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of the pilgrims with self-sustained modules without pared through the expert agencies with uniform pattern compromising the original architectural features and for all the built-up area by the respective departments. designs should be taken up. At the same time, emphasis Either JDA or RDD should be made as nodal department should be on local materials to preserve heritage charac- to prepare the development plan. ter by minimizing use of cement and concrete with uni- It is worthwhile to mention here that as part of Unexplored Heritage form facade, colour schemes for host community in nationwide efforts of INTACH to protect heritage of association with departments such as Rural the nation, INTACH Jammu chapter submitted copies Development Department, Forests, Environment, Jal of prepared vision document to the authorities Traditional Route to Vaishno Devi Shrine Shakti, Health, PWD, PDD, Flood Control and through the then MLA Nagrota constituency for S.M Sahni, Satwant Singh Rissam ticulture produce. Interestingly, many remnants of pre- partition era can be found on this route. While preparing The famous Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in vision document on this route for Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) by Jammu chap- Jammu's Katra town is visited by more ter we found temples, stepwells, pacca talabs (ponds), bowlies, resting shelters, drinking and bathing water than ten million pilgrims each year. sources, abandoned sarais etc constructed by the devo- tees who used to come from Lahore, Delhi and other The economy of Jammu region is linked with this cave parts of the country. We were also told by locals that the shrine and hospitality industry as well as many small devotees on this route used to move in large groups and traders, taxi operators, shopkeepers, pony wala, palki most of the infrastructure was built by them for their walas and vendors earn their livelihood from pilgrims annual pilgrimage. The famous temples of historical visiting the shrine. However, during COVID-19 lockdown value enroute are: all the religious shrines in India were closed and now a) Temple at village Pangali with sarai shed, step well after staying shut for almost three months many shrines with chambers to store water, large size pond. have reopened for the public. On the contrary, Vaishno b) Shiv Temple at village Thandapani. Devi Shrine hasn't opened yet and its impact these days c) Kalika Mata Temple at village Gundla. is even visible on the empty shops of Jammu and Katra. d) Remains of Thakurdwara at village Bhamyal near While across the world corona virus is being discussed Bus Stand and similarly in India along with it traditional ways of e) Shiv Temple with wall painting at Upper Bhamyal. living, eating and old habits are also being propagated as f) Oli Temple at tail end of District Jammu(Bhamyal) a way to beat corona virus. As we are thinking of a post- g) Shiv Temple with sarai building at Phayadya falling lockdown India so interestingly here in Jammu it would in Reasi district ( 500 mtrs from Oli Temple) be right time to highlight the traditional route to holy h) Deva Mai ji Temple at hilltop of Nomain village cave shrine from Jammu to Katra. Most of the pilgrims After visiting this route, we were sure that the histor- visiting the shrine aren't aware of this route and even new ical significance of this route with abundance of heritage generation of Jammuites lack its idea and importance. points is likely to attract millions of pilgrims once it is There was a time when this route was used by the devo- promoted and developed on priority by the government, With help of conservation steps we would be tees as the preferred primary route to reach the holy shrine board and host communities. This entire heritage able to make aware our future shrine. As times changed and with the construction of should be conserved, preserved and restored to its pris- National Highway, a faster and more convenient tine glory. The villages along 22kms road are likely to get generations about our traditional values. motorable route to Katra is being preferred these days. economic thrust and day won't be far when this entire This route starts from Kolkandoli temple (first darshan) area could flourish as a part of yatra from Nagrota to Nagrota passing through Jagti - Pangali - Bamyal of Katra to Bhawan. It would also reduce the travel time as Jammu district climbing up to Deva Mai temple of Reasi this route is 5 kms short from the existing NH road to Irrigation, Housing and Urban Development advise to concerned authorities in the government as district and then to Nomain village 4 km short of Katra. Katra. Department, Housing Board, Jammu Development well as in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for Nowadays, this route is used only by local travelers such It is the value system which acts as the backbone for Authority, Agriculture, Horticulture, Handloom, revival of this traditional route. This crucial work as nomads, businessmen from surrounding villages, any healthy society. For this immediate steps to con- Handicrafts and finally the Tourism and Culture should be started and completed within fixed deadline ponywalla's and pithoos etc who live in nearby villages serve this heritage should be taken as because of neglect Department. This route is old but could make new for- in order to make this route more enjoyable. Post lock and travel to Katra to earn their livelihood. shown to this entire area all things have taken bad tunes for numerous people once it becomes destination down world would be different and we hope so for this Besides, this route is very important from heritage shape. With help of conservation steps we would be able for tourists who want to experience rural life. The rural route having tremendous tourism potential with point of view. It is a treasure of built, natural and cultur- to make aware our future generations about our tradi- fairs, festivals, customs, rituals and celebrations could ready-made market which is more than any other pil- al heritage which lies unexplored and ignored. On this tional values. These rich heritage components have his- become added attraction along with traditional ethnic grimage route of the region. route various villages showcase the rural life with natural torical, architectural, social/ associational values which foods of the area. beauty of indigenous trees, streams, nallahs, walkways, were given to us by the pilgrims visiting the holy cave The master plan as well as conservation plans with an (The authors are (KAS Retd), Convenor INTACH, Jammu Chapter) and hilly as well as small plain meadows, agriculture and hor- shrine. The developmental plans as per the requirement integrated developmental approach needs to be got pre- (Programme Coordinator, INTACH Jammu Chapter) HOLY AMARNATH CAVE - TRADITION & HISTORICITY Jagmohan Sharma

In 1998 I had the good fortune of visiting the Holy Cave of Baba Amarnath along with my wife and daughter. That was probably the first year when general public was allowed to visit the holy cave after the outbreak of terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. The impulse for the visit came from a group of monks from Belur Muth of Swami Ramakrishana Mission, Kolkata, who had just returned from a visit to the holy place. The narration of their experiences during the visit to the holy cave propelled us to undertake the journey ourselves too. We took statutory permissions from the concerned Departments of the Government of J&K & drove to Baltal on a day during which it was raining heavily. However, the impulse triggered by the monks didn't deter us & we arrived at Baltal in the evening where we had a neat & clean tent to ourselves as the pilgrimage had just started. The rain stopped in the evening& the sight of breaking clouds in a cool environment amongst the lofty mountains & on the banks of River Sindh enthralled us. We felt as if we were at a very different level of existence which was not mundane - it had a purpose.All around there were groups of volunteers, mostly from Punjab, who had established "langars" & were providing free food & other facilities to the pil- grims. We also came across a few from Jammu & Maharashtra. We rested for the night & early next morning left for the Holy Cave. The experi- ence was exhilarating. There were hundreds of people from all across the country trekking the path on foot or on pony back to the Cave. Worshiping nature is one of the basic tenets of Hinduism & here nature was all pervasive & at its best giving meaning to the oft repeated "mantra" - Har Har Mahadev. You could feel the Grace &Beauty of Mahadev in every form of nature's existence, be it water, river, rivulet, the soaring mountain peaks, the green foliaged trees or bare Rocky Mountains, the snow bridges over rivers & vast expanse of snow all around. The experience of sight- ing the cave from a distance is unexplainable. It reminds me a verse from Tulsi's Ramayana where he describes the beauty of Rama by saying that how do I describe it as the eyes that see it have no tongue to explain it nor has the tongue eyes that it could see it. Inside the majestic natural cave Snow Shivalingam was fully formed. It wasn't exactly very easy to stand barefooted on the icy floor of the cave for a very long time, but then God strengthens your will power to sustain the hardship on such occasions and so that we humans can grasp and be witness to His presence and Glory as long as you can. We stayed there long enough & a feeling crept in that we didn't exactly want to leave this place. We wanted to stay put, get assimilated into the natural envi- ronment in the cave & be one with Him! Was it "vairagya"? Can't say!! Such feelings don't last long for we humans have our limitations & there are so Sheshnag many worldly things beckoning us all the time. While leaving for the Holy Cave from Srinagar I had come across a writeup in some newspaper which dated the discovery of the Holy Cave to 1850 mentioning The Rajatarangni of Kalhan pandit was translated by R.S.Pandit (there are many Another treatise on Kashmir is Nilmat Puran written by Chandradeva. The book that how a family of Maliks from Pahalgam had discovered this cave. other translations too) into English in poetry form - verse by verse -& foreword to is in Sanskrit &again in the form of a poetry. If Kalhans Rajatarangni is a book about It may be mentioned here that the other route to the Holy Cave is from Pahalgam the book is written by Jawahalal Nehru on June 28, 1934. The dating of the events the politics of Kashmir; Nilmatpuran is about the culture of Kashmir. Kalhan has (48 km) which takes 3 to 5 days to reach the cave while as from Baltal (14 km to the mentioned in Rajatarangni has been done by the uncle of R S Pandit named SP also used information from Nilmatpuran for his book Rajatarangni.Nilmatpuran is cave), the route we had taken,it is possible to complete the "to & fro" journey in one Pandit (Shankar Pandurang Pandit). Nehru in the foreword writes that "nearly half believed to be written between 6th& 8th century CE. The book is a valuable source day. a century ago, Mr SP Pandit wrote of the Rajatarangni that it was the only work hith- of information as it provides an insight into the cultural life of the people of Kashmir. It is also a fact that the scenic beauty along the route of the "Yatra" is much more erto discovered in India having any pretentions to be considered as a history". It tells us about the festivals celebrated by the people, places of religious impor- mesmerizing from the Pahalgam side. Here you come across the beautiful freshwa- Given the accepted importance & position of Rajatarangni in the history of tance - rivers, lakes & mountains associated with them & method of performing cer- ter lake called Sheshnag which is fed from melting snows & streams coming down Kashmir it is worth noting that Kalhan Pandit mentions about Amarnath in verse tain rituals associated with religious functions. from the surrounding mountains. While the Amarnath cave is located at an altitude number 267 of Tarnaga 1. Here Kalhan is narrating the story of King Nara of It is in this book (Sanskrit version) at verse 1535 that Amarnath cave is mentioned of 12756 ft the Sheshnag lake is located at 11780 ft. Kashmir who ruled the Valley for about forty years in 994 BCE. English translation fleetingly though it does not give any detailed information as provided in Kalhan's As is the wont every year with Indian media- prior to the Amarnath Yatra - this of the verse is reproduced below: Rajatarangni. year too one of the National News papers carried a writeup by Upendra Kaul men- "Gleaming like the ocean of milk a lake was constructed by him (Naga- consid- In comparatively recent times Guru Nanak Dev ji also visited Amarnath Cave in tioning that the cave was "re-discovered by a shepherd named Buta Malik, a Muslim, ered to be the original inhabitants of Kashmir) on a distant mountain, which on their 1516/17 while on his way back from Kailash Mansarovar to Punjab where he had dis- in 1850". If you look at the media stories - print & electronic - over the years, the nar- way to the pilgrimage of Amarnatha, is visited by the people to this very day". cussions on spirituality and religion with the 'pundits' there. Guru Nanak Dev ji also rative generally sticks to this "re-discovery" & the traditions & available historical Thus, the antiquity of the Amarnath cave can be established by this verse and the visited Hemis Monastry & several places in & around Leh during this travel (Udasi). perspective of the same is pushed into the background. history can be related to the times of King Nara who was also called Kinnara as per A Gurudwara named Patthar Sahib commemorates the visit of the saint at Nimu Rajatarangni of Kalhan Pandit is considered to be an earliest extant history of Kalhan. Nara's father was Vibhishana -2 who ruled Kashmir for around 35 years. around 20 km from Leh on Leh-Kargil National Highway. Kashmir. He wrote the book in Sanskrit in poetry form between 1148 & 1149 CE. The Nara was followed by his son named Siddha who ruled over Kashmir for about 60 From above it can safely be concluded that pilgrimage to Amarnath cave in beauty of his book lies in the fact that the book is written by a Kashmiri who is fully years. Kashmir is not as recent as 1850 CE as many try to portray. It is quite possible that conversant with the geography, culture, traditions & habits of the residents of the Thus it can be deduced from Kalhan's bookthat even in 994 BCE pilgrimage to the pilgrimage came to a halt for some political or cultural reasons prior to 1850 & Kashmir Valley & as such has the unique capability & advantage of telling the story Amarnath cave was in vogue. How many years before that the pilgrimage was con- the Maliks acted as guides for the newly arriving pilgrims at Pahalgam thereafter. with his finger on the pulse of the inhabitants. tinuing could be the question!! "HAR HAR MAHADEV"