RAMCHANDRA JI TEMPLE SATHU BAR BAR SHAH SRINAGAR

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 1970. 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.!

(  Text and Photographs By Autar Mota )

PS 
A Photograph of swami Hare Krishna is also uploaded for the viewers of this post