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SACRED SPACE BOOK REVIEW Upanishads Rediscovering in the Himalayas Surinder Koul sacerdotal rites. Description about several obliterated sculptures of Source of Spirituality Albeit, the writer is professionally medical doctor, who often trav- images of Hindu Goddess and Gods , carved pillars, floral designs els to , the remotest part of the country and other on plinth slabs, full lotus carved on circular stone slab in Malinithan R C Kotwal Rajasthan and M.P. of present day . places, out of her inquisitiveness and yearning to study cultural and temple premises are mentioned in minute details . Book also car- The exact numbers of the Upanishads are not clearly architectural sites in the country, yet she has produced the book as ries out various performances of worshipping that was prevalent in Upanishads means the inner or mystic teaching. The term known. Scholars differ on the total number of Upanishads as an intellectual fallow for interested people to undertake further deep main land India among the Hindus and had been practiced by the research about cultural heritage, sociological and environmental people in Arunachal Pradesh also from ages. It has identified tem- "Upanishad" is derived from Upa(Near) , ni ( down) and shad well as what constitutes an Upanishad. Some of the Upan- (to sit) i.e sitting down near. Groups of pupils sit near the aspects of earlier called NEFA now lately rechristened as Arunachal ples precincts and ruins where worshipping of Linga, worship- ishads are very ancient, but some are of recent origin. Pradesh. This region Arunachal Pradesh, had remained neglected ping of as Malini still exist and on auspicious occasion devo- teacher to learn from him the secret doctrine. The Upan- The original Upanishads are the end portions of the four ishads are sometimes referred to as Vedanta, variously inter- most of the time, even after Indian independence, but the Chinese tees from the nearby states do throng these sanctified places to pay Vedas, and thereby came to be identified with "Vedanta" aggression and their intrusion of 1962 in upper parts of NEFAbrought preted to mean the last chapters of the Vedas or the object, their obeisance to these Gods and Goddess. Full account through which literally means the end of the Vedas. They dealt with in lime light its strategic significance and urgency of connectivity to sharp photographs, of stone images of Laxmi, Lord Indira. , Kar- the highest purpose of the Veda. The concepts of Brahman the philosophical aspects of the Vedas and were taught in the forefront in Indian Govt. The aborigines of this region must had tikaya, Lord and Lord , three headed Lord Brahama, (ultimate Reality) and Atman (soul-self) are central ideas in ancient India to highly qualified and selected individuals. The lived the lives of confinement and limited contentment due to in acces- Goddess Saraswati, Lord and Radha, Varah with boar all the Upanishads and "Know your Atman" their thematic Upanishadic texts are part of the Shruti literature and are sibility, lack of communication, economic underdevelopment, road head and body of human, figure of Vidhadhar and well chiseled out focus. Shri Adi Shankara explains in his commentary on the considered to be divine in origin. They are associated with connectivity net work among various tribes settlements in stray clus- images of favourite animals of deities on stone pillars that have been Katha that it means "Knowledge of the self" or "Knowledge several ancient seers. Some of these lived at least twenty ters. Physical location of the region is falling in Outer Himalaya, Patkoi found almost around in the state in these ruins of temples complex- generations before Lord Krishna and probable date of the ranges and is vivisected by number of rivers and streams, emanat- es are well documented. ing from Higher Mahabharata war. Prominent among these were It is empirically evident Himalayas which in that these consecrated Yaganavalkya, Uddalaka, Aruni, Shandilya, Aitareya, Pippla- turn are tributaries of places might have had pada and Sanatkumara. huge river Brahma- magnificent Hindu dedicat- Today there are estimated 200-250 Upanishads, some putra. Climatically, ed temples and places of well known and some least known. The Bhagvat Gita is also Arunachal Pradesh worship in some period of known as an Upanishads because it contains the essence receives highest rain time. And the ruins and of many of the Upanishads. I have listed 108 Upanishads as fall, which makes the stone images do corrobo- per the list contained in the Muktiupainshad. I have arrange region susceptible to rate that the then inhabi- them in four categories according to a particular Veda, to large scale occur- tants of this undulated which each of them belong. Out of 108, rence of landslide, mountainous verdant resulting into damag- region must had been pro- Upanishads only 10 have been commented upon by sever- ing of permanent al archarayas like Adi Shankaracharya. These are fessing Saktism, Vaishnav- road link net work and ism and Shaivism, all the Ishavasya, Kena, Katha, Aithreya, Brihadaranyaka, Prash- housing colonies major sects of Hinduism in na, Mandukya, Taittireya, Chandogya and Mundaka. These along the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh as had have been popularized by Swami Vivekananda and others. mountain ridges cov- been the Hindu religious They all deal with highest degree of philosophy and meta- ered with alpine doctrines in rest of Indian physics. There are Upanishads which even tells us how to shrubs and conifer- sub continent. The writer worship a particular god. But majority of them deal with meth- ous tree line. has given sufficient chroni- ods of Yoga and Renunciation (Sanyasa). For compiling cally documentary support, Basically Upanishads have been written thousands of this master piece of Mahabharata and work, the author has Ramayan epics to relate years back. Some say 4000 BC or so on forth. In western travelled at length to each and every corner of the state to have the world also many scholars, writers have examined and stud- and justify the religious history of the region with that of Hinduism and first hand ground information about the ancient temples, shrines, its format of worship, pattern of rituals, customs and beliefs and its ied Upanishads and have accepted the level of wisdom, spir- ruins which were destroyed and annihilated under various cultural ituality and Moksha concept by great Hindu sages thousands philosophy, an article of faith. Since, Vedas are the common source invasion, conquests and devastated by natural upheavals in North of Hinduism in all its all varied stages, therefore the author has right- of years ago. The first introduction of Upanishads to the west- East in past centuries. Most of these crumbled age old temple struc- ly spelled out the proof of religious commonness of Hinduism between ern world was through a translation into Persian made in 17th tures were further eroded and denudated under vagaries of nature Arunachal Pradesh and Indian heart land. Moreover, the research from time to time in past centuries. In spite of cultural influx and eco- century. More than a century late a known French scholar, work done by the author in this book does certify that people of of Brahma".1 nomic depravity of the region , the influence of Hinduism might had Anquetill Duperron brought a copy of manuscript from Per- Arunachal Pradesh were not isolated from Indian society. The authors of most Upanishads are unknown. Various diminished with the passage of time, but the essence of its philoso- sia to France and translated it into French and Latin simple, The book is hard bound, better printed on art paper, spread over theories have suggested different names. Scholars are also universal." phy must not have vanished, that is why still local people revere Hin- on 135 pages, having paper cover jacket, embossed with beautiful du Gods and Goddess and do maintain their Hindu way of prayers. uncertain about the exact centuries in which Upanishads The first English translation was made by a learned Hin- picture of Shiva Linga, idols girdled in colored swath of holy were composed. The general area of the composition of the Yet the author has made strenuous efforts to recast the religious cloth, a trident pitched by side, a symbolic weapon of Lord Shiva. du, Raja Ram Mohan roy (1775-1833). Basically Upanishads significance of places, highlights of main archaeological findings with early Upanishads was Northern India, on the east of lower contains the essence of Vedic teachings and have an uni- Cost of the book is INR 995/ and is easily available at leading book- Ganga region, on the north by the Himalayan Hills and on the help of local folk tales, beliefs, traditions and customs and exist- shops. The book makes an interesting reading not from cultural her- versal approach. Study of Upanishads gives us insight into ing literature available in comprehensive manner. Book is portioned the south by the Vindhya mountain range. This region cov- itage point of view only but also from diverse aspects of its strategic the extra ordinary religious thoughts given by great sages. in various chapters and each subject matter has been well elucidat- ers Bihar, Nepal, UP, Uttarakhand, HP, Haryana, Eastern location, environment, its class of populace, border trade and com- (The author is Superintendent of Police S K Police Academy Udhampur) ed with understandable references and related Hindu oblations, and merce and border sensitivity due to ingress and egress people. Explore economic potential of Thiksey

Dr. Mohinder Kumar destroyed; 11 foot bridges were destroyed; village had 25 commercial cum privatel water mills (runtuk) on nallah, all of which were destroyed and washed away even as no sign of existence of these water mills was left (each water mill cost Rs.2.00 lakh of invest- Thiksey is a big village bifurcated as Thiksey-I and Thiksey-II. This article is about Thiksay-II. Thiksey is located in Chuchot ment). Entire landline phone infrastructure (poles, wires) in village was also destroyed. Families of three dead persons received block of Leh district. It has nine mohallas (wards), of which one (Staknu) is hilly, has different topography and landscape from oth- compensation of Rs.2.00 lakh each from government. Out of 113 acres, land reclaimed with the help of government assistance er mohallas in plain area. Entire area below Staknu mohalla is in plains. Some area looks exotic and is littered with huge stones under MNREGA was 78 acres. Balance 35 acres land was not provided any assistance. Government did not provide compensa- lying all across the surface as if they are the impact of rolling down from surrounding hills due to flashfloods caused by cloudbursts tion for the loss of livestock. Out of 15 damaged houses, 13 got compensation from government. Link road is yet to be reconstruct- that may have visited this area over so many centuries. ed. Water head works, water mills, bridges, foot bridges, phone lines, etc. are also yet to be reconstructed. Villagers depend on The village is situated at a distance of 25 km from Leh city. It appears as a prosperous village. Thiksay-II village is located on government assistance for creation of these public and private assets. the way to famous 'Little Potala' Monastery which is a replica of Potala Palace of King of Lhasa in Tibet. The road passing through Insects ("chha") destroyed barley and wheat crops of villagers and caused economic loss each year. Villagers, partic- Thiksey is used to approach 'Shey Manla' where Sindhu Festival called 'Sindhu Darshan' is held every year at Shey Manla Sind- ularly farmers, are yet to find any extension service of any sort from the agencies concerned (KVK; Agriculture Office, Leh). hu Ghat on banks of river Indus. This road is also on the way to Nyoma, Changthang, Kharnak Zara, Dibling, etc. tribal areas and Villagers lived in severe cold conditions due to heavy snowfall every year. Good local food and nutritious diet is the best on Leh-Manali highway. defense mechanism of these people against cold. They would eat "thupa" of different varieties using homemade cheese, Total area of village is 438 acres, of which 131 acres (30%) is common land and used as pasture for grazing cattle owned by pea, meat, dry vegetables, cashew, almonds, with black pepper, garlic and onion for tadka (fry); some villagers used turmer- villagers. Total population is 1000 persons in 240 households. All households are Buddhists and Scheduled Tribes. A Panchayat ic and red chilly but others did not. They would also cook "momos" by preparing flat dough of wheat flour, filled it with mut- Ghar is under construction and community hall is already constructed on common land. ton and chopped onion like North Indians prepared samosa but Laddakhi momos (like Jammu momos) were mostly pre- With overall literacy rate of 70%, villagers cooperate on fellow farmers' farmland in farming operations without expecting wages. pared in steam (instead of oil fried), and they ate it with mutton soup. Some villagers prepared "skyusar" with wheat flour Their vision of village development is to have all amenities and modern facilities like ATM, banks, stadium, shopping mall, etc. and spices; it was slightly dry and cooking style was different from thupa, and eaten with potatoes and salad. These local The state of physical infrastructure in Thiksey-II is mixed with good and bad features. Overall look, appearance, sanitation and foods rich in protein and energy kept them fit and healthy in winter. drainage system of the village are impressive but in absence of streetlights, entire set of amenities appears failure. Being a tourist Personal problems and difficulties of villagers are reported as pertaining to mental depression in the aftermath of cloudburst attraction, both domestic and foreign tourists visit this village and Potola Monastery. Early in the morning when it's still dark many and flashfloods in 2010. Now gradually people have overtaken their depressive tendencies that emerged due to shocking and of the foreign tourists go to monastery to attend prayers by Lamas. However, due to darkness often some of them become vic- dreadful calamity of cloudburst which created havoc in those awesome 15-20 minutes. Otherwise all Laddakhis, including Bud- tims of dog bite. It is a day-to-day difficulty but no action is so far taken for its amelioration. Other amenities are normally available,

e.g. 8-10 grocery shops, one post-office, one J&K Bank branch and ATM, hotels & restaurants; but no medical shop or private dhists of this village, are by nature calm, quite, contented, satisfied, and always without mental tension. Whatever little financial doctor/clinic is available despite foreign tourists visiting everyday to this village. The village has three schools (one primary, mid- relief is received by them, they are satisfied with it. General approach to coping with adversities by villagers in Thiksey-II are, for dle, high school each) and one fair price ration store. example, collective approach (e.g. taking deputation of villagers in procession to DDC office led by Sarpanch to submit memo- In 2005, villagers constructed 10-11 small check dams on two hills for storage of spring water, starting from November. randum of demands), expect government assistance, and efforts by individual households -all three methods were used by vil- In December and January, water gets totally frozen into ice due to extreme cold. Even dropping water dips get frozen. April lagers in this order. Sometimes nothing worked or materialized. Then religious teachings came to their support to induce calm- onwards ice started melting without sun rays and villagers get sufficient water for irrigation. Few hills of Thiksey were locat- ness. ed at such angle that some particular side of these hills never received sun rays throughout the year. Therefore, freezing Thiksey has good economic potential. In non-farm sector, there is good scope of food processing, particularly vegetable pro- of water into ice is easier and longer. These melting glaciers create artificial lake/ cessing (potato, pea and all other types of vegetables) at small scale. Villagers are polit- watershed, which is used for irrigation by the farmers. During flashfloods of 2010, ical and demand full Union Territory (UT) status for Laddakh region. Until then they wished all check dams got destroyed and are yet to be repaired. VILLAGE WEEKLY (though not practicable) that annual "Darbar shift" of State Administration should also Private economic assets of households in village include four tractors, 300 include three months shift to Leh. This wish overlooked two aspects: (i) cost; and (ii) cows, no goats/sheep, no BPL households, no pucca houses (all kutcha), no landless households, and normal instru- extreme winter (more cold) in Laddakh in winter as compared to Kashmir valley. Villagers demand Engineering College, Medical ments of cultivation (wooden ploughs, Pankha, Peespa i.e. seed sprayer, Belcha, Ginti i.e. digger, etc.). Villagers and College and University for Laddakh region as they find it difficult to send their wards to Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh, etc. for high- "BPL households" approached Gram Sabha to remove from DRDC list the names of these 27 households hitherto marked er education, particularly in view of poor road connectivity and costly air traffic fare. Over 3000 Laddakhi students are studying in as BPL, since actually they claim they are not poor/ BPL. All households in Thiksey have good source of income and cities outside Laddakh. Thicksey-II being a progressive, prosperous and forward looking village considered itself representative of livelihoods due to tourism sector developed by them on private effort basis. There are good hotel-cum-restaurants for the political, cultural and educational aspirations of the people of Laddakh, particularly Leh district. tourists in the village. Streetlights are urgently required since village has famous Potola monastery where foreign tourists visited in large number. Ear- None of the households faces problem of warm clothing during winter. They wear woolen "guncha" ("nambu"), ly in the morning or before dawn when it was still dark, they visited monastery for the morning-'pooja' (worship), and at that time sweater, shirt, woolen "pabu" (shoes) and socks, woolen muffler (kids wear feather muffler and cap), etc. All house- street dogs posed menacing threat to commuters on the road or in street corners; therefore, tourists hesitated or could not go to holds have adequate fuel wood like cow dung cake, firewood (trees are in abundance, no need to purchase wood), and monastery for morning 'pooja'. If street lights are provided, dog-threats would be reduced. Village has one water collection cham- all households use LPG. ber of 15000 gallons for supply of safe drinking water. One more chamber for storage capacity of 5000 gallons is needed in Stanknu Thiksay-II is one of the few exceptional villages where all households are interested in taking bank loan; 50% farm households mohalla (ward) due to increased population, and chambers getting destroyed due to cloudburst and floods in 2010. Villagers are borrowing without using KCC mechanism; KCC coverage is 85%. Financial inclusion through credit is 100%. Villagers are demand soil testing facility for farmers. They apprehend superstitiously that their crop gets damaged each year because of some interested in bank loans under dairy/ DEDS and other schemes, transport (taxi loan), housing, consumption loan, etc. since farm unknown insects in water from river Indus getting into their soil and reaching crops! This example indicated non-scientific approach loan requirements are already met by the banks (mainly J&K Bank). to farming due to absence of extension services to the villagers though Thiksey is otherwise so developed culturally, religiously Three persons from Staknu mohalla (ward) of Thiksey village died in flashfloods of 2010 due to cloudburst; their dead bodies and aesthetically. Thiksey by its look gives impression of a developed Punjab village; economic potential of this village can be were not yet found. Other loss of property and economic assets was reported as under: fertile top soil on 900 kanals (113 acres) tapped if public and private investment in agriculture is facilitated through agri-extension services. of agricultural land was washed away; 70 livestock got washed away; 6000 trees fell down and washed away; 15 houses got part- (Author works for NABARD. Views expressed are personal) ly damaged; road length of 10 km was destroyed; three bridges on long Staknu nallah were destroyed; 13 water head works were Feedback:[email protected]