Mahjoor

Mahjoor

Habba Khatoon

Habba Khatoon

Habba Khatoon, also known as the Nightingale of Kashmir was a 16th century poetess.


This is one of her poems-
He who has killed every fabric of me
I long for a sight of him,
He looked at me over the wall
I would present him a fine tosh shawl.
Why he feels annoyed with me?
I have ever since long yearning for him.
Slyly, he peered through the door,
Who lead him to my house?
Every part of my body is now in pain
For long I been yearning for him.- Habba Khatoon.

LOSS..... and beyond by Saadiya Kochar

A few years ago I started traveling to Kashmir, for my personal reasons (check out the film for that). What was initially supposed to a book on Kashmir, became a movie, an exhibition, a yet to be released book and now this blog. What I have lost can never be regained but what Kashmir gave me was a strange kind of calm to deal with the  chaos in my life.
There is so much information one has gathered about Kashmir- about its language, its folklore and of course its people. I'm not a Kashmiri, so I guess I will always have the view of someone peeping through the window. So this is the view of a Peeping Tom. Sometimes, I guess a Peeping Tom notices  certain details of the house than the inhabitants themselves, fail to notice.

Loss a film on Kashmir by Saadiya Kochar

Tulip Garden

1. The Tulip Garden or Siraj Bagh in Kashmir, is a romanticist’s delight. The tulips have been imported     from Netherlands and there are almost 50 varieties, in different hues and shades that are found in this garden which stands on the banks of the Dal Lake. The tulips bloom during spring, which is one of the best times to visit the valley.

The Vale of Kashmir-A concise introduction.

Perched at an average height of 1500 meters above sea level, the Vale of Kashmir, which is the northernmost side of India is separated from the plains by the Pirpanjal Ranges. On this side of the Banihal tunnel, there are towering mountains, lush green meadows and mystical blue-green lakes.

Legend goes that the vale of Kashmir was once a large lake. Rishi Kashyap drained off the water of the lake and the beautiful land of Kashmir emerged. The recorded history of the valley dates back the 3rd century B.C when the emperor Ashoka ruled. He is said to have introduced Buddhism to Kashmir, which was further supported by emperor Kanishka. The Valley of Kashmir was occupied by Huns and then came the rule of Vikramaditiya. A number of local rulers reigns later, the rule of Lalitaditya (697-738 A.D.) began. He was one of the most famous Hindu rulers of Kashmir who is also known to have constructed many beautiful buildings.

Islam was introduced to Kashmir in 13^th – 14^th century by Zain-ul-Abedin (1420-70), who was considered the most prominent Muslim ruler. In 1158, Akbar conquered Kashmir and under the Mughals Kashmir flourished. In 1752, Kashmir passed into the hands of Afghans, who were succeeded by the Sikhs. It then passed into the hands of the British and then finally it went to the Dogra rulers after a treaty was signed.

The Vale Of Kashmir