By A Khosa
yi yi karu'm suy artsun, yi rasini vichoarum thi mantar, yihay lagamo dhahas partsunsuy Parasivun tanthar - Lalvakh
Whatever work I did became worship of the Lord; Whatever word I uttered became a mantra;Whatever this body of mine experienced became the sadhana-s of Saiva Tantraillumining my path to Parmasiva
How many of us know Islam entered Kashmir this way!!!
For thousands of years the cross current of competing empires have lapped at the borders of Kashmir: Delhi to south, Kabul to the west, the Turks and the Mongols from the vast plains of North, china and Tibet to the east.
Mahumad of Ghazni brought the sword of Islam in 1015; the steel clattered against the cold stones of Himalayas and retreated. Three hundred years latter Sayyid Bilal Shah immortal by the name Bulbul Shah, brought love and compassion of Islam.
The history of the first Muslim ruler revolves around some characters and it is equally important to know them , so please proceed
Bulbul Shah: A Mussavi Sayyid disciple of the divine Sufi Shah Naimatullah Farsi of Surawardy order was the first muslim who propagated Islam in Kashmir, during Sahadeva's rule. By the time Bulbul Shah passed away in 1327, the king , the kings brother, the commander-in-chief of the army were muslims. And the first mosque of Kashmir in Srinagar, now called Bulbul Langar, had been constructed. He stand buried in the mosque.
Shah Mir: A adventurer as the history reports, but I consider him the propagator-in-disguise, from Swat, now in Pakistan. This young man had a dream one day in which a holy man told him to go to Kashmir, where he would one day become a king. Without wasting much time and without pausing to wonder why an unknown wanderer could become a king!! Shah Mir collected his family and supporters and came to Sahadeva's Court.
Rinchin: The Great Changez Khan never reached Kashmir, thought he knocked at its doors after tibet fell to him in 1203. It was left to great Kublai Khan(1260-1294) to extend the Mongol administration. on the edge of this vast plateau lay Bhanttaland, corresponding to modern Blatistan and Ladakh. Kublai Khan appointed local Bhantta, Lha-chen-dugos Grub to administer. But no sooner the Kublai Khan;s death news reached this remote land, local passions which had been subdued raised and Lha-chen-dugos Grub lost his life. His young handsome warrior son( Rinchin) was forced to flee. This brought Rinchin across Zojila pass into Kashmir under Sahadeva's rule. This young fugitive fell in love with the daughter of Ramachandra, Kota Rani, a beautiful and intelligent girl.
Sahadeva: Was the ruler of Kashmir from 1301-20.
Ramachandra: The Commander -in -chief of Sahadeva and the father of Kota Rani, a beautiful and intelligent girl.
The History unfolds with a attack by Dulchu - a Tartar chief from Central Asia, said to be a descendant of Chenghiz Khan - invaded the Valley in A.D. 1319. Sahadeva, a weak-minded king, fled to Kishtwar. Ramachandra card least about the common masses and only kept himself and his family confined to the fortress. It was during this brutal crisis that the Buddhist refugee ( Rinchin) and a wanderer warrior from Swat( Shah Mir) came to help of people. They offered whatever little assistance they could. They had won love and loyalty of the people after Dulchu army left plundering the valley. Soon after Rinchin with the assistance of Shah Mir murdered Ramachamdra and became King Himself on 6 October, 1320. Kota Rani quickly put aside whatever little reservations she might have about her father's murder and became Rinchin's Queen!!
Now this is something we Kashmiri Pandits need to understand and take lesson from!!
Though Rinchin was the King now, but being a Buddhist, mass reservations were growing. Buddhism had disappeared, Hinduism was again the dominant creed and Islam was trying to make impact.
Rinchin decided that he had no other option but to worship Lord Shiva and become a Hindu. A word was snet to the Deva Swami, head priest of Shiava Hindus. A solemn conclave was held by Hindus/Kashmiri Pandits and after much pondring and with great solemnity the King was informed that conversion of Hinduism was not possible as the could nt decide which Gotra/sub caste in the hierarchy to place Rinchin in.
At this point Islam struck......Shah Mir, Rinchin's friend and aide tried to persuade Rinchin to adopt Islam. But Rinchin deferred the decision.
Allah-O-Akbar! Hearing this cry Rinchin woke up the other restless morning only to see Bubul Shah at prayer. He went to him and Converted to Islam......
Thus I leave it to you my dear readers to decide.... What our fate would have been had the priests accepted Rinchin in Hindu fold....???
yi yi karu'm suy artsun, yi rasini vichoarum thi mantar, yihay lagamo dhahas partsunsuy Parasivun tanthar - Lalvakh
Whatever work I did became worship of the Lord; Whatever word I uttered became a mantra;Whatever this body of mine experienced became the sadhana-s of Saiva Tantraillumining my path to Parmasiva
How many of us know Islam entered Kashmir this way!!!
For thousands of years the cross current of competing empires have lapped at the borders of Kashmir: Delhi to south, Kabul to the west, the Turks and the Mongols from the vast plains of North, china and Tibet to the east.
Mahumad of Ghazni brought the sword of Islam in 1015; the steel clattered against the cold stones of Himalayas and retreated. Three hundred years latter Sayyid Bilal Shah immortal by the name Bulbul Shah, brought love and compassion of Islam.
The history of the first Muslim ruler revolves around some characters and it is equally important to know them , so please proceed
Bulbul Shah: A Mussavi Sayyid disciple of the divine Sufi Shah Naimatullah Farsi of Surawardy order was the first muslim who propagated Islam in Kashmir, during Sahadeva's rule. By the time Bulbul Shah passed away in 1327, the king , the kings brother, the commander-in-chief of the army were muslims. And the first mosque of Kashmir in Srinagar, now called Bulbul Langar, had been constructed. He stand buried in the mosque.
Shah Mir: A adventurer as the history reports, but I consider him the propagator-in-disguise, from Swat, now in Pakistan. This young man had a dream one day in which a holy man told him to go to Kashmir, where he would one day become a king. Without wasting much time and without pausing to wonder why an unknown wanderer could become a king!! Shah Mir collected his family and supporters and came to Sahadeva's Court.
Rinchin: The Great Changez Khan never reached Kashmir, thought he knocked at its doors after tibet fell to him in 1203. It was left to great Kublai Khan(1260-1294) to extend the Mongol administration. on the edge of this vast plateau lay Bhanttaland, corresponding to modern Blatistan and Ladakh. Kublai Khan appointed local Bhantta, Lha-chen-dugos Grub to administer. But no sooner the Kublai Khan;s death news reached this remote land, local passions which had been subdued raised and Lha-chen-dugos Grub lost his life. His young handsome warrior son( Rinchin) was forced to flee. This brought Rinchin across Zojila pass into Kashmir under Sahadeva's rule. This young fugitive fell in love with the daughter of Ramachandra, Kota Rani, a beautiful and intelligent girl.
Sahadeva: Was the ruler of Kashmir from 1301-20.
Ramachandra: The Commander -in -chief of Sahadeva and the father of Kota Rani, a beautiful and intelligent girl.
The History unfolds with a attack by Dulchu - a Tartar chief from Central Asia, said to be a descendant of Chenghiz Khan - invaded the Valley in A.D. 1319. Sahadeva, a weak-minded king, fled to Kishtwar. Ramachandra card least about the common masses and only kept himself and his family confined to the fortress. It was during this brutal crisis that the Buddhist refugee ( Rinchin) and a wanderer warrior from Swat( Shah Mir) came to help of people. They offered whatever little assistance they could. They had won love and loyalty of the people after Dulchu army left plundering the valley. Soon after Rinchin with the assistance of Shah Mir murdered Ramachamdra and became King Himself on 6 October, 1320. Kota Rani quickly put aside whatever little reservations she might have about her father's murder and became Rinchin's Queen!!
Now this is something we Kashmiri Pandits need to understand and take lesson from!!
Though Rinchin was the King now, but being a Buddhist, mass reservations were growing. Buddhism had disappeared, Hinduism was again the dominant creed and Islam was trying to make impact.
Rinchin decided that he had no other option but to worship Lord Shiva and become a Hindu. A word was snet to the Deva Swami, head priest of Shiava Hindus. A solemn conclave was held by Hindus/Kashmiri Pandits and after much pondring and with great solemnity the King was informed that conversion of Hinduism was not possible as the could nt decide which Gotra/sub caste in the hierarchy to place Rinchin in.
At this point Islam struck......Shah Mir, Rinchin's friend and aide tried to persuade Rinchin to adopt Islam. But Rinchin deferred the decision.
Allah-O-Akbar! Hearing this cry Rinchin woke up the other restless morning only to see Bubul Shah at prayer. He went to him and Converted to Islam......
Thus I leave it to you my dear readers to decide.... What our fate would have been had the priests accepted Rinchin in Hindu fold....???
1 comment:
Khosa ji...
really speaking it was an informative article for me...
thanks for ur efforts and I suppose many of us will find it an article of importance as far as Kashmir's past is concerned.
Take care
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