Indu Bhushan Zutshi
Book :Kashmir : The Crown Jewel of Indic Civilization
(Published in May 2024)
Author Avtar Mota
Distribution..Amazon / Flipkart. Worldwide
Price Rs 460/=
Researching into roots of history and civilisation is not every body’s cup of tea.
Working on such topics requires hard labour , intense research,linguistic skills , and historical knowledge .
Avtar Mota, a well known blogger, author,photographer and researcher possibly is most suitable person to work on such delicate subjects which deal with cultural and historical stories of people and their past .
One is bound to get trapped in emotions and subjectivity while working on subjects that constitute one’s own past. It goes to the credit of Avtar Mota that he has not allowed himself to get swayed by emotions or lose objectivity . In the alternative , he has consistently upheld the available historical and other works, that are available on the subject that have been brought into the book under review .
The book remains Authors Magnum opus in the sense that it has not only consumed his five years of hard labour and his research faculties but his sensitivities as an author and researcher have been utilised to the full extent.The book has finally seen the light of the day.
The book exhaustively deals with the routes of Kashmir’s civilisational march. These routes, as per the author remain twined with indic civilisation, to which Kashmir has contributed enormously.
Kashmir has produced many poets, critics, historians, aestheticians, logicians, chemists, musicians, rhetoricians, philosophers, grammarians, translators and Shaiva Darshana scholars right up to the 16th -century. Some among them rose to eminence the world over for their original contribution. We have shining examples of men like Rishi Vasugupta, Abhinavgupta, Khemraja, Utpaldeva, Kshemendra, Bilhana, Kalhana, Somadeva, Sharangadeva, Bhatta Narayana, Jayanta Bhatta, Rajanka Bhatta, Sivaswamin, Srivara, Bhalla?a, Vamana, Jonaraja, Anandavardhana, Udbhata, Kuntala, Mahima Bhatta, Silhana, Abhinanda Bhatta, Panini,, Charaka, Bhamaha, Rudrata, Kuntaka, Mamma?a, Dandin, Bhatta Nayaka, Bhatta Tauta, Ruyyaka, Muktakana, Jaynayaka, Damodaragupta, Mukula-Bhatta, Ratnaka, Jayaratha, Shobhakaramitra, Ghantaka, Kirtidhara, Harsata, and many more.
The Sanskrit poets and scholars from Kashmir have left nothing untouched for subsequent poets and scholars . Poetical works covering a wide diversity of themes viz; historical, religious, devotional, didactic, romantic, satirical and even erotic as well as philosophical treatises, expounding the views of a distinct school of ?haivism that developed in Kashmir, works dealing with poetics and music, anthologies and lexicons, the works of the prolific writer K?hemendra, especially the B?hatkath?mañjar? and Somadeva’s Kath?sarits?gara -all these and many other works on diverse topics, touching upon various aspects of human life constitute a rich legacy of which, any part of India may feel proud.
From scrutiny of some ancient texts from Kashmir, one comes to know that ancient temples in Kashmir were not only housing deities but were storehouses of paintings and manuscripts as well. They were the centres for the dissemination of religious thought, literature, music and other arts. When Temples of Avantipura, Vijyeshwara, Kali-Shri, Maha-Shri, Tarapida, Vishnu Ranaswamin, Marttanda, Parihaspura, Bhima-Keshva, Naran-nag, and many more were demolished, many precious manuscripts were also destroyed along with priceless paintings and sculptures. Unfortunately, most of the works of Sanskrit scholars from Kashmir faced neglect from every corner. Many were destroyed during the period of Sultans especially when Sikandar Butshikan put all his energy into the destruction and demolition of Temples of Kashmir.It goes to the credit of many Kashmiri Pandits who saved many manuscripts at their individual levels for many centuries. The European scholars collected them from Kashmiri Pandit households, got them translated and shifted them to museums and libraries for proper custody.
From the book one comes to know that the Natya-Shastra guidelines have Influenced the sculpture art in ancient Kashmir. So have the Gandhra and Gupta styles influenced Kashmir’s art and sculpture. The Shilpshatra, Vastu-shastra and temple architecture of ancient India influenced the structural style of Kashmirian temples. This is starkly visible
in the demolished temple structures or ruins or sculptures retrieved from these structures and now lying in the SPS Museum, Srinagar and many other museums within the country and the world over. The Chitrasutra guidelines were also implemented in ancient Kashmiri Paintings. The Bhumishoba ( known as Vyoog in Kashmiri ) and Grihshobha ( known as Krool in Kashmiri ) decorations and paintings of ancient India are still in vogue among the Kashmiri Pandits even in their exile.
According to Avtar Mota, ‘if the contribution of Kashmiri Pandits to the Sanskrit Literature of the world is removed, more than fifty percent of Sanskrit Literature of the world will be removed ‘ .The ancient musical instruments of Kashmir, the sacred water bodies of Kashmir, the sacred trees of Kashmir, the journey of Kashmiri shawls to Europe and Russia, the contribution of Kashmiri artists for the development of Pahari Miniature Art in India, the contribution of Punjabi Khatris towards the development of trade and commerce in Kashmir, Vanvun singing of Kashmiris right from Vedic age and some more engrossing topics constitute the core topics of the book. The critical assessment of Kalhana’s work as poet, historian and narrator is a master essay in this book. Not only is it eye-opener , it also throws bright light on hitherto unknown facets of Kalhana’s creativity.
The topics in the book have been dealt purely from an academician’s and researcher’s point of view. Those interested in Kashmiri culture and its contribution to the indic civilisational ethos may find this book Illuminating. Those peddling fake or false narratives need also to read it to know the truth.
The book is available in india at http: www.amzon.in/ dp/BOD4M6TNR3
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