THE MEDIAEVAL PERIOD ROUTES FROM KASHMIR TO NAGARKOT
Two medieval period roads linked Kashmir to Nagarkot, now Kangra. Both crossed the Pir Panjal and both crossed the Ravi River, ancient Iravati.
Route One - Southern Naag Road:
Kashmir - Kulgam - Kaunsarnag - Reasi - Manwal/Babbarpur (Babbapura) - Billawar (Vallapura) - Basholi (Ballapura) - crossing Ravi - Kangra.
Route Two - Eastern Naag Road:
Kashmir - Anantnag - Sinthan - Kishtwar - Bhaderwah - Sarthal - Chamba - Kangra.
ROUTE ONE - THE SOUTHERN NAAG ROAD
The sacred centre of Route One was Kaunsarnag. The Nilamata Purana, dated 6th-7th century CE, calls the lake Kramasaras in Sanskrit. It says after Satisar was drained, the gods took seats on peaks around this lake. Later tradition calls it Vishnu Pad, created by Vishnu stamping with his foot. Modern Yatra literature preserves this as Karamasar or Veshnopad. The Vishav River originates from Kousarnag and flows towards the Kashmir Valley, forming Aharbal falls.
The Political Centre - Babbapura (Manwal)
The political centre of this route was Babbapura, present-day Manwal in Udhampur. The first mention of Babor as Babbapura is in Kalhana's Rajatarangini, where ruler Kirti is recorded to have visited the court of King Kalasa of Kashmir in 1087-88 CE. During the 9th-10th centuries, Babbapura was a flourishing urban centre and served as the capital of Durgara State, mentioned in the Chamba copper plate inscription. It remained significant until the capital shifted to Jammu in 1380 CE. Rajatarangini also records that Rajas of Durgara country, including those of Babbapura and Vallapura, played a role in Kashmir politics, supporting Bikshachara's claim for the throne. At that time Vajradhara alias Chakradhara was Raja of Babbapura. Vallapura is Billawar, Ballapura is Basholi. Thus Rajatarangini gives a chain from Kashmir to Babbapura to Vallapura to Ballapura to the Ravi - exactly the road from Kulgam to Kangra.
The Dranga System
Kings of Kashmir maintained border posts called Dranga on all passes. Kounsar Gali was one such Dranga, its commander called Drangapati. Crossing Kounsar Gali meant leaving Kashmir and entering the kingdom of Durgara.
The Living Track
Today this old track survives only for the Kaunsarnag Yatra. Government records state the Kounsarnag Yatra starts from the traditional route of Reasi and does not pass through the Valley. There are two routes traditionally used: one through Kulgam in the Valley (used by Kashmiri Pandits, abandoned during 1990s militancy) and one via Reasi in Jammu region (continues). The Yatra starts from the ancient Lord Shiva temple in Reasi. Pilgrims trek from Mahore to Kousarnag Shiv Dham. Itinerary: 99 km road to Sungri, then 26 km to Sarsote, 11 km on foot to Sari Camp, then 17 km trek to the sacred lake.
Travellers have noted this road. Vigne in 1835 notes the road from Kashmir to Jammu via Shopian and Reasi is used by Brahmins who go to Jawala-Mukhi. Moorcroft in 1822 mentions holy lakes beyond Shopian visited by Brahmins from Jammu. Sir Aurel Stein, who walked this route in the 1890s, identified Babbapura as capital of Durgara and noted the road from Kulgam to Reasi via Kounsar Nag was still used by porters to carry salt.
For a traveller from Kulgam the natural road to Jawala Mukhi in Kangra was to take a dip in Kaunsarnag, cross Kounsar Gali to Sari to Mahore to Reasi, then to Manwal (Babbapura), Billawar (Vallapura), Basholi (Ballapura), then cross Ravi into Nurpur and then to Kangra fort. Dogra revenue records call this the Jawala Ji route. The Chamba copper plate mentioning Lord of Durgara shows Durgara controlled the Ravi crossing.
Through this route Kashmiri Pashmina weaving reached Basholi, Nurpur, Haripur and other hill states. Possibly ancestors of artist Nainsukh Raina travelled through this route. Ancestors of Kauls, Rainas and Dhars of Himachal Pradesh too must have travelled during dark periods in Kashmir. Kashmiri Muslim shawl weavers also used this route during famines and shawl taxation periods.
ROUTE TWO - THE EASTERN NAAG ROAD
Route Two is higher.
Section 1: Anantnag to Sinthan.
The Sinthan Road connecting Kishtwar with Anantnag goes through Sinthan pass at 3,800 metres. It reduces distance for those who otherwise need to go via Jammu to reach Kishtwar. Anantnag is ancient Vijayeshwara Tirtha . From Anantnag the road goes to Kokernag and then to Sinthan Top. Kalhana calls Kishtwar as Kashtavata and Bhaderwah as Bhadrashavasa.
Section 2: Sinthan to Kishtwar to Bhaderwah.
Kishtwar sits on Chenab (Chandrabhaga) and was independent till 1821. From Kishtwar to Bhaderwah the road goes via Thathri. Bhaderwah is also known as Chhota Kashmir for its strong Kashmiri presence, moderate climate , snow covered peaks and scenic beauty .
Section 3: Bhaderwah to Sarthal.
From Bhaderwah road climbs to Padri Gali at 10,500 feet. Padri is the watershed between Chenab and Ravi. Then it drops to Sarthal meadow which lies in Kathua district but culturally belongs to Bhaderwah. Sarthal was the summer grazing ground of Bhaderwahi Gujars and Chamba Gaddis. From Sarthal to Saluni to Langera to Chamba town.
Section 4: Chamba to Nagarkot.
Chamba is ancient Champa. From Chamba road goes to Dalhousie to Nurpur to Kangra. Kangra was Nagarkot, also called Bhimakot and Trigarta. Al Biruni in 1030 calls Nagarkot the fort where kings keep their treasure. Kalhana says kings of Trigarta sent tribute to Lalitaditya in 8th century. That tribute came via Bhaderwah and Chamba.
Route Two was also used as a yatra road and as a wool and salt road. For a Kashmiri Pandit going to Jawala Mukhi Route 2 was shorter than going via Jammu. British gazetteers note salt from Tibet( via Padder ) and wool from Kishtwar came to Chamba via Padri and then to Kangra. Chamba Gazetteer of 1910 notes Gaddis from Chamba used to go to Kashmir for wool via Bhaderwah and Kishtwar and that this route was called the Kashmir to Kangra road via Bhaderwah.
TRACES OF KASHMIRI CULTURE EVEN UNDER ALTERED CONDITIONS
All along both roads one encounters traces of Kashmiri culture, surnames, traditions and sacred geography.
On Route One:
At Kulgam and Shopian language is Kashmiri. At Reasi town there is a Kashmiri Mohalla. Some families carry kram surnames distinctively of Kashmiri Pandit ancestry .Kashmiri Hindus are all Saraswat Brahmins, known by exonym Pandit, endonym Batta, a term first reserved for emigrant Kashmiri Brahmins in Mughal service. Surnames designate original professions or ancestor nicknames such as Hakim, Saraf, Kabu, Waza , Shonglu, Kharu, Daftari , Langoo and , Teng etc. In Reasi area one encounters people with Raina, Koul, Razdan and Zutshi as their surnames . Many are now Muslim but retain same Kram. Raina families in Reasi believe they came from Anantnag via Kaunsarnag Gali as temple priests for Shiv Khori and Dera temples at Manwal. Some scholars believe that Baba Kaliveer was from Kashmir's Raina clan . He is also worshipped as Kul Devta by many families in Manwal and Reasi.as well. At Manwal's Devi Bhagwati Temple , the ritual included offering of cooked rice and Nadru( lotus stem) , a Kashmiri staple.
On Route Two:
Th trace is even stronger. At Kishtwar quarters Kuleed and Sarkoot have surnames Wani, Butt, Lone, Sheikh, Zutshi, Raina, Kaul. Kishtwari has heavy Kashmiri vocabulary. Food includes Monji Haakh ( Kohlrabi), dried fish and noon chai. Houses have khatamband ceilings like in Kashmir. At Bhaderwah Vasuki Nag Temple , the wooden architecture is identical to temples in Kashmir It has a Sharada inscription on its beam. Naag legend says Vasuki after draining Satisar took residence in Bhaderwah. Surnames in Bhaderwah include Saraf, Rajguru, , Kaul, Mattoo, Dhar, Zutshi,Wani, Butt, Kotwal, Razdan. At Sarthal meadow place names are Kashmiri. Sarthal itself means lake meadow from sar + thal like Gulmarg. Nearby Kailash Kund is called Dal in local speech like Dal Lake. At Chamba town there are Bhat and Raina families who came as priests for Lakshmi Narayan Temple. Many Rainas and Bhat families write Sharma as their suname now. The Lakshmi Narayan temple has an inscription in Sharada.
Finally at Kangra which is Nagarkot, panda registers at Jawala Ji temple still record pilgrims as Raina, Kaul, Razdan from Kashmir who came via Bhaderwah and Reasi. There are still some families with Raina ,Kaul and sapru surnames in Kangra area .
Thus both roads show that even when dress has changed to Dogra churidar and Chamba topi and Gaddi chola, and language has changed to Pahari, Dogri and Chambyali, the substratum of Naag worship, kram surnames, food habits, wooden architecture and Sharada sacred geography remains distinctly Kashmiri from Kulgam and Anantnag to Kangra.
Route Used by Fleeing Kashmiri Pandits
Kashmiri Pandits who have been fleeing out from the valley since the 14th century , had also discovered a hidden route via present day Batote to escape torture and suppression during the rule of Shahmiri Sultans, Chaks, Mughals and Afghans . They would travel through Batote after crossing Banihaal pass on foot. The exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits was not a single event in 1990, but a recurring pattern of flight from the Valley since the fourteenth century. In community memory Batote is preserved as Batta-Vath, the path of the Battas, Batta being the Kashmiri word for Pandit, derived from the Sanskrit Bhatta meaning learned master. Official gazetteers, including Charles Bates, attribute the name instead to Rana Batu Jamwal. Both traditions reflect the same truth: for centuries this ridge was the lifeline for Pandits escaping persecution.
( Avtar Mota )
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