarded a necklace of Gold called Kant Mala earlier by Akber (Kashmir Mei Farsi Adal by Professor Shamas Ud Din). Thus the surname Kant got added to Mir Hussain Qabily. The wall around the Hari Parbat (Kohimarran fort) was meticulously constructed with locally available Pirpanjal rock fragments. Intention was also to provide some financial assistance to war torn Srinagar citizens by way of labour and wages.
After completion of the wall its three entrance where declared open. The main gate from Nowhatta side with obviously named as Badshahi Darwaza currently known and distorted as Bachi Darwaza. Gate from Rainawari side was dedicated on the name of Mir Hussain Qabily, who was now famous as Mir Hussain Kant. Thus, the name Kanth Darwaza and Sangeen Darwaza was dedicated to spiritual personality of that era. (That I will discuss later)
Mir Hussain Kant became very popular in Kashmir as per the Tareekh Azam (by Dedmary) translated by Shamas Din Ahmad and Tareekh Kabeer by Haji Mohi Ud Din Miskean Sarai bali. Kant sahab constructed a big garden on the right bank of Jehlum River at Safa Kadal upto Seki Daffer (called Bage Hussain) and built a Khankah and Masjid as well Hussain Kant Bina Kard Masjid- calculates the year of construction of masjid.
After comprehensive study of available material I have reached to conclusion that Kant or Kanth Darwaza has been distorted to Kathi Darwaza in sikh period as that was easy for them to pronounce. It is same way like non locals distorted Paan Chukh to Pantha chowk where there is no khalsa pant or any four way crossing. Paan Chukh means were torrents of the river strike the rocks and that was geographical fact and genuinely so.
HARIE KRISHNA HAREI RAM …MYTHOLOGICAL FILMS AND HINDU FESTIVALS.
It was an established tradition that our cinema halls particularly on Palladium theatre would show Hindu mythological films on Shivratre ..Har Har Mahadev,Sant Tuka Ram,Sampuran Ramayan,Shrawan Kumar,Veer Gatouth Kouch etc etc. Elderly kashmiri Pandith and ladies would throng the cinema halls and it always looked festive to see such gracefully dressed people. In between some Muslim back ground films were also shown but not on Eid ..though there were muslim characters in the films. There was nothing Islamic. Except films like Dayar e Habib ,Khana Khuda ,Aaliyah Hind,Rajab Band master and Mohd Abdullah Chaman of Pladium were crying Islamic film Ladaie aur markatie Sai Bharpur.Ultimatly there was one film Haray Krishna Haray Ram elderly Pandith ladies and men made it a point of programme to watch such a film which has reverted names of Krishna and Rama associated with it.My neighbour Veish Nath after watching first day first show was all aghast Trouth puiok…Badnam Karuikh Sirf Charas Tu Druggs ..they have defamed us only drugs and Hashis …be they cursed ..Trahi trahi,,and things moved on .Films Like Nanak Naam Jehaz hai and Nanak Dukhya Sub Sansar attracted every male and female Sikh brotherhood.Some left their shoes outside the cinema hall.
HAVELI SUKH JEEVAN LAL !!WHICH WAS NOT THERE AT ALL
Between Shah Mahla and Zaldagar !there was a capacious open ground belonging to none ! In my childhood youth of area would enjoy to play football and Kabadi here and we the toddlers enjoyed.This ground was known as Haveli and there was no Haveli at all ! some barracks of carpet company of carpet factory belonging to Shaikh Habeeb Ullah from Lahore who had migrated in 1948 when Indian army landed in Kashmir! His other factory at Amritsar was burned during partition. Comming back to Haveli it haunted me always as to why it is called so! No history or archeology mention I could trace throughout my life ! Yes! I had heard from my family sources that dead bodies of 1886 Khandwaws killed at Haji Rather bridge were offered Fateh in this ground after dead bodies were retrieved from Kotu Kul.Some months back I was solaced by one write up by M.J Aslam Sahib with a research column about a historical episode that there was a devastating fire in the ammunition Depo constructed by one Afghan Gov. at this location.Besides there was a capacious Haveli where Sukh Jeevan Lal the Gov. resided. Shah Mahala at that time was resided by only two clans of Shah dynasties. One was from Hazrat Syed Abu Baqa Hamdani ( Who is resting in the nearby grave yard) and Another from Shah Abudul Hadi ( one Baba Jameel ud Din is resting in another grave yard )
There was a disturbance in the city amongst various muslim clans and clever Gov called heads of different sects to resolve their feuds and differences!! All of a sudden fire exploded in the ammunition Depo taking everything in its grip !!religious scholars and Sukhjeevan Lal managed their escape but Haveli was raised to ground. Few local houses including my fore fathers house got gutted. It was month of December when roof tops were laden with dried tulip grass and trees around were also dried without leaves. Thus this Haveli had vanished! Later on in Dogra regime this place was leveled to have biggest carpet factory which too was abandoned and finally Indo Kashmir Carpet factory came up here! Lately latest carpet factory is also closed from this cursed land. My riddle about the name of Haveli stands resolved.
Jalal-Ud-Din Shah is a retired Geo Engineer
