The on-going agitation in Jammu over the rescinding of orders allocating of stretch of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) in Kashmir now threatens to descend into full-scale communal violence. Several people have lost their lives in police firing on irate mobs. Government-owned property worth millions has been destroyed. Hindu and Muslim mobs have clashed in Doda, Poonch and Rajouri, which are now reeling under curfew. Dozens of houses belonging to Muslim Gujjars, one of the most poor communities in the state, have been set on fire in the Jammu region. BJP supporters have imposed an almost complete economic blockade of the Kashmir valley, blocking the only motorable road connecting Kashmir with the outside world. All about a piece of land and a block of ice high up in the uninhabited wastes in the mountains of Kashmir.
Amarnath, the block of ice in question, is a natural formation wedged in the corner of a cave, which, over the last few decades, has emerged as a popular pilgrimage site for some Hindus, who regard it as a holy lingam, a phallus-shaped object associated with the cult of Shiva. Interestingly, it is a relatively recently adopted object of devotion, discovered by a Muslim shepherd lad a little more than a century ago. A plethora of such relatively new pilgrimage centres have come up in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years on pieces of land where people claim to have discovered an ancient buried idol or to have witnessed the miraculous presence of some deity or the other. Some of them begin as centres of local pilgrimage but gradually, as they are popularised elsewhere, often by those behind them, they begin to attract pilgrims from beyond, and even from out of the state. Last year, when travelling in the forbidding mountains beyond Kishtwar in the Jammu division, I came across a temple built some years ago by a man who claimed to have seen a vision of a particular goddess who, so he announced, had directed him to build a shrine for her at that spot. Over time, this temple had become the focus of a new pilgrimage circuit, one of its outcomes, if not one of its purposes, being to bless the man and his family with a lucrative source of income. When in Drass, just across the Zoji La in Kargil, some years ago I met a man (a Muslim, interestingly) who confided in me that he and some friends of his had invented and then circulated a tale that a nearby mountain-top marked the place where a female character of some Hindu legend had once meditated. In the hope, thereby, he added, of attracting hordes of credulous yatris and their money.
As its popularity has grown over the years, the Amarnath pilgrimage, too, has become closely intertwined with a host of economic and political interests. For the locals, all Muslims, the pilgrimage is an important source of income—as porters, muleteers and owners of wayside food-stalls. For Hindu tour operators and the priests who officiate at the shrine, it is their source of livelihood, as it is for thousands of itinerate mendicants. And so this has remained uninterrupted ever since Amarnath emerged as a major pilgrimage centre, with the state making concerted efforts to expand its popularity. Some years ago, the administration was even accused of manufacturing a fake phallus-shaped lingam when that year, probably due to global warming, the ice block had melted before the annual pilgrimage began. This provoked a major outcry, which soon died out. But the cumulative result of recent actions of the Government have so messed up things as to provoke massive protests, both in Muslim-majority Kashmir and in Hindu-majority Jammu, that seem to be getting more deadly with each passing day.
The SASB, established by the then National Conference government in 2001, is headed by the Governor of the state, and his principal secretary is its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Under S.K Sinha, a retired senior army officer and till recently Governor of the state, it had made certain controversial decisions. In mid-2005, the CEO’s wife, a senior officer in the forest department, granted permission to the SASB to use forest land for the pilgrimage. But because this was not in accordance with the law, the state government cancelled the order. Yet, a division bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court stayed the government’s decision, and when, recently, the state cabinet approved the granting of this land for the use of the yatra, the issue snowballed into a mass agitation, that has assumed fiercely communal overtones.
In a recent article in the Economic and Political Weekly, Gautam Navlakha, a keen commentator on Kashmir affairs, writes that the implications of the recent actions of the state and the ensuing agitations in both Jammu and in Kashmir are ‘far-reaching’. The SASB, he says, ‘runs a virtually parallel administration and acts as a ‘sovereign body’ ostensibly promoting Hindu interests. It has been instrumental, he argues, in rapidly increasing the number of pilgrims to Amarnath, which has risen sharply from 12,000 in 1989 to over 4,00,000 in 2007. In order to facilitate this, it has extended the period of the pilgrimage from 15 days to two and half months. The Board, Navlakha comments, has ‘virtually taken over the functioning of the Pahalgam Development Authority, laying claims to forest lands and constructing shelters and structures even on the Pahalgam Golf Course.’ It has has also staked claims to set up an ‘independent’ Amarnath Development Authority.
Already reeling under a sense of siege and fearful of their cultural, religious and ethnic identity being under grave threat, many Kashmiri Muslims saw the SASB as an instrument of the Indian or ‘Hindu’ state. In such a context, the state’s decision to hand over the land to the Board (the SASB is said to have actually asked for a chunk of land four times the size of what it was allotted) to facilitate the government’s patronage of a Hindu pilgrimage in the heart of Kashmir, in a portion of the Valley inhabited almost wholly by Muslims, was seen as further evidence of what many Kashmiris feared—the gradual, state-sponsored Hinduisation of their homeland. On the other hand, however, that might be an unwarranted over-reaction. Surely, one might argue, the granting a patch of land for a Hindu pilgrimage might have no such consequences. On the contrary, it could have been projected as an important symbolic gesture on the part of Kashmiri Muslims to Hindus in an effort to improve the severely strained inter-community relations in the war-torn state. By reacting in the violent way that they did to the granting of the land to the SASB, Kashmiri Muslim leaders have only helped further exacerbate the already tense relations between Muslims and Hindus and are, like their Hindu counterparts, cynically using the issue to whip up support for themselves.
But the threats to Kashmiri identity, whether real or imagined and blown out of proportion, are not the only reason why the government’s decision to transfer the land to the Board provoked such protests. Another issue was the enormous environmental destruction wrought by the pilgrims on the fragile surrounding environment. Human faeces—of almost half a million pilgrims each year—and many tons of non-degradable refuse have reduced the Lidder river below the cave into something like a sewer. The river, fed by pure glacial streams from towering, snow-capped mountains, now contains hazardous chemicals far above the acceptable level. Navlakha points out that the same BJP, which is spearheading the ongoing agitation in Jammu, had this year imposed a strict limit of 150 pilgrims per day to the Hindu shrines of Gangotri and Gaumukh in the state of Uttarakhand, which it rules, in order to protect the environment. Yet, in the case of Amarnath, where the environmental threat is equally, if not more, severe, no such caution has been suggested. On the contrary, the state, as well as Hindutva forces, Navlakha points out, are ardently advocating a massive extension and expansion of the pilgrimage. Surely, this discrepancy has nothing to do with any difference in the particular religious significance of Amarnath. Compared to the centuries’-old and well-established pilgrimage sites of Gangotri and Gaumukh, Amarnath is much less well-known. Might not this difference owe, as many Kashmiris believe, to the possibility that Amarnath is now being used as a potent tool by the state and Hindutva forces to pursue a particular agenda in Kashmir, one which has now rapidly escalated into what appears to be an uncontrollable situation?
Such a well-written post, Mr. Sikand. I’ll be eagerly waiting to read a similar post from you on abolishing the Haj subsidy, which is all about a silly black stone, causes much environmental degradation (air flights, putting up and making arrangements for all those people etc. etc.), and is a gross misuse of public money by the government to promote pseudo-secularism and maintain vote-banks.
This blame game will not end ———-people will have to suffer until they will realise there is one creator——–The fight for God is fought by his creation.
We people of this part of world have to change our priorities We have to follow beautiful part of religion that is sprituality ,which gives you peace of mind .God has been made Personal and not universal.
…” All about a piece of land and a block of ice ….”
If you had planned to infuriate any individual of faith ( muslim, hindu or any other) with reckless disdain for one’s religious beliefs – you have been quite successful.
Its another matter – what “could have been” is sacrificed for a cheap & disrespectful statement.
If they provide proper facilities and improve the drainage system, then you wouldn’t be finding so much s*** in the rivers. And I don’t think anyone would have opposed a limited number of tourists per day. Is the shrine board managed by the locals? If not, will it be acceptable to transfer the land temporarily to the board managed by locals?
PS: You must be quite insecure to use so many unwarranted phallic references. Next time, when you write something, try to be on topic.
Comment Edited
Yoginder, I myself have never been a believer of fighting for temples or mosques and have always believe that God is in the heart.
However, the current phase in Kashmir is all about Islamiyat, nothing is about Kashmiriyat. The leaders gathered and openly said that Pakistan was created for Islam and we have religious affilations with them. The message is so clear and yet you wont hear it. And neither will the pseudo secular leaders listen the same.
…” All about a piece of land and a block of ice ….”
If that had been the case, Mr.Sikand, then would it not be appropriate for the Islamists and their leaders to see the light and being enlightened as they are, for once,be patronising to their ignorant Hindu countrymen and let the issue be resolved.
Comment Edited
Dear Yogi,
While we blame the Kashmiris for not adhering to Kashmiriyat which now means purging yourself of any religious identity at the same time to allow and help Hindus to have the same. I have the following, impassionate and true observation so that we Indians do not find any excuse as to why now the Kashmiris are hell bent upon not living with us, our comments and attacks on Islam etc withstanding.
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In continuation of your earlier write up about the religious extremists and not about the Jammu in turmoil and Kashmir in bad shape I need to give you some input regarding some being hardliners and others not assessed by the same yardstick. I happened to ring up my brother in LJV (Laddakh, Jammun and Valley) and found that his cell is not accessible. The notification of the cell is done in a state language and this is a rule. To my utter surprise I found that the notification is only in some Punjabi type of language which I assume was Dogri. The standby notification in English was also not forthcoming. This is about an airtel number. In states like Maharashtra, you can set language on your cell where again we have Marathi and Gujarati. In Karnataka, we can set Kannada, Telugu and even Hindi as a conversational language whereas by stats we know that Urdu is spoken by more population in comparison to any other language except Kannada. Now there are people from ‘nationalist’ parties like Congress and BJP who say that Tipu Sultan was not a nationalist because he kept his State records in Urdu/Farsi or Marathi. If someone is sensible, he will conclude that the universal gaging of Urdu is not due to Pakistanis making it their national language but to the conclusion that it’s the language of Muslims. True, it may not be the language of Muslims, the word Muslims taken as a monolith, but it’s a fact that it is the single largest language of Muslims to the extent that it is the language spoken by the majority of Muslim to the extent of more than 75% . Had Indians been sensible and democratic minded, Urdu could have been made available to all states as the IT is such a leveler that it hardly needs any investment. If the undeclared State policy of India is to suppress it by allotting grant to organisation which are hell bent upon sabotaging it from within, then it is all right.
Now the self styled Amarnath Struggle Committee is just being reported to have agreed to talk. How, come the media never castigated communal orgs like this as hardliners etc and report it accepting this as a principled stand. We need to educate ourselves as to who was to pay the crores of rupees in lieu of the devastation which is wrecked at the mountain called Amarnath and the Lidder river. The babagiri of the mainland ‘baba’ is being exported and that’s the bone of contention. When we refuse the claim of ethnic Kashmiri’s that their ‘demography’ is under attack but when it comes to Muslim population in their traditional area of living across the country we take the biased and discriminating reports of change of demography by the ‘intelligence’ agencies as words of God. We never take it seriously as to why a study of this nature is needed and why to undertake this exercise just because the target population practices religion other than Hinduism or so called religions of Indian origin.
Impartial and unbiased treatment to all is the need of the hour.
…”In Karnataka, we can set Kannada, Telugu and even Hindi as a conversational language whereas by stats we know that Urdu is spoken by more population in comparison to any other language except Kannada….”
Few questions/comments:
1. Who set Kannada,Telugu and ‘even’ Hindi as a conversational language? ( did the Govt do it?.. candidly, I am not aware).
2. Telugu is a ‘conversational’ language in places like Bellary/Raichur/Kolar – historically(Before independence) the boundaries where not demarcated as they do now – betn Karnataka & AP. Similarly, you will hear Marathi in Belgaum, Kodagu in Coorg, Tulu in Managlore, Konkani in Karwar AND Tamil in Bangalore
3.Not sure why you think Urdu is the second largest spoken language in Karnataka. I know Urdu and its a very polished & sophisticated language. Not to be confused with the hotch-potch language (urdu/hindi/local dialect mixed together) spoken my majority of Muslims. Visit Gulbarga/Bidar/Bijapur – you will be simply stunned by the crudeness of it. ( Good analogy would be – Lucknowi hindi/urdu vs Mumbai tapori language)
I am really really tired of this suedo secularism…If you say its all about a block of ice then the other side of the coin is ‘who are you to say its not all about that block of ice’ …this is my faith and I want to excercise it..do u have a problem?…if so u r the one who is infringing on my freedom….secondly if its such a small issue why make only the Hindu protests irrelevant about it?..You forget that the protests actually started from the muslim side…One day you will say, its all about hinduism…lets just get rid of that…its really a deplorable article.
Yoginder,
Since I am an agnostic I cannot comment much on the spirituality of the “Ice Lingam” but as Achal said “to one their own” – every person has the fundamental right to believe, disbelieve, honour, criticize or express their thoughts about any entity/faith/philosophy so long as it does not incite violence, cruelty or exploitation of another human being.
However, even if a secular perspective were taken, the issue is really not the “block of ice”. The issue if at all is about a “block of land”.
Coming to think of it your “travelogue” on Kashmir does not seem to talk anything about either how the common man (irrespective of his faith) out there is trying to keep himself, his family & his property SAFE or how the government can provide the same swiftly.
Communalism is a dangerous disease. However, it has reached epidemic proportions. So, no point talking about “disease control” alone. You need to talk about the “cure”.
Katib,
by ur logic (?) even u shud be demanding a separate state… wait – we’ve been there before haven’t we? with glorious results to show. the disease of ur cultural separatism based thinking is an old one, nothing to new to offer, i have nothing new to say.
Yoginder,
block of ice goes down well with ur constituency. u have earned more respect from some ‘secular’ friends on this site. btw have u ever wondered that pakistan and kashmir are just tracts of land too? that nobody has actually seen / heard the semitic God? that bible, koran are just fantasy books that have a cultlike following like the star wars series? that urdu is just any other language like tapori talk – just a means of communication? well think abt it, but don’t write pls as u’ll lose respect in the eyes of the katibs of the world.
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The article is in poor taste. The references to the “block of ice”, “the cult of Shiva” and phallic references may not be inaccurate in his eyes, but display a lack of sensitivity. Perhaps that is intentional, given his personal preferences and the intended target audience for his article.
Who told its about a block of ice, its about the virgins and young boys that will be provided to all “freedom fighters” in heaven. That’s another matter all together that my hard earned money is given in subsidies so that some people can go to a block of stone.
Lt.Gen.(retd.) S.K.Sinha,”the proactiveGovernor” of Assam from 1997 to 2003, was appointed by the BJP govt. as Governor of J&K on 4th June, 2003.His tenure ended on 3/6/2008, yet he preferred to stay put till 25/6/2008!he has been saying that he strove hard to develop “Kashmiriyat” among the the people of Jammu and the valley!
He succeededin infusing the Dogra spirit among the Hindus in Jammu.
by putting up a large statue of Zorawar Singh ( the Icon of Dogras) and built “Zorawar Singh A/C auditorium” in Jammu university.
As chairman of Mata Shree Vaishnavo devi, he concentrated on religious tourism and caused the rise of pilgrims to that shrine from 50 lakhs to 80lakhs!
He also put Mata Shree Vaishnavo Devi University with an outlay of Rs.200 crores!
In 2005, he increased the duration of the subsidized Amarnath yatra from 15 days to two months. And that figure also rose to 5 lakhs!
As chairman of the Shree Amarnath Shrine Board, with the Chief Secretary as CEO of it, he ensured the PDP Govt.sanction the “diversion” of more than 100 acres of ” forest lands”or putting up temporary pre-fabricated shedAnd and toilets, on 12th July, 2007. However, the issuance of GO for land “diversion”
without any change in propretoary rights could not be done before 26th May, 2008! One month prior to his demitting the office.
The “separatist” faction, which had been closely following his tracks grew suspicion that that autonomous Shrine board could utilize the land for demographic change and started agitation.Since, the assembly elections were not far, the PDP also jumped on their band wagon.- and withdrew support to Azad’s Govt.! Poor Azad was impelled to purchase peace by revoking that diversion order on 1st July, 2008.
Now the Jammuites followed the path of people of the valley and turned it into a prestige issue.VHP organised a Sangrash Committee , carrying national Flag, hesitated not to trample on the ‘national ethos’!They were made to say that they were discriminated for decades etc. etc.Hence, they carried out a road blockade to afffect the economy of the valley!
The separatists jumped over the stile and made a march towadrs Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The security forces had to resort to firing in which a leader was killed.Thus, Jehangir’s dream of Kashmir as the “heaven on earth” was on an inferno!
In October, 1947, when Pakistani raiders attacked and captured one third of Kashmir,Hindus, SKkhs and Muslims sang in chorus:”OH! attackers, we are united to beat you back!”
In 2008 divisive forces of mainstream changed the whole scene for paltry votes!
Verotex,
Yes its hearbreaking that the politics of kashmir got communalized in 2008. until now it was abt love between pundits and kashmiri muslims and kashmiri sikhs. but VHP had to step in to destroy the beautiful dream!