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“Marriage has not affected my career”...... Page 4 SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2015 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine A mirror of Duggar Pradesh...... Page 3 A Symbol of Duggar’s legacy of Nath Sampradaye

Lalit Gupta The annual fair held on 28th June, 2015, on the shrine of Goriya at village Swankha, is one of the important congregation of devotees who come together here to pay homage to a prominent Nath of medieval times and cel- ebrate the centuries old legacy of the Nath Cult in Duggar. The spiritual legacy of Nath Panth can be traced back to , the renowned yogi who during 11th-12th century spread the Nath tradition far and wide. According to scholars, the of Nathas was a medieval period edition of age old principles of . The cult by incorporating the essential elements and practices of Bud- dhist saints and Jain Munis, Shaiva cults, Shaktas, Vama- margis, , , Pashupatas, Vaishnavas and Ajivikas, presented before the masses a new revolutionary ascetic tradition which while holding the supremacy of Ish- waravad, initiated a movement against age-old conserva- tive practices. The Nath order was systematized by the Guru Gorakhnath, one of the most illustrious of Sampradaye, who is widely credited with the formulation of . Adi Nath is the ‘first from all Nathas’, from whom Natha Sampradaye has arisen. There exist many different names associated with the sect, amongst them Nathas, Gorakshnathi, Yogis, Siddha Sampradaye, Kanphata Yogis’ are most popular. Although Natha yogis venerate Gorakh The sacred shrine of Siddha Goriya at Swankha. Excelsior/Gautam Nath as the actual founder of their order, the names of Mat- syendra Nath along with Nath precede him in the heart. Each of those couplets contained some elements of in air, turning mountain into gold, creating alive people by his gate the message of his guru. He visited several places and lineage of succession. Nath is also known as knowledge on particular topic, and was passed only from yogic powers and doing many more miracles finally reached Swankha where he settled down. The super- the grand-father guru of all Nathas. Guru to disciple. The other part of teaching addressed to which contradict all laws of the modern science. human deeds of Sidha Goriya such as sprouting of dead The name Siddha Sampradaye reveals that Nathas are wider public was included in Aarti- the songs of praise and According to some legends about him, he was not bound Pipal tree near the house of Mata Mathro and Barhmin Dat- descendants of the tradition of , which had to the deity, to be sung daily as part of the morning to one physical body, and was able to easily leave own body to and making them rich by one pinchful of bhabooti, are reached its peak around 7th-9th centuries. The Siddha move- and in the evening . and enter into other bodies, or to create one or few of them recounted in the ballads sung by folk singers. ment was started as the rebellion against the formalism and The Natha yogis are also known as Siddha yogis as they by his will and as such, he is an immortal. The Nathas believe As per the ballad Sidha Goriya took jalasmadhi at the pres- hypocrisy existing in the contemporary religious traditions. It are expected to attain siddhi or self fulfillment while living in that he is still alive and appears at different places, at the time ent spot of the devasthan at Swankha village which is marked rejected all double standards and superstitions, and empha- this gross body. Darsahani yogi is another name given to when it is most relevant to protect . Guru Gorakh by situated in a pond. It is believed that the water sized the direct practice of Yoga as the only way to salvation. them as they are expected to acquire Darshan or true vision Nath’s powerful personality and the achievements in yoga of the holy pond has special curative powers. In due course Amongst one of the reforms carried on by Mahasiddhas, or perfect insight into the ultimate character of reality. created huge fellowship, and many of kings contemporary to of time, the Yogi’s samadhi developed into a shrine as the was the use of simple regional languages instead of tradi- They must not aim at or be content with any lower form him become his disciples. Yogi was raised to the rank of a deity. tional Sanskrit for worship as well as teaching of their doc- of Siddhi or occult power or vision which are petty things to In course of time, many folk deities and characters in Dug- Today, Bava Siddha Goria is the presiding deity of many trines. , were renowned as powerful, semi-divine a true practitioner of Yoga. A Yogi who attains highest state gar came to be associated with the Natha Sampradaye. In clans and communities. During the seven-day long fair devo- beings (often dwelling atop sacred mountains) capable of of self realization is called as , for whom the dual- Dogri folk songs some of the prominent personalities such tees from different parts of Duggar, Himachal Pradesh, Pun- interceding in human affairs. They appear in Hindu, Jain & ity of right and wrong, purity and impurity have no meaning. as Sidha Goriya, Bawa Bipranath, Raja Mandlik, Raja Hori jab and come in large numbers to pay obeisance Buddhist religious and literary sources; in oral tales, court He rises above the forces and laws of nature, and is beyond appear as disciples of Gorakh Nath. Puran Bhakt, whose folk at the devasthan of Sidha Goriya. The devotees also take a plays, and epics. From the 7th century onwards, the Siddhas all distinctions. Sometimes his demeanor may resemble that ballad is very popular in , Duggar and parts of Uttar customary dip in this pond with the that those suffer- of a child or a mad man and only an intelligent eye can dis- Pradesh, is also called as Sahaj Nath. were identified, within both Buddhist & Shaivite traditions, ing from body ailments or possessed by evil spirits are cured tinguish him from the rest. A Kanphata Yogi, is the one who Along with Dogri folk songs and tales sung by the bards as yogis endowed with magical power; intermediaries who of their malady. is in third or final stage of initiation by the Guru and the cen- about Nath yogis and their miraculous deeds, resolute sad- transmitted divine teachings. The fair of Sidha Goriya, the second largest fair of Duggar In appearance, the Nath yogis closely resemble Kapa- tral hollow of his ears are pierced by in a ceremony and two hana and self control, the continuing legacy of Nath Sampra- long ear-rings are placed in them. The rings so worn by the daye is seen in form of many shrines and gaddis of Nath after Baba Jitto’s fair held at Chiri, presents the true colours likas and were half-naked, besmeared with ash and keep- of a rural mela. Among the attractions of the fair include the ing long mated hair. The new sect was well organized, disci- Yogi are called as Mundras, Darshans, Kundals or Pabitris. yogis in Jammu and surrounding areas. Some of the promi- The other members of this order who have not yet gotten nent ones are the temples of Sahaj Nath at Jandi near Hirana- makeshift market, of temporary stalls and kiosks, selling vari- plined and was having the simple and systematical teach- ety of items of daily use, toys, and variety of eatables, giant ing, which could be easily understood by people. their ears pierced but live the life of austerities and renounced gar and at Jammu, Gaddis of Nath yogis at Suddha Mahadev worldly pleasures are called as Aughars. A distinctive fea- temples, Panjvakhtar temple and Pir Kho at Jammu. wheels, merry-go-rounds, swings and slides. Many free lan- “The system introduced by the Guru Gorakh Nath, was gars for devotees are also set up by locals. Wrestling match- based on the correct knowledge of the subtle structures exist- ture of Aughars and Darshani Yogis is that they wear a sacred The fair held on the Ekadashi of Shukla Paksha, in the thread or Janeo made up of woolen material and a ring called month of Aashad/June every year, at shrine of Nath Yogi Sid- es marked with participation of wrestlers from far and wide, ing in human body and the Cosmic Laws of the Universe. It are one of the added attractions of the fair. emphasized the practice of Hatha Yoga and the power of Pabitri attached to it. A whistle called Nada and dha Goria at Swankha village, eight kilometers west of from or rosary bead also hangs from Pabitri. The nada symbolizes Vijaypur, Samba, celebrates the memory of one such Nath In addition state government departments of Agriculture, austerity (tapa), and was almost totally denying the learning Horticulture Animal/Sheep Husbandry, Handlooms, Handi- of scriptures as means of liberation. Gorakh Nath put the the Anhata nada or unbroken sound of Omkar. The Rudrak- yogi who is said to belong to a royal family and was called crafts, Tourism, Health, Drug and Food Control, Sericulture, end to the practice by Kapalikas custom to carry female con- sha is the symbol of super conscious vision. The worship of ‘Khooni Raja’. sort with them and condemned it as ridiculous and hypocrit- fireplace (dhoona) plays important role in the daily lives of One day this raja ordered a tailor to make his dress with- Employment, Social Welfare and other institutions put up ical”. Natha yogis, they believe that fire represents the mother out use of any stitch. The crestfallen tailor happened to meet their stalls on the occasion to make people aware about the The Natha cult denied the authority of all previously exist- . Guru Gorakh Nath who after listening to tailor’s predicament latest schemes being implemented by them. The continuing ing non-spiritual philosophical traditions and . Instead The Duggar region like many other parts of North created a dress without any stitch. When the ‘Khooni raja’ worship of Nath Yogis and holding of fair at the devasthans it started the practice of passing knowledge from Guru to dis- also came under the influence of the teachings of Guru came to know about the miraculous deed of the Guru, he like that of Sidha Goriya is a testimony to the fact that teach- ciple in the line of direct transmissions. The esoteric part of Gorakh Nath. In folk lore of Duggar the name of Guru Gorakh came to see the great Nath Yogi, who told him to leave the ings and to some extant practices of the Nath Sampradaye the teaching was put in the form of short couplets called Nath figures prominently. Being surrounded by numerous way of atrocities and initiated him into the path of Natha cult. stand ingrained in the socio-cultural and religious life as well , which were easy to remember and were learnt by legends about his wonderful deeds, he is described as flying After becoming a yogi, he came to the region to propa- as spiritual countenance of Dogras. Survival amid adversity

Villagers constructed these high erected platforms in maize fields to safeguard their 'Ghrut' (Water mill) in Bayaran 'Mohalla' of Battalkote village on Bayaran Nallah Kutcha link road of Battalkote village crops but these structures were not successful to deter forest bears causing damage to crops in Battalkote past so many generations. kg/'kanal' (4 quintal/acre); maize 2.50 quintal/'kanal' (20 quintal/acre); and green Common ("Makhsoos") land is used as pasture for cattle-grazing. Common grass 5 rassi/'kanal' (8 quintal/acre; dry grass 5-6 quintal/acre). This is how farm- Dr. Mohinder Kumar land is allotted among all households in the village. They cultivate grass and ers survive by growing various crops mainly for family consumption and cattle Battalkote village is located in Mandi block of Poonch district, 16 km from maize for three to four months on allotted plots and then leave land open for and partly for selling. Mandi town and 70 km from Poonch city of Jammu Division. It is situated in hilly grazing. Once the crop on allotted plots has been harvested by respective house- Literacy rate in the village is 10%. Most of the students became drop-outs and mountainous area. Top of mountains in Mandi block receive heavy snowfall holds, entire common land becomes pasture open to all households for common after class 3rd or 4th. Mutual relations of villagers are reported as "very good during winter, which makes it the coldest region of Jammu Division. Topography use. Farmers of Battalkote cultivate maize (for subsistence purpose). They would and cordial". Villagers are generally aware about performance and constraints and climate of Mandi block is different from other areas of Poonch district. In grind maize in "ghrut" (water mill) and use 'aata' for consumption. Rajmah (white of Gram Panchayat. They reported that Panchayat is transparent in functioning terms of area Battalkote is small village. Its area is 121 acres, of which 21 acres and red both) is cultivated for selling; wholesale traders from Delhi, Punjab and and Sarpanch is helpful. However, he is helpless. This helplessness appears in (17%) is common land and 100 acres (83%) is agricultural land. Average size of Jammu visit Battalkote and purchase Rajmah from farmers. arranging ration card for all households. Out of 600 households, only 150 house- holding is just 0.17 acre (two 'Kanal') per farm household. Farmers of Battalkote also cultivate potatoes to sell partly within village, not holds have received ration card. Sarpanch has submitted the list of remaining Entire population of 3500 persons in 600 households is Muslim and they are in all seasons. They cultivate 'Alpha-Alpha' grass, sold @Rs.5/- per kg (dried). 450 households to the Tehsil Supply Officer (TSO) Mandi, which raised objec- engaged in farming. They belong to General Caste category and speak Kash- Grass is weighed in terms of 'rassi' and 'gaddi'. One 'rassi' is equal to 24 'gad- tion that this list included "chulhas" (separated hearth/ households), not real num- miri, Urdu, and Gojri languages. None of the households is reported as Sched- ber of households. There is no ration supply till now for 450 households. Extreme- uled Tribe (ST) or Other Backward Class (OBC) although economic poverty is VILLAGE WEEKLY ly poor, widowed and other eligible households are yet to get ration card. MNRE- the distinguishing feature of Battalkote. The influence of Kashmiri and Gojri cul- GA is implemented in the village. For 2012-13, Gram Panchayat forwarded a tures and way of life is clearly visible in this village, which is close to Kashmir dis'. Each 'gaddi' weighs 4 kg. Hence one 'rassi' of grass is equal to one quin- proposal of works with annual plan of Rs.60-70 lakh for Battalkote to the Rural Division (Shopian district). Out of 600 households, 20 households belong to Guj- tal. These are weights of green grass. Stem of maize called "krub" in local lan- Development Department. Information on the mode of implementation, success jar 'Bakarwals' (shepherds). These 20 Gujjar Bakarwal and 400 Kashmiri speak- guage is also sold as green fodder. Each household rears at least one or two of implementation, achievement/ completion/ nature of projects, number of job ing Muslim households migrate to upper mountainous forest pastures to live in cows/ buffaloes and 2-3 sheep/ goats for family subsistence. Each household card holders, wages, number of mandays work created, etc. under MNREGA "Dhoks" (mud and stone huts) during summer season for five-six months. Sum- has three-four walnut trees. They sell walnut worth Rs.4000/- per household could not be provided by villagers/ Sarpanch, which raises question mark over mer migration of few members with sheep-goats from the village makes feasi- each year. At rate of 12 kg per tree, total production of around 40 kg is sold its performance. ble storage of dried grass cultivated by them for survival and feeding cattle dur- @Rs.100/- per kg. Selling price is too low as compared to market price. In this Access to natural resources for survival by villagers in Battalkote is reported as ing winter season. They return to Battalkote before start of winter season. They way, each walnut tree gives gross income of Rs.1000/-. One youth from house- under: fuel wood/ fire-wood is collected from forest. There is no joint forest man- carry small wood on horse-back from mountain-forests that is used for kitchen- hold would put a kg of walnut by guess-weight in old polythene bag and would agement committee of Battalkote under social forestry. There is large number of fuel. Even children and old members accompany family to migrate to "Dhoks" in stand on roadside (Baffliaz-Shopian road) to offer each bag for sale to the trav- 'chashmas' (springs) for sourcing "safe" drinking water -though it may not be so mountainous forest pastures towards Pir-ki-Gali. It is their semi-nomadic/ semi- elers in vehicles. Average yield of different crops produced by farmers in safe since used directly. Water for irrigation is sourced by farmers from Trehen- agricultural/ semi-settled life style of Gujjar Bakarwals carried forward for the Battalkote is reported as under: potatoes 30 kg/'kanal' (240 kg/acre); rajmah 50 gad nallah and Khodiwala nallah. Stones for house construction or other uses are (Contd on page 3 )