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| Cave of Shri Anarnath not discovered by a Muslim shepherd | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 9: "MM Munshi, among several other significant things, including routes of the Amarnath pilgrimage, writes: 'According Bhrngish Samhita, the Mahakala approached the 'devtas' and told them that they would have to die. The devtas were troubled at this threat and proceeded to the abode of Swami Surji (Lord Shiva) and (sought) his protection. Shiva appeared to them with bright countenance…and enquired about the cause of their distress. The devtas explained that Mahakala was about to destroy them and (that) they dreaded his power upon which Shiva with his great mercy and kindness bestowed upon them the water of immortality by which the 'devtas' were freed from the persecution of Mahakala. After the devtas left, Shiva resumed his devotional abstractions and when he was again sought by the devtas they could not see him. They were, therefore, in great distress and lifted their hands in prayer and entreated him to show Himself. Shiva appeared in the form of ice linga and, hence, began the pilgrimage (to) and prayers at Amreshvara".
Munshi also write, "the other view pertaining to the formation of ice linga is that Shiva's consort Parvati was eager to learn the secrets of life and immortality. She prayed to her lord to reveal the same to her. While moving with Parvati over the Himalayas, Shiva rested in a cave and revealed the secrets of life to Parvati and got himself transformed into the ice linga. A pair of snow pigeons over-heard Shiva's discourse and became immortal. According to Bhrngish Samhita, a person who bathes in the waters of Amur Veth (Amuravati) and rubs himself with the ashes gets Moksha. A person who performs Amarnath Ji yatra after observing ablutions along the traditional approach route gets the same boons as one gets from Ashvamedha Yagya..."
It needs to be noted that MM Munshi has rejected the view that the "pilgrimage remained suspended for years during the medieval period". He also rejected the view that the "cave was 'rediscovered' by Maliks." His whole view is based on the fact that "neither "Walter Lawrence", the author of The Valley of Kashmir, nor any earlier traveller and author in Kashmir has mentioned about (the) 'rediscovery' of Amarnath Ji cave by Maliks". At the same time, however, Munshi has agreed that "it is not difficult to conclude that Amarnath Ji cave could not have been lost during the short span of 50 to 125 years during which the yatra might not have seen the traditional pomp and show, and may have remained a low-key affair in view of the adverse political climate" in the Kashmir Valley.
As far as the history of Amarnath Yatra is concerned, a comprehensive write-up in this regard on the website, Wikepedia, says that "those who assert that the Amarnath pilgrimage is a 'recent' phenomena are blissfully ignorant and that they are simply spreading the myth". This write-up, like Munshi's formulations, is also "based on the above-referred to sources". According to it, the "holy cave has been known to the people for centuries, that pilgrims continued to visit the holy Amarnath cave in the 12th century, that not only was the pilgrimage in vogue in Akbar's time (16th century), but the phenomenon of waxing and waning the ice linga was also well-known and that the original name of the tirtha (pilgrimage), as given in the ancient texts, is, of course, Amareshwar". It, in addition, says that, "according to the Jonaraja's Zaina Rajatarangini (vv. 1232-1234), the ruler of Kashmir, Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (1420-1470) paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing a canal on the left bank of the river Lidder (and) the canal is known as Shah Kol".
All this shows resolve the controversy over the origin of Amarnath Yatra and indicates in unambiguous terms that the Yatra has been going on unabated since ancient period "along the traditional route of the Lidder Valley". It would be a murder of history if one refuses to acknowledge an established fact that the "Amareshwara tradition has all along remained very strong in Kashmir. The Kashmiri folklore and literature, including stories, further prove this point." (Concluded)
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