Thursday, January 21, 2010
RAMCHANDRA JI TEMPLE SATHU BAR BAR SHAH SRINAGAR KASHMIR
" Moti Lal Aaj Nahin Aayaa . Bechaara Pareshaan Rehtaa Hai "
said swami ji to his followers sitting on a bed and smoking cigarette.
swami ji was concerned about Shri Moti Lal Mattoo his disciple. That is
how the saints in valley acted as fathers and parents to their disciples
. This applied equally to Muslim Peers and Murshids .I saw him in the
house of Pandit Som nath Koul Bagh at Abi Guzar srinagar .That was my
Massi 's house . I believe it was perhaps 1971. Swami Hare krishna had numerous followers in jammu and srinagar .I happened to know some of his followers from Rainawari especially Pandit Moti Lal Mattoo and Pandit Shyam Lal Peer . I also happened to know his trusted devotee Qalandhar Badshaah
. Swami Ji would spend his time praying in a room at Ramchandra ji
Temple sathu Bar Bar shah Srinagar .He spoke little kashmiri but
understood every sentence perfectly.Swami ji spoke softly and would
distribute half smoked cigarettes amongst his followers ..Many Muslims
too would visit him and Swami ji would ask his host to offer them tea
and would also give them half smoked cigarettes. I saw him Many times
in his room in Ramchandra ji Temple sathu Bar Bar shah.During
winters he woud go to Jammu or to Plains of india Upon my recent visit
to this temple , i also visited the room where he would sit and
pray.During entire summer season , Swami ji would cover his body with
just one spotless white cloth .Sometimes in October he would use a shawl
to over his shoulders. His personality had a grace and aura . None
could remain casual in his presence .
That was the story about Swami Hare Krishna ji who would stay at
Ram Chander Ji Temple Sathu Bar Bar Shah Srinagar . I happened to know
a muslim motor spare parts trader from Haroon family living near the
Temple . This particular gentleman , though a muslim would also pay
visits to Swami ji in the temple and seek his blessings.
The temple of Ramchandra ji at Sathu Bar Bar Shah is on a raised
Platform.This temple is about 1 Km from Lal chowk and proximal to
backside Gate of Sri Partap College. Srinagar It is also about 100
yards from Sathu Bar Bar Shah Bridge . The temple complex is about 10
feet above ground level.It has a Hawan or Yagya shala , a residential
building , six rooms in a row , open ground , and above all a central
temple dedicated to Lord Rama . A grand hawan
would always be performed in this temple on Ramnavmi day . This Hawan
would coincide with Spring festivals in valley .The temple was managed
by Dharmarth trust jammu and kashmir .Since 2002 the gates of the temple
have been opened again and a hawan is performed regularly now on
Ramnavmi day.Enjoy some photographs of this temple taken by me in july
2009 . I am also adding some lines from a poem of master zinda Kaul
( 1884-1965) to end this post .Master ji as he was popularly known in
kashmir, was brought up in extreme poverty . Struggling with poverty ,
sorrows and other pangs of existence , Master ji gave a knew direction
to poetry in Kashmir . He was well versed in Persian , Urdu and Hindi
.His poems like Premuk Nishaan ( Token of love ), Naa Taiyaari ( Non
prepared ness ), Sanyaasi ( Sanyasi ) and KarNaavi Taarukh Na ( O boat
Paddler Take me across ) are a treat to read ..Incidentally Farooq
nazki's sahitya award winning book Naar Heytun Kazalwans bears the title taken from poem Naar Haa
( Beware! It is Fire ) of late Master ji .Farooq Nazki pays due
tributes to master ji in the preface of his book. The lines are
Naar Heutun Kazalwanas ,
Shor Woth Bahaar Ha.
Diluss Heutun Jigar Taeteoy
Kraekh Gai Zi Naar Ha.
From study of his poems ,I could understand that master ji had great
faith in the capacity of a man . He had a vision for the world .Enjoy
some lines from his poem Karnaavi Taarukh Na(O boat Paddler
!Take me across ) This particular poem has been published in his book
Sumaran. I have attempted to translate the lines for readers of this
post .
Where every one shall have work to do ,
Where none would be idle,
Where disease , ugliness and falsehood ,
shall not come in the way of development of human mind, .
Where people shall have neither less nor more than what is needed ,
where guns shall not blast smoke and terror ,
where bombs shall not rain from the sky ,
where none shall be our enemy ,
where no armies shall fight each other .
O Paddler of my boat !
Take me to that world.!
PS
A Photograph of swami Hare Krishna is also uploaded for the viewers of this post .
CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
