Amarnath Yatra 2020 /Swami Amarnath Je Mahraj Kashmir TV reporter of DD National
Historically, the worship of Shiva lingam has been a very popular religious practicein Kashmir. The same stands corroborated by Kalhan Pandit who in his monumental work, Rajtarangini, makes a mention of 'vateshwar', an ancient Shiva-lingam worshipped even in his lifetime. A king of Kashmir, Ravana, (1000 B.C) worshipped it as it was believed to predict future occurrences and events through the light emanating from the Sri-cakra engraved on it.1 The king was so devout in his worship of the Shiva-lingam that he consecrated the entire valley of Kashmir to the Matha where-in he worshipped the Shiva-lingam.2 The Mahadev Peak, Dyaneshwar lingam and Sureshwar lingam, known as svayambhu lingams, have been objects of worship for the Hindus of Kashmir. Infact, the interiors of Himalayas possess numerous such lingams and Hindus reverently call them Shiva-dhams. Pilgrimages to the Shiva-dhams have been a regular feature without interruptions.
The
references to the holy
cave
of Amarnath
are available in Bringesh Samhita, Nilmat Puran,
Amarnath Mahatmaya and Rajtaranginis of Kalhan
Pandit, Rajanak Jonraj and Shuk Pandit and other
travelogues by foreign travellers.
Bringesh
Samhita is a compendium of the
Mahatamayas of
all the prominent and well known tirthas
(holy
places) of Kashmir
compiled by Bringesh, a scholar of
eminence. in Kashmir, we have a galaxy of three persons bearing the
same name of Brigesh. One was a gana, an
attendant of Shiva, the other was a sage
and the
third a scholar of eminence. Bringesh,
the gana,
being an unworldly recluse could not
have any
cultivated interest in writing and
compiling the
Mahatamayas. The research scholars hold
that
initial task of compiling Mahatmayas was
taken
up by Bringesh who was a known sage and
the date
for it is supposed to be 5th century
A.D. The
third Brignesh given to scholarship and
scholarly pursuits is supposed to have
aptly
culminated the work as begun by the
second
Bringeseh in 12th century A.D.4.
The entire work is unfortunately lost and the
manuscript available
in the Ranbir Library, Jammu, is a truncated version and hence falls short
of providing multi-dimensional and authentic
information about the culture and mores of
ancient Kashmir
including the
topography of the region.
BY :
Doordarshan National
Doordarshan National
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