Welcome to Kashmir As Tourists Only

(Post abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, we have seen peace prevail in Kashmir valley, by and large. It took some deft handling by the Home Ministry to keep the rogue elements in check, including the irresponsible political leadership of Kashmir. Once the stone palters and mischief mongers were corralled, tourists returned to the valley in droves. Year 2022 saw the arrival of 1.88 Cr domestic tourists into the blessed valley! Year 2023 is bound to beat that record substantially, especially following various beautification and promotional steps undertaken by Govt. of India).

Recently, I called one of my cousins living in Ghaziabad to inquire about his welfare and was surprised to learn that he and his family. including his +80 yrs old father were in Srinagar, visiting the city of their origin first time since the Exodus in 1990 Unknown to him, his sister, living in Gurgaon, too, was visiting Kashmir simultaneously and the two parties accidentally ran into each other at Zeethyar, the asthapan of Mata Zyeastha Devi off the Gupkar Road, Srinagar, near the Dal Lake and in midst of a forest in Zabarwan hills. Incidentally, the Zeethyar shrine has become a popular meeting spot for our community due to decent accommodation facilities available there The shrine has undergone major metamorphosis over the last few years and the Management committee has created excellent infrastructure by way of 25 well-furnished, independent. Family accommodation units with well equipped kitchens. Over 400 people can be accommodated in the Dormitory, Meditation huts etc and facilities for conducting Havan and other religious ceremonies too are said to be available.

My cousin and his party were staying in a private hotel, though - Zeethyar facility is in great demand and getting a reservation there, at short notice, is said to be tough! Since his wife and daughter were visiting Kashmir for the first time, besides various religious landmarks - Tulmul, Shankaracharya, Hari Parbat, Mattan, they also visited Gulmarg, Pahalgam and some other regular tourist spots like the Mughal Gardens including Chashma Shahi. For my cousin, an alumnus of the famous Bisco School, visiting these spots after 33 years amounted to reliving childhood memories. For his father, a retired Professor at Kashmir University, a visit to their ancestral home at Kralyar, Rainawari brought tears of despair and wistful longing as he looked at the changed scenario; a couple of generations have passed away in the last 33 years and people who knew him, people who had grown up with him as neighbours, are probably no more. The 5-floor house he had lived in for the first 50 years of his life, has been torn down and a couple of new houses have come up in its place. Neighbours do not recognize them anymore!

Post abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, we have seen peace prevail in Kashmir valley, by and large. It took some deft handling by the Home Ministry to keep the rogue elements in check, including the irresponsible political leadership of Kashmir. Once the stone pelters and mischief mongers were corralled, tourists returned to the valley in droves. Year 2022 saw the arrival of 1.88 Cr domestic tourists into the blessed valley! Year 2023 is bound to beat that record substantially, especially following various beautification and promotional steps undertaken by Govt of India. The G-20 event hosted in May 23 shall help attract international tourists. My cousin told me that there was a long que for entry into Chashma Shahi Garden and the Boulevard Road witnessed traffic jams every day. Happy augury, indeed!

I was very keen to know their observations and have their feedback about this week-long trip to the valley. On their return to Ghaziabad, therefore, I had 2-3 long chats with various family members to know their perspectives. For my cousin's wife and daughter, both without any previous baggage of Kashmir memories, the visit was like visiting any other hill station like Nainital or Dalhousie - only the locales were grander in scale and scope; the valley has, perhaps, much more to offer by way of sightseeing than any other single hill station in India. There is an old saying that if you have a room to stay and a vehicle at your command, you can, for six months, visit a new location daily in Kashmir. This is what makes the valley so charming and alluring - a 6-8- day trip can hardly do justice to Kashmir and its magical locales!

The observations of my uncle were more important for me - he is a widely travelled person, an author and an intellectual. Having worked in KU and faced the pre 1990 scenario first-hand, he has no illusions left. His comment hit a raw nerve inside me when he said," This is the ultimate solution our Kashmiri Muslim brothers always wanted - a Kashmir free of its original citizens, the Pandits. A Kashmir that is willing to have its KPs back but ONLY AS TOURISTS! As tourists, you generate revenue for the taxi driver who helps you visit your shrines, the hotelier who provides you boarding and lodging, the art and craft dealers who sell the Kashmiri artefacts and handicrafts including shawls made in Amritsar and Ludhiana as Kashmiri kadai(stitchwork). As tourists you do not pose any threat to their jobs or to their academic opportunities. If you do not want a slice of the cake reserved for Kashmir by a benevolent Bharat Sarkar, you are welcome," Harsh and bitter, it seemed but these were the thoughts of a realist.

My cousin, who had his college education in Srinagar, confirmed that the words of welcome and affection, spoken by ex- neighbours, the taxi driver and shopkeepers appeared more plastic than real. Nobody really wants the ghosts of 1990 exodus to return neither the politicians, nor the bureaucrats or the neighbours who purchased your property for peanuts. They are ready to perform lip-service, make the right kind of politically correct noises on TV or on social media but if you try to get your property back via the toothless J&K Migrant Immoveable Property Act of 1997, you are in for trouble from people who have an interest in keeping you out of the valley. It is only after August 2019 that some action was seen under the J&K Migrant Property Act, for 22 years (1997-2019), this Act remained on paper only. Having said that, I must say that there must be some moderates within the Kashmiri Muslims, too, those who have had friendships with KPs and have maintained their relationships over the years. Their percentage is miniscule and unfortunately, they are non-assertive! It is difficult to oppose mob-mentality, after all. The post 1990 generations have had no connect with KPs and for them we might as well as be aliens from another planet! 

The positive outcome for KPs: Revival of Religious Tourism

Ksheer Bhawani Asthapan, Tul-Mul: Since Exodus, people have been visiting Tul-Mul to perform pooja, particularly on Jyeth Aatham - but their numbers would be miniscule; plus, the risk perception in the minds of KPs used to be high. Post revocation of Art 370, there has been a steady increase in number of people visiting Tul-Mul. In 2023, a new record has been established though there was an outcry for better facilities because it rained on the night before Ashtami, creating problems for devotees camping in the open courtyard. Hopefully, Administration shall wake up and create better facilities, including more lodging units for devotees coming from all over India.

Apart from Tul-Mul, the Management Committee at Zeethyaer has created decent infrastructure for stay. They have an on-line advance reservation setup to facilitate devotees plan their trips.

Some residential accommodation is said to be available at Durga Nag and Ishwar Ashram as well, in Srinagar.

Maa Sharada Temple, Tithwal: Mr Ravinder Pandita's Bhagirath like act of carrying an image of Mata Sharada from Sringeri (Karnataka) to her traditional abode in Kashmir, on the banks of River Kishanganga (Neelam) at Tithwal (District Kupwara, North Kashmir), has opened another spot for our community for visiting and connecting to our hoary past. The kind of reception Mr Pandita's caravan received from Hindu public in general and KP community in particular all through its route from Sringeri to Tithwal, has given rise to hope that more of our youngsters shall make visiting Tithwal shrine a priority in coming days and months. Facilities for stay at the shrine might not be top class yet but, with improved footfall, things are bound to improve.

Mata Ksheer Bhawani Temple of Tikker (Kupwara): Another spot that is gaining attention and footfall is associated with transit of Mata Raj Rajeshwari from Lanka to Sati Sar (Kashmir) in Ramayan time. Before finally settling down at Tul-Mul, Mata is said to have graced several places in the Kashmir valley- namely Tikker, Bhuvaneshvar, Manzgam (Kulgam), Bheda, Lokhirpora, Manigam Lar, Ganderbal), Raithan( Budgam) and Baedpur. These locations too are gradually coming into prominence, thanks to the efforts of local KP communities, including migrants from these locations.

 

Restoration and Renovation of Damaged Temples: Recently, I saw a TV report wherein a clueless National TV anchor person was wandering near Verinag (South Kashmir) and stumbled across a Shiva Temple, recently restored, and renovated by the Indian Army. She was impressed to learn it history from the locals. The Lingam had been brought in a palanquin from Varanasi during the reign of Maharaja Gulab Singh (1792-1857) and, on reaching this spot, the Lingam just refused to budge. It was therefore installed on the spot by the devout king. During the 1986 communal riots, this temple too was vandalised and the Lingam uprooted. It has now been restored by the authorities, in collaboration with 2 local KP families who conduct pooja daily. Similar restoration work is being undertaken for several temples in Kashmir valley, including the 8 Bhairav temples and the famous Sheetalnath Temple, Raghunath Temple in Srinagar that were vandalised and had been lost to KP community.

Religious Tourism-a prelude to Ghar Wapsi? Can religious tourism serve as a prelude or a link to KPs Ghar Wapsi plan? In my opinion, that situation is at least a generation away. The Government may create safe zones or dedicated colonies for KPs in various parts of Kashmir but would the free flowing, globetrotting KPs be content to live like caged animals in a zoo? No Govt can provide security to every individual. KPs can live safely in Kashmir only when Pakistan has been defanged and, the Jihadi mentality has been stamped out from Kashmiri Muslim society. What religious tourism can do for KPS is to help create a connect between our generation next and the valley, particularly our religious sacred spots. That is our only hope for future!

DISCLAIMER: 

The views expressed in the Article above are Sanjeev Munshi  personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."

Courtesy:- Sanjeev Munshi  and Koshur Samachar 2023, July