'Hindu Killer

All Standard reference books agree that the name 'Hindu Kush' of the mountain range in Eastern Afghanistan means 'Hindu Slaughter' or 'Hindu Killer'. History also reveals that until 1000 A.D. the area of Hindu Kush was a full part of Hindu cradle. More likely, the mountain range was deliberately named as 'Hindu Slaughter' by the Moslem conquerors, as a lesson to the future generations of Indians. However Indians in general, and Hindus in particular are completely oblivious to this tragic genocide.
If the name Hindu Kush relates such a horrible genocide of Hindus, why are Hindus ignorant about it? and why the Government of India does not teach them about Hindu Kush? The history and geography curriculums in Indian Schools barely even mention Hindu Kush. The horrors of the Jewish holocaust are taught not only in schools in Israel and USA, but also in Germany. Because both Germany and Israel consider the Jewish holocaust a 'dark chapter' in the
history. The Indian Government instead of giving details of this 'dark chapter' in Indian history is busy in whitewash of Moslem atrocities and the Hindu holocaust. In 1982, the National Council of Educational Research and Training issued a directive for the rewriting of school texts. Among other things it stipulated that: 'Characterization of the medieval period as a time of conflict between Hindus and Moslems is forbidden'. Thus denial of history or Negationalism has become India's official 'educational' policy.

By: Satish Singh

Posted By :Vipul Koul.

 Edited by : ASHOK KOUL

 

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Forgotten Temples of Kashmir Photo series Part-2

Forgotten Temples of Kashmir Photo series Part-2 An effort to preserve and record Hindu cultural and religios heritage of Kashmir BALA DEVI OF VILLAGE BALHAMA Exclusive images and report from a remote village in Kashmir provided for Shehjar by Chander M. Bhat

Bala is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘the girl child.’ Worship of Sakti or the Mother Goddess is a very ancient practice in India. Of the several aspects of the Divine Mother Parvati, Lalita or Lalita-Tripurasundari is very important and popular. Bala (also called Bala-Tripurasundari) is an aspect of this Lalita. Sometimes she is described as the daughter of Lalita who helped her to destroy the army of the demon Bhandasura. As her very name suggests, Bala is pictured as an eternal girl of nine years. Iconographical works describe her as red in colour like hibiscus flower. She has four arms carrying sosary, noose, goad and book. Bala is specially worshipped, by those desiring psychic powers.” [A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism by Swami Harshananda] The abode of Bala Devi in Kashmir valley is at Village Balhama which is about thirteen kilometers from Srinagar. This village is surrounded by village Wuyan in the east, Khunmoh in the north and Pampore town in the west. This village is about 3 km on the right side near Pantha Chowk, a link road near Pampore Joinery Mill. According to the local folk lore the original abode of Bala Devi is in South India. It is said that the saint of the temple had a dream in which she told him to visit Kashmir where he could have her darshana. The saint along with his devotees as per the divine blessings visited the village of Balahama which was a dense forest at that time. The goddess gave darshana to the saint in a spring. In order to keep the sanctity of the shrine she directed him to plant five saplings of Devdar trees around the spring which in the course of time grew to full size Devdars. The five Devdar trees are believed to be more than five thousand years old and is the principle object of veneration. The spring in later years faded away under the trunk/girth of Deodars. Ghulam Qadir, present Chowkidar of temple   The temple around these five Devdar trees was built by the Dogra rulers in the year 1942. I was told by a Pandit who still resides in the village that once the temple was renovated by the locals with a roof and after the work was completed suddenly the roof of the temple fell down and from that day the temple is without a roof. Thirty Kanals of land is attached to Bala Devi temple and the temple has been built in the right side of the plot/land facing towards east. There is a small hut having only one room which is believed to be the residence of the Chowkidar. The temple has been built by constructing a circular brick pillars covering the five Devdar trees and thereby joining the pillars by steel fencing. At present there are five Hindu families who are looking after the temple. A local namely Gh. Qadir has been engaged as the Chowkidar by the local Pandits on Rs. 600/- as monthly remuneration. At present the temple is having a deserted look due to lack of maintenance and proper care due to forced migration of Pandit families from this village.

Main entrance of the temple

Icons near the gate

Inner View of the hall

Five deodar Trees inside the temple

Deserted Temple Building

Icons of faith now unattended

Shiv Lingam inside temple

Top of the Deodar which was once source of cool shade for Kashmiri hindus

A big Deodar at the Southwest corner of the temple

*Born on 20th March, 1960 in Murran a village in North Kashmir, Chander M. Bhat is presently working as an Assistant Supdt. Posts, in Department of Posts, Govt. of India. His articles regarding Posts and of non-political nature stand widely published in various papers and magazines of the country. A booklet “How to Collect Stamps” published by the Department of Posts, has earned him genuine accolades. He worked on the project of tracing the roots of his co-villagers and of the village Murran, resulting into the culmination of a widely acclaimed book “Murran …My Village”. Man with depth, Chander M. Bhat has also another book, “Ocean by Drops” (collection of poems) in his vase having colorful poems. His book “Ancient History of Jammu and Kashmir”, confirms his researching capability. Various research papers like “The Splendor that is Amarnath” and “Vitasta…The Sacred River of Kashmir” are valuable additions to his works that has proved very fruitful and guiding force in the exile period of Kashmiri Pandits community of which the author is also a member. Presently the author is working on “OOL…THE NEST” a six volume project on all the 595 [each volume of about 2500 pages] Kashmiri Pandit villages of Kashmir.

Forgotten Temples of Kashmir

Forgotten Temples of Kashmir Photo series Part-1 An effort to preserve and record Hindu cultural and religious heritage of Kashmir SAIKH RAZA…..OF VILLAGE WANPORA [NAHAMA] Exclusive images and report from a remote village in Kashmir provided for shehjar by Chander M. Bhat
Wanpora popularly known as Thanther Wanpor is a small village in Pulwama District. This village forms the boundary between Pulwama and Badgam District on the West side. Kashmiri Pandits were also residing in the village up to 1990. Saikh Raza was the village diety of the Kashmiri Pandit families. No Pandit family is presently residing in this village. This village is famous for Thanther [blacksmith], a class who were making loya thaal, khias, Kanzi Khias, dul, gada, thoor etc for Kashmiri Pandits. Wanporek Thanther was very famous throughout the valley. Before 1990 one could hear the beating of louy from the shops situated on the bank of a small stream coming down from Saikh Raza temple. This temple is situated in the north-west of the village at an isolated place surrounded by paddy fields and dense trees. A small stream is also flowing in front of this temple having muddy water [Gurei Woan in Kashmiri]. It remains muddy throughout the year. Sh. Ajay Pandita of village Lajura [Pulwama], who is still residing in his native village along with his family, accompanied me to this temple. It was 8th August 2009 at about 3 p.m. After reaching the temple we started cutting the wild shrubs grown inside the burnt temple, collected idols, which were scattered in the premises of the temple, arranged them near the trunk of the Banyan Tree [Bren in Kashmiri], applied sandoor, fixed three red jindis on the bran tree, lighted doop etc and went to capture. About 18 village children were watching our actions with rapt attention. It was learnt that some miscreants set the temple on fire in October 1990. However the land of the temple has not been encroached till date. It has become a barren land now.
Baniyan tree [Bren in Kashmiri] was burnt in the year 1990
A small stream flowing in from of the temple have muddy water [Gur Poein in Kashmiri]
Mutilated idols
A Close up of the main temple
A Close view of the sacred Banyan tree
A view of the room built for storing temple belongings
Inside the store room
Main temple
Scenic beauty tells the tale of its existence when Kashmiri Hindus were in the village
Steps to the main entrance
Symbols of faith were scatterd in the premises of the temple
The lost Bren...all errect with the hope of good days for Pandits
*Born on 20th March, 1960 in Murran a village in North Kashmir, Chander M. Bhat is presently working as an Assistant Supdt. Posts, in Department of Posts, Govt. of India. His articles regarding Posts and of non-political nature stand widely published in various papers and magazines of the country. A booklet “How to Collect Stamps” published by the Department of Posts, has earned him genuine accolades. He worked on the project of tracing the roots of his co-villagers and of the village Murran, resulting into the culmination of a widely acclaimed book “Murran …My Village”. Man with depth, Chander M. Bhat has also another book, “Ocean by Drops” (collection of poems) in his vase having colorful poems. His book “Ancient History of Jammu and Kashmir”, confirms his researching capability. Various research papers like “The Splendor that is Amarnath” and “Vitasta…The Sacred River of Kashmir” are valuable additions to his works that has proved very fruitful and guiding force in the exile period of Kashmiri Pandits community of which the author is also a member. Presently the author is working on “OOL…THE NEST” a six volume project on all the 595 [each volume of about 2500 pages] Kashmiri Pandit villages of Kashmir.
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Holiest of Holy Shrine

Chander M. Bhat

Born on 20^th March, 1960 in Murran a village in North Kashmir, Chander M. Bhat is presently working as an Assistant Supdt. Posts, in Department of Posts, Govt. of India. His articles regarding Posts and of non-political nature stand widely published in various papers and magazines of the country. A booklet "How to Collect Stamps" published by the Department of Posts, has earned him genuine accolades. He worked on the project of tracing the roots of his co-villagers and of the village Murran, resulting into the culmination of a widely acclaimed book "Murran …My Village". Man with depth, Chander M. Bhat has also another book, "Ocean by Drops" (collection of poems) in his vase having colorful poems. His book "Ancient History of Jammu and Kashmir", confirms his researching capability. Various research papers like "The Splendor that is Amarnath" and "Vitasta…The Sacred River of Kashmir" are valuable additions to his works that has proved very fruitful and guiding force in the exile period of Kashmiri Pandits community of which the author is also a member.

 ________________________________________________________________________

Kashmir valley is traditionally divided into two parts Maraz and Kamraz. Maraz was southern part of Kashmir while as Kamraz comprised northern part of Kashmir. Srinagar was central point of both the divisions. Anantnag was the Headquarter of Maraz division while as Baramulla was the seat of attraction for Kamraz division.

Main Temple

Baramulla has its origin to the era of Kashyapa Rishi. The water of Satisar was drainaged from a place through a deep valley between two hills at Sheeri Narvaw resembling the mouth of Varah, The Boar. This Varah Moh changed its identity as Varmul and started to be called as Varamulla.

Varamulla is the entrance point to the valley through Muzzafarabad Uri Road and is 55 km away from Srinagar. There is another story as to how Baramulla came to be known as Varahmul. There was a shrine of Lord Vishnu and was called Adi Varaha. The shrine was located on Eastern bank of Vitasta near Kotitirth. The name Varamulla is also probably related to the shrine place of Adi Varah, the Boar. It is held in great esteem since ancient times and has repeatedly mentioned by Kalhan Pandit in Rajtarangni. The temple was vandalized by Afghan ruler Sikander Buthshikan. The ancient Shiv Linga and some stone images in Kotitirth is said to be belonging to the shrine of Adi Varah at the same bank of Vitasta.

The town of Baramulla faced the ire of tribal invaders in 1947 and a large scale damage was done to Hindu and Sikh fraternity falling into their hands. Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru wanted to rename Baramulla as Maqboolabad to commemorate the martyrdom of the nationalist Sherwani. However Baramulla retained its identity.

On the left bank, close to Baramulla, is the ancient site of Hushkapur (present Ushkur). Hushka had built a vihara, a stupa and a Vishnu Temple. As per local tradition, Heun Tsang, on arrival in the Valley, stayed here for the first night. Later, he said that some copper plates, on which the proceedings of Kanishka’s council were engraved, lay buried here.

The importance of this shrine is described in Kotitirthamahatmya [part of Bhringisha Samhita]. Presently, the shrine is known for the Shiva temple, inside the sanctum sanctorum of which stands a unique five feet Shivlinga with a face. The shrine has a dharamshala and a holy spring. The water of the holy spring is cold in summer and hot in winter. At present dharamshala is occupied by CRPF and its maintenance is being done by them.

Right above this temple there is another temple which is called Ganganor. Ganganor is a holy spring at Mohalla Rajghat. A small temple has been built on this sacred spring. It is said that the spring receives water from seven springs existing above at an elevation on the small hillock called Gousain Teng. There are seven springs on Gousain Teng with a temple. Each spring has its name viz. Ram Kund, Sita Kund, Laxhman Kund etc.  Simultaneously, water from all the springs with independent out lets combine to form a brook and passing into a phase of journey. It is believed that it belongs to the Lord Rama’s period.

There was a number of Kashmiri Pandits living in Baramulla. After invasion of tribal invaders, many Kashmiri Pandits of Baramulla choose to migrate to other parts of the country and many more were killed by tribal invaders. Before migration some 536 Kashmiri Pandit families were living in Baramulla and had their households scattered in Rajghat, Dewan Bagh, Khowja Bagh, Kanlibagh, Jetty Road and Ramghat. After mass exodus only one Kashmiri Pandit namely Sh. Mohan Lal stayed back braving all odds. Some Kashmiri Pandits families from Jammu have returned back and are staying in a temple. They are doing small trades in Baramulla now. Two families staying at Khowja Bagh did not migrate and are still residing there.

Shiv Lingam inside small Shiv Mandir near Kotitirth

The shrine topography described above remains incomplete without getting mention of Ram Mandir of Ramghat. A Janki was always taken from this temple on occasions of Ram Navmi and Dussehra. Another temple near Kotitirth is the temple of Bhairav known as Bhairav sund [Bharaiv Bagh]. Shushnoor was offered on dates of festivals specializing the occasions in the honour of the deity.

Near Kotitirth there was a ghat on river Vitasta called Kotighat. This place was used for the purpose of 10^th day Kriya of the departed souls. The ashes of the dead were immersed in Vitasta at Kotighat.  Adjacent to Kotighat is cremation ground comprising of five kanals of land.

All these things are there but the people whose presence once thrived on the face of Varamul are now few and far between.

References

Place Names in Kashmir by B.K. Raina and S.L. Sadhu 

published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi

Image Gallery: http://ikashmir.net/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=234

   Posted by : Vipul Koul , Edited by : Ashok Koul 

(THE ABOVE ARTICLE IS WRITTEN BY SH CHANDER M BHAT )                                        

Sed Bab

Sed Bab A Biographical Sketch Swami Sidh Bab Picture Courtesy: Anjali Kaul, Austin Birth, early life and marriage The original name of SEDBUB was SHRI VEDLAL BHAT and he belonged to village HANJIVEIRA, TEHSIL PATTAN, KASHMIR, where he was born to his parents SH. VESHN BHAT and SMT. YEMBERZAL on an auspicious day JESHTHA SHUKLA PAKHSH NAUMI around year 1902.  Very little is known about his early life but he had some schooling at a local school and got conversant with some essential scriptures at a local Hindi PATHSHALLA.  He had a good knowledge of Urdu and Persian along with Hindi and Sanskrit. He had a nice handwriting and would write nice brief letters and converse freely in Urdu language whenever need be so. He was married to SMT GUNWATI at an early age who proved to be the most dedicated housewife who shouldered household responsibilities including the bringing up and education of their three sons and two daughters. In spite of being a highly awakened saint SEDBUB didn’t entirely ignore the household responsibilities but attended each detail though his heart was centered to a much higher purpose for which he had taken birth. This higher standard of life together as a householder and a highly awakened saint is the wont of very few and has as such been greatly admired. He had a brief stint as an Assistant in government revenue department which he gave up sooner than he had got it. Obviously no traces of sainthood were observed during his early life and youth being a householder who managed a large family along with tending of household lands, cattle and all other occupations of an ordinary Kashmir farmer but as time passed his detachment towards worldly affairs manifested more clearly and he started displaying an aura of sacred countenance which was observed firstly by his family members and later by others who came into his contact. The condition is very rare and is looked upon as an exclusive uplift of soul usually a result of some holy connection with an exalted position in ones past life. Thus subsequently he began visiting various reputed saints and savants of that time and went to important temples and places without notice obviously to seek guidance and inspiration. He stayed with them or at places for several days thus leaving his esteemed wife with all the responsibility at home. It was thus immediately obvious to all concerned that he followed a much higher responsibility and as such nobody had the courage to question him in the context.   Swami Sed Bub SEDBAB as an established saint SEDBAB was soon recognized as an established saint and the visits of devotees commenced at his residence and places where he moved. His visits to MAA RAGINYA at TULMUL also increased where he used to stay for a couple of days and sometimes a full fortnight. He would invariably be present there on SHUKLA PAKHSH ASHTAMI when lots of PANDITS visited there to pay obeisance and participate in the evening AARTI which proved a great boon to various devotees who submitted before him and sought his blessings. He had some favourite followers who used to accompany him to places and persons. He had soon developed a deep attraction for saints and visited many of them and sat in their company for long hours and sometimes for days. Among saints that he visited frequently SWAMI NAND LAL JI of BOMAI (SOPORE) and later TIKKAR (KUPWARA) had the greatest influence on him. He is reported to be constantly in his company for long hours and days besides accompanying him to various places and people. The fact is not fully established whether Swami Ji was his GURU but the association was certainly something special as both of them were seen together frequently in almost all Ashrams of Swami Ji and other places. They definitely shared something special and subsequently Swami Ji was so much attached to him that he called him SEDMOL for his simple extraordinary saintly qualities, the beautiful name which he retained all his life though he was later fondly called SEDBAB by his devotees. SEDMOL was the GURU of Lalleshuri (LALDED) the most famous poet-saint and YOGINI of Kashmir. Swami Ji was a great admirer of LALDED and often quoted her LALLA WAKH to establish some of his argument on YOGA. An embodiment of divine grace and simplicity SEDBAB was very simple, affectionate and calm by nature. He was known for his simplicity and smiling nature. His frequent smile was his trademark as he responded everyone with a smile. To a casual visitor he hardly showed any signs of sainthood. He wore the aspect of a common Kashmiri Pandit of those days, a large turban with a shining face conspicuous with a huge TILAK on his forehead. His long PHERAN, with long narrow sleeves folded outside at their end fell up to his ankles. The large pocket below right side of his PHERAN kept always bulging as it was always filled with something. He probably didn’t wear a shirt or pajamas but wore a shawl or a woolen CHADDER over his PHERAN depending on the climatic conditions. He had always a big towel hanging on his shoulders or around his neck for its legitimate use. The SADHNA of SEDBUB was a routine of very early rising and after a routine bath in fresh preferably flowing water he went into long bouts of meditation till almost midday and repeated the same in the evening before nightfall. He used to talk very less and was mostly absorbed in his deep thought. He was a regular reader of the SHALOKAS of BHAGWADGITA and recited the famous STOTRAS like BHAWANI SHASTRANAM, PANCHASTAVI and MAHIMNAPAR and incited his devotees to follow him.     Since he was a regular visitor to various saints and places of repute so he used to be away from home frequently sometimes for months together. Wherever he was seen people flocked to seek his blessings. Some times he accidentally visited some of his devotee at his house and suddenly it turned into a high jubilation for the inmates and the news spread like wild fire and immediately scores of people came to see BAB and tried to be near him all the time he was there. Nobody had the courage to ask him about his plans or programme. Whenever he sat for meals or tea along with some of his devotees at a place he would take a bit and give away the rest to someone present. It was a great pleasure for the devotees around to have a bit of it as PRASAD. He observed no hard and fast routine in eating as he ate very less and seemed to relish whatever was offered to him. He was a strict vegetarian and avoided onion, garlic, tomatoes and some leafy vegetables. He was also a regular observer of frequent fasts on occasions like ASHTAMI, EKADASHI, AMAWASI, PURNIMASHI and many other auspicious days. Simple food, rice and vegetable curry and occasional KEHWA, a preferred Kashmiri beverage without milk was his preference. He took very little and gave away the rest to his devotees present there as a PRASAD. A great caution had to be observed as whatever was to be served was cooked fresh after washing afresh all the wares in fresh water with brown clay. Only brown clay was used for all cleaning purposes as soap was usually considered impure in those days. SEDBUB didn’t use any kind of soap on his body and hence no soap was used in washing the cook wares used in his cooking. For all sacred devotional jobs only brown clay and no soap is preferred for all cleaning purposes in all KP homes even now. A true KARAMYOGI KARAMYOGA is the way of life where an aspirant is actively involved in all worldly affairs but his heart is perpetually fixed with the Lord. It is considered the simplest way of devotion and the shortest possible way towards enlightenment. A KARAMYOGI is instinctively able to differentiate between the good and the evil, between DHARMA and ADHARMA, and hence neither anything wrong is committed nor does a single thought which is detrimental to the sublime ways of the supreme visit the clean slate of his mind. SEDBAB was necessarily a SANYASI though he didn’t shirk the legitimate responsibility of a householder, a KARMYOGI who performed honestly the duties of a large family and a saint who had attained the highest enlightenment and all the SIDDIES without any obvious hectic KRIYA. To a common man he was a simple householder performing his legitimate duties but there was something special which made him look different rather taller than the rest. His strange spiritual aura attracted people towards him though he tried to avoid them and not look conspicuous.  The uniqueness of SEDBAB as a saint lies in performing his worldly affairs efficiently on one side and on the other being absorbed in the task of achievement of his higher goal. As a GRAHASTHI (householder) his status in the realm of sainthood is highly commendable though not unique as there have been a good number of such highly awakened saints in Kashmir who were evidently normal persons engaged in all worldly affairs. An event of his household life can sufficiently establish the unprecedented detachment of SEDBUB. His second son Late OMKAR NATH was employed in the Indian Army and was very unfortunately martyred in action during Indo-China war in 1962. When the news was delivered formally by an official of the Army at their residence BUB was incidentally at home. Everyone was dumbstruck and immediately a gloom of death spread in the house. Since BUB was preparing on a routine sojourn and it is said he didn’t shed even a single tear and without any slightest waver of mind proceeded on his scheduled visit. Such a gesture of determination is the act of a supreme KARMYOGI not an ordinary mortal. SEDBUB was beloved of numerous devotees who wanted to seek his blessings but he was always on move from place to place without any fixed schedule so he usually eluded them. His devotees included a good number of Muslims too who had a great reverence for him and sought his blessings whenever in trouble. It is said that SEDBUB was very hard to grant a favour to a devotee but some are of the opinion that everything was granted instantly provided the need was genuine and sincere. Who was his GURU? There is sufficient evidence to substantiate that SWAMI NAND LAL JI and none else was SEDBUB’S preceptor (Guru) but still there is enough difference of opinion on the issue as many of his devotees do not conform to this view. They say as is said in such a situation, he was himself his Guru or he was born with enough awakening which he carried through along with him from his past life and that there was no need of any further initiation. Still there is nobody denying that SEDBUB used to be in the association of Swami Ji for long hours and sometimes many days wherever Swami Ji stayed and he always enjoyed the highest position in all his devotees and disciples. There always seemed something special between the two great souls that they relished in the company of each other. As such it is not easily digested that SWAMI NAND LAL JI was not his Guru but since SEDBUB was in the habit of keeping all his activities low-keyed and avoided being ostentatious though he always displayed a high spiritual aura, as such, he must not have been formally initiated into sainthood by Swami Ji though the association was surely above comprehension of ordinary people. Mahasamadhi The last days of SEDBUB have been quite uneventful. Nothing substantial can be recorded except that on October 31, 1985 (KARTIK KRISHNA PAKSHA DOEY) SEDBUB was at his residence HAJIVERA (PATTAN) when he went into eternal SAMADHI. The news soon spread like wild fire and besides Pandits from the neighboring villages devotees from farther areas began pouring in large numbers. So the subsequent day the mortal remains of SEDBUB were cremated in the local SHAMSHAN BHUMI with great fanfare among chanting of sacred hymns in the presence of a large number of people especially Pandits. The administration had to arrange for a sizable security arrangement to manage the crowd. For twelve days the customary mourning like that of a householder was observed and devotees in large numbers visited his house to pay homage to the departed soul between continuous chanting of sacred SHALOKAS of BHAGVADGITA and other MANTRAS. Thus the sojourn of this great soul on this planet ended leaving deep traces of his holy life. The failed Memorial Then what followed will be interesting to the readers. Sometime after the MAHASAMADHI of SEDBUB his devotees planned to construct a memorial in memory of SEDBUB at his SAMADHI, the SHAMSHAN BHUMI, at HANJIVERA  the land legally earmarked for the purpose in revenue records in all Hindu populated areas in Kashmir, and so in HANJIVERA (PATTAN). After the construction reached a certain stage strangely without any provocation the Muslims of the area objected to the construction severely so much so what ensued was a large scale feud and communal tension. The administration intervened and after a lot of tension the construction was stayed by a court order. The basic reason for the episode was the growing Muslim fundamentalist attitude among the youth especially whose plan was to discourage all religious expansion programmes by Pandits in the valley. Thus the much publicized memorial in the name of SEDBUB could not be raised as was desired by lots of his devotees. Actually what was not wished by SEDBUB in his lifetime could not be achieved after his celestial flight. Now after mass displacement of Pandits from the valley in 1990 and with their sizable concentration in Jammu the devotees of SEDBUB have recently raised a magnificent Ashram at PALOURA, JAMMU with all facilities where devotees come in large numbers to submit before a large STATUE of SEDBUB installed in a room. The Ashram has no doubt become a pilgrimage spot for the numerous devotees of SEDBUB who regularly visit there and get rid of their worldly troubles besides their soul’s consolation and peace. JAWAHAR LAL BHAT B-3, ASHIANA Apartments, SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114 Posted by : Vipil Koul Edited by  :   Ashok Koul         VIPUL KOUL

Human Rights Violations of Kashmiri Hindus

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An Appeal
INTRODUCTION
This is an appeal by the intellectuals of a small yet distinct ethno-religious community, the Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) who have a history of more than five thousand years of a rich cultural tradition and a unique religious philosophy of the universality of man, peace and amity amongst peoples. Down the ages, this aboriginal community of the valley of Kashmir has readily opened itself to foreigners of all faiths, creeds and professions who came as travellers and settlers. However, it has repeatedly been the tragic victim of religious persecution, forcible conversion, violence and brutal massacre at the hands of invading muslim zealots and religious fanatics leading to repeated exodus of the community, rendering it a minority in its own land.
This appeal gives a brief outline of the barbarities that the community faced at the hands of the despotic muslim rulers since the heydays of Islamic fundamentalism, as it made inroads into Kashmir after the 13th century. It traces the present escalation of human rights violations amounting to genocide of this community to a cruel and criminal conspiracy by the fanatical and fundamentalist forces which gained ascendency and got fresh impetus during the last four decades. It also provides a bird’s eye-view of the sprouting of dormant forces of Islamic Fundamentalism during these years in the religious schools that mushroomed in the valley and became nurseries for the growth of religious hatred, militancy and terrorism. This indoctrination prompted and incited young cadres to cross over to Pakistan and Pakistan-held Kashmir so as to receive arms training and carry out the diabolical plan for the muslimization of Kashmir as a prelude to its secession from secular democratic India. The hounding out of more than three hundred thousand Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) from the valley from 1989 onwards was the first phase of this sinister operation.
This appeal brings out in vivid detail persecution of the minority community followed by threats, abductions, extortions, tortures and killing by brutal means of its members from all walks of life which led to exodus. A virulent disinformation campaign was started before the mass exodus against this community and followed up with fanatical zeal, after the exodus, in order to secure total ruination of the community. The present plight of the community, once given to academic, philosophical and spiritual pursuits, and now rootless and without identity, is given in some detail. Over one thousand members of the community have been killed by the terrorists and the thousands are dying in the miserable camps for want of basic amenities, shelter, medicare and family support; and thousands of its youth are getting scattered in search of livelihood. It is feared that at the present rate of dispersal the community is disintegrating beyond redemption and facing total extinction.
This appeal invokes the conscience and compassion of the civilized world to grasp the grim tragedy facing the Kashmiri Pandit community and to stand up and speak for it and help it regain its lost status and get rehabilitated once again, with honor and dignity in its own homeland.
APPEAL
The armed subversion by Muslim fundamentalist/terrorist youth to destroy the pluralistic, secular socio-political character of Kashmir valley and reduce it to a reactionary, monolithic, theocratic one, has entered its fourteenth year of operation. The grand design of this separatist insurgency is aimed at snapping all historical, economic, cultural, and political links of Kashmir valley with India and annexing it with Pakistan which is encouraging it overtly and covertly and lending moral, financial, political, diplomatic and military support. The first objective of this diabolical plan i.e. hounding out the Kashmiri Pandit (Hindu) ethnic minority from the Kashmir valley is being pursued with fanatic zeal.
PRIME TARGETS
The Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) in the valley of Kashmir, irrespective of their age, sex, position status or situation became the prime target of the terrorists’ onslaught. They were warned and threatened, individually and collectively, through word of mouth, through insinuation and innuendo, through posters and press and over loud speakers installed in thousands of mosques all over the valley. Fear loomed large and the terrorist shadow stalked educational markets and other public places wherever the Kashmiri Pandits had a representation, however small. They were identified and denounced; hit lists were exhibited on electric poles, office doors and entries to numerous institutions; and the public at large was exhorted to watch them and hound them out. They were followed and kidnapped from their homes and places of work and interrogated and tortured. A spree of killings of the intellectuals of the community started. This was followed by indiscriminate gunning down, hanging, dismembering, tying with grenades and blasting into pieces, skinning, burning and sawing alive the members of this ethnic minority of all walks of life. Many of the victims after being butchered were thrown into streets as exhibits for everybody to get terrorised. The bereaved were not permitted to mourn the dead and perform the last rites. Those who dared to attend the funeral were earmarked for reprisals. Molestation and rape was the order of the day.
The gamut of the terrorists’ depredations puts the notorious programs in shade and leaves nobody in doubt about the design of the terrorists to exterminate Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) who started fleeing temporarily out of the valley to seek shelter in the Jammu province of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, in Delhi and in other towns of India during the months of January-March 1990. A large number preferred to stay behind, partly hopeful of a let up in the persecution and the frantic killings and partly on account of the reassurances by their friends, neighbours and colleagues of the muslim majority community. However, indiscriminate murders gained momentum as also the tauntings, ridicule, accusations, denigrations and warnings issued to the Pandits (Hindus ). Those who dared to return to the valley even after a brief absence were frisked and taken for questioning and accused of having spied against the terrorists and of having received arms training to counter the terrorism. They were followed like a shadow or given a time limit of a few hours or a day to quit the Valley.
INTIMIDATORY WARNINGS
Not content with the tempo of exodus of the ethnic minority community, the Muslim religious zealots pressed into service the local daily newspapers and started periodic write ups in a vituperative and malicious propaganda offensive against the Kashmiri Hindius, culminating in repeated warnings and final ultimatum through the pages of “Daily Alsafa” on l4th April,1990 giving the community two days to leave the valley or face retribution and death. The good Samaritans of the Muslim majority community who had offered help, solace and protection to the Kashmiri Pandits were also threatened, coerced and subdued to fall in line with the fundamentalist designs and they, therefore, advised the Kashmiri Pandits to leave the valley for a ‘temporary period’ till normalcy returned to the valley. Both gentle and well meaning persuation was adopted side by side with covert and overt threats to recalcitrant Hindus forcing them into exodus. Meanwhile unbridled violence and brutal murders went on . More than one thousand Hindus have been killed, hundreds are missing, possibly dead or kept hostage. Women have been held captive in remote hideouts of the terrorists to satisfy their lust . An unspecified number of those Hindus who are still livlng in the valley in mortal terror are victims af extortion, religious persecution and kidnappings.
CANARDS GALORE
This communal carnage and forced exodus was followed up with a virulent compaign of vilification and disinformation against the Kashmiri Hindu community with the twin objective of covering up the true communal-fundamentalistic character of the so-called freedom struggle of the terrorists and securing total ruination and annihilation of this ethno-religious minority. This propaganda offensive was backed up by canards floated across the length and breadth of the country that:
i) the Kashmiri Pandits migrated out of the valley because they were touted by Mr. Jagmohan, the then Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, who promised them relief, ration and land. That those who were gunned down, hanged or tortured were informers and enemies of the “freedom struggle”. This canard took such deep roots inside and outside the valley that the poorly informed public even of cosmopolitan cities like Delhi and Bombay who go by the common knowledge that in India Hindus are in majority and by corollary the majority in Kashmir valley are Hindus, failed to understand why Kashmiri Hindus had to flee their homes and hearths. Only the committed demographers in the country realise that Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) are a minority in the muslim rrajority Kashmir valley of a Hindu maiority India.
ii) the Kasnmiri Pandits are over-represented in Central and State Government Services and private Jobs and that this was a major source of irritation with the disenchanted muslim youth, who out of frustration took to arms to fight for their justful rights. This canard has been supplemented and reinforced by distorted statistics and the thread has been skillfully taken over by some self-proclaimed humanists and over-zealous politicians of the country who want to prove more secular than their credentials allow. Infact they found it a useful tool to convince themselves and the world that terrorism in Kashmir was not an armed subversion aimed at the secession of the State from the union of India but an act of frustration of a handful of “disgruntled and misguided youth”. This ill conceived notion though countered by the exiled Kashmiri Pandits, fell on deaf ears and did not get the attention of the media which were only vying with each other to score points for the terrorists and their cause. It did not take long for the communal, fundamentalistic and subversive character of terrorism to emerge in its true colour.
iii) the Kashmiri Hindus because of their merit, cunning and influence would become usurpers and take over educational institutions, professional colleges, trade, industry, Government jobs etc. in Jammu, Delhi and other places where they have taken refuge. This disinformation caused tremendous confusion, panic, over-reaction and even hostility in the host towns which were ill equipped to accommodate such a sizeable- influx of refugees, especially in Jammu where seventeen camps have been set up in the suburban dingy areas, Stiff resistance was put up even for admission to the exiled students in various educational institutions; jobs were denied to the youth and all doors were closed for the rehabilitation of professional and non professional personnel of the community. A community which prided itself in its academic excellence and high professionalism is idling and rotting, for the last six years.
While torture, persecution and killing were going full steam side by side with the canards floated against the fleeing community, the marauding terrorists started loot, plunder and arson of the properties and estates left behind by Hindus. They desecrated and destroyed their temples, confiscated their stores and stocks, stole their kind, harvested their crops and encroached upon and annexed their lands. Till date more than three thousand Hindu houses have been blasted or razed to ground. The remaining have been looted, vandalized or occupied.
COLOSSAL TRAGEDY
Within months of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits the Government, whether out of misplaced optimism to placate and appease the terrorists or with deliberate intent, started recruiting and promoting Muslims to the posts and positions vacated by the Kashmiri Pandits. This has boosted the sinister designs of the terrorists to discourage and thwart the minority Kashmiri Pandit community to return to the valley for it has neither the jobs for livelihood nor the houses for shelter left behind.
So a tragedy which began with religious persecution and genocide, climaxing with the exodus of the community, has now attained colossal dimensions . This ethno-religious minority is presently going through a grim battle for survival and facing the torment of a bleak and uncertain future. Having been forced to live under torn and tattered tents, in ramshackle camps or in one room tenements and stables vacated by cows and buffaloes and rented at exorbitant prices, they are subject to the vagaries of a harsh climate, a hostile populace and an indifferent and callous administration. They have to go through a tortuous procedure to establish their credentials as exiles to be entitled to a meagre relief and measly rations for which they have to queue up for long hours and face untold miseries and humiliation to satisfy the whims and moods of relief commissioners and their minions. They have become the victims of bureaucratic bungling and corruption. They are pawns in the hands of political parties and power brokers. They are being pushed around and harassed for demanding their justful rights; and kicked, cane-charged and arrested for raising their voice against a deaf administration. Thus they have been reduced to abject poverty and a state of utter helplessness and apathy. Their greatest tragedy is that they have become exiles in their own land, aliens in their own country which they inhabited for thousands of years.
The community is now caught in a piquant and unsavory situation as the State and the Central Governments are treating it as expendable. The authorities are hushing up the genocide, the exodus and the present plight of the Kashmiri Pandit community which have resulted as much out of the total abdication of their authority and responsibility, as out of the religious crusade of the terrorists. Nor is the international community aware of the refugee status of this community as countries around the world recognize refugees only when they are forced to flee into another country.
NAKED VIOLATION
The last two years (Editor’s note: currently five years as this appeal is three years old) have witnessed a perpetuation of human rights’ violation against this community which had to leave the valley helter-skelter and got dispersed far and wide in different parts of the country. Most of the nearly three hundred thousand refugees came out with clothes barely enough to cover their bodies. They came out with the illusion of a return to their homes and hearths in the near future. Families got split and scattered in the scramble for shelter and livelihood. Parents got separated from children, spouses from their partners, brothers from sisters. They are still on the move from one place to another like wandering nomads looking for help and succour. As a result of this dispersal the social fabric of the community is torn asunder, the economic structure has collapsed, material possessions have vanished and the political base has been overturned. The old and infirm of the community have met a premature end, dying for want of health and family support. A large number of youth suffered mental breakdown. Depression, panic attacks, phobias, nightmares and insomnia have seized all age groups. Unnatural deaths in the form of sunstroke, snake and scorpion bites, hydrophobia and accidents have taken a big toll. The terror, a feeling of siege, a sense of rootlessness and loss of identity, the trauma of forced migration, exposure to an alien and hostile environment, problem of acclimatization, poor housing, insanitary conditions, lack of basic amenities like drinking water, scarce medicare, malnutrition and idleness compounded by hurt and humiliation have orchestrated to result in physical, mental and psychological trauma of unimaginable magnitude. The community has reached the end of the tether and its reserves of patience and hopes have dried up. The spectre of disease, death and extinction are haunting the community. It seems unlikely that the community will ever be able to organise itself again into a cohesive social and political entity which is vital for its survival and resurgence. Far from regaining its pristine glory, it is hard pressed to keep body, mind and soul together.
It is indeed deplorable that some human rights’ organisations reporting on the Kashmir situation have conveniently ignored the gross human rights violations against Kashmiri Pandits. Their silence on the genocide of this community and the terrible plight facing the community after the exodus, is intriguing and exasperating and puts the credibility of these organisations into shade. The one-sided, partisan and extremely prejudicial views of certain agencies that have chosen to black-out the brutalities and murderous killings of Kashmiri Pandit minority in their reports, leads one to believe that such organisations have fallen victims to the dangerous ploy of the terrorists and become tools in their propaganda machinery against this community and against India.
It is a sad commentary on the perceptions and sensitivities of the civilized world that a community which has been the original inhabitant of the valley of Kashmir with a chequered history of more than five thousand years, a rich cultural heritage and a distinct ethno religious identity, the proponent of and heir to a unique concept and creed of Hindu thought – the philosophy of Kashmir shaivism with its message of Universality of man, peace, non-violence, amity and brotherhood – is being deliberately and systematically destroyed.
History is replete with the records of religious persecutions and barbarities perpetrated against this community since the advent of Islam in the thirteenth century in Kashmir. While the community accommodated, mingled with and absorbed the culture and traditions of all outsiders who came to Kashmir, it was repeatedly rewarded with the most inhuman and brutal treatment. From time to time various cruel Muslim rulers driven by religious zeal and communal frenzy demolished Hindu institutions and shrines, burnt religious scriptures and libraries of Hindus and unleashed a reign of terror leading to the imposition of heavy taxes, forcible conversions and general massacre of those refusing to embrace Islam. They inflicted bestialities like the chopping off of the noses and tongues, beheading, drowning in water after tying people back to back etc. on the community. Those who escaped forcible conversion, mutilation and death were forced into exile reducing this community to a minority in its own land.
SUSTAINED CONSPIRACY
Even after attainment of independence and accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India the fundamentalist forces in the Kashmir valley refused to accept the principles of secularism and democratic pluralism and intensified their nefarious designs against the minority community of Kashmiri Hindus and against the Indian Republic. Under a macabre programme, ‘makatabs’ (Religious schools) were established in every nook and corner of the Kashmir valley with the putative aim of teaching religious scriptures to youth but with the real intent of indoctrinating and envenoming these impressionable minds with anti-Hindu and anti-India hatred. Funds were lavished on these school s openly and clandestinely by local patrons as well as Muslim countries espousing Islamic fundamentalism round the world led by Pakistan, and the schools became nurseries for the growth of fundamentalism and terrorism. A ban imposed by the Government of Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah on these schools in 1977 was lifted soon after its imposition under relentless pressure by Jamat-i-Islami and other fundamentalist organisations.
These pressure groups gradually extended their tentacles in every sphere of administration, bureaucracy and judiciary in the State and molded these institutions in a cruel conspiracy against Kashmiri Pandits resulting in discrimination, alienation, denial and deprivation of this community over the years. The process of Islamisation and fundamentalism which started in 1947 took firm roots by 1986 when the fundamentalist/terrorists enacted a dress rehearsal of the present terrorism on a small scale by arson, loot and plunder of Kashmiri Pandit property and their temples in the Anantnag district of the Kashmir valley. No serious effort was made by the administration to bring the guilty to book. This encouraged them to cross the border to attend arms training camps in Pakistan over the next three years during which they brought with them large quantities of sophisticated arms and ammunition to carry on full scale subversion and terrorism. The cataclysmic events leading to genocide and mass exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit community from 1990 onwards is the culmination of this long process of regimentation, indoctrination, religious frenzy and terrorism.
APPEAL TO WORLD CONSCIENCE
It is high time that the conscience of mankind awakens to the reality of the situation in Kashmir where the so-called freedom struggle is merely an extension and escalation of the ongoing offensive against a small yet ancient and distinct ethno-religious community which has been turned into a minority – the Kashmiri Pandit (Hindu) – who is being exterminated under a diabolical plan masterminded by religious zealots turned terrorists with the direction, support and connivance of their mentors from across the border in Pakistan.
We appeal, therefore,
to all the nations of the world;
to all peace loving, secular and democratic countries which value and recognise the urges, aspirations and just rights of minorities round the globe;
to all organisations that monitor and report on human rights’ violations against ethnic religious communities; and

to all individuals, groups and institutions that stand for justice, equality, religious tolerance and human dignity to break their silence and speak out and save this ancient and distinct ethnic-religious minority of the world which has been thrown out of its own land, made a refugee in its own country and which is, now, facing dispersal, disintegration and extinction.

Source : PanunKashmir.org
Posted by: Vipul Koul
Edited by : Ashok Koul