DHĀRA-LIṄGA FROM ANCIENT KASHMIR
My friend Robin Koul visited the Shivalaya Temple at Gundi
Jaffar, near Sadoora in Anantnag district, and heard an interesting account
concerning the Dhāra-liṅga preserved there. The village is located close to Sadoora
Railway Station. It is an ancient settlement, and before 1990, approximately 26
Kashmiri Pandit families lived in the village.
Robin visited the Shivalaya, which is presently facing severe
neglect and remains roofless. The existing dilapidated temple was constructed
in 1970 on land donated by Amar Nath Pandit of the village. The Dhāra-liṅga
was discovered by Pandit Lassa Koul, who was working in the Forest Department,
under a tree in the Devsar forest.
While on duty, Pandit Lassa Koul of Gundi Jaffar came across
the Dhāra-liṅga/Shiva-liṅga
in a deep forest area near Lamber, Devsar, in Kulgam district. Lamber is also
recorded in official records as Brinial Lamar or Lammer. It is located in the
Kund area of Kulgam. The Linga was initially brought to Vasuk Nag at Kund. Later, it was
shifted to the present temple at Gundi Jaffar. According to eyewitnesses, it
was transported by truck.
The new Shivalaya was damaged by hooligans in 1986, when many Hindu temples were attacked in Anantnag district. In 1970, apart from
placing the ancient Dhāra-liṅga inside the new temple, the residents also installed two
stone idols of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa for worship inside the temple. These Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
idols are now missing and were possibly stolen after 1990, when the entire
Pandit population of the village was forced to leave to save their
lives and honour.
Robin also informed me that he had visited Panch Gangbal Nag.
This is another old sacred site near Gundi Jaffar, located at a place known as
Ganura Lalan. According to local elders, on the occasion of Gangāṣṭamī,
people from the neighbouring villages used to gather here, take a holy bath,
and perform Śrāddha
rituals. There were five freshwater springs, or sacred Nāgas,
at the site. The area was surrounded by old Chinar trees, which added to the
beauty and sanctity of the place.
Let me now clarify what a Dhāra-liṅga is and why the Dhāra-liṅga
lying in a state of total neglect at the Shivalaya at Gundi Jaffar, near
Sadoora Railway Station in Anantnag district of Kashmir, is of considerable
significance.
What Is a Dhāra-liṅga?
The Śilpaśāstra tradition describes five variants of the Mānuṣa-liṅga
(man-made liṅga):
the Aṣṭottara-śata-liṅga
(101/108 liṅgas),
the Sahasra-liṅga
(1001/1008 liṅgas),
the Dhāra-liṅga,
the Śaiveṣṭya-liṅga,
and the Mukha-liṅga.
Dhārāliṅga is a class of Mānuṣa-liṅga (a liṅga made by human hands) classified in the Śaivāgamas.
Every Mānuṣa-liṅga
consists of three principal parts: the Brahmabhāga, Viṣṇubhāga, and Rudrabhāga. These are carved with lines known as
Brahmasūtras.
The Dhāra-liṅga
was also popular in ancient Kashmir. Unlike a smooth liṅga,
its Rudrabhāga,
or upper portion, is carved with continuous spiral or horizontal grooves known
as Dhārā
or Sarpabandha. When abhiṣeka is performed, the water is divided into numerous streams
by these carved channels. When the lines number 108, the liṅga
is called a Śatadhāra.
When there are 1008, it is known as a Sahasra-Dhāra Liṅga, in which a single liṅga
is symbolically equivalent to one thousand liṅgas.
Iconography of the Dhāra-liṅga at Gundi Jaffar
The Liṅga visible in the photograph appears to be a classic
Sahasra-Dhāra
type. It is made of a single piece of hard limestone and is tall, slightly
tapering, and elliptical at the top. Rope-like diagonal Dhārās
cover the entire surface of the Liṅga. The Yoni-pīṭha below is decorated with carved chakra, lotus
petals, and geometric motifs. This style has been regarded as characteristic of
the temple architecture and sculptural traditions of Kashmir. As is customary
with a Dhāra-liṅga,
it has three distinct parts. As seen in the photograph, these may be identified
as follows:
1. Rudrabhāga — Topmost/Pūjābhāga
The uppermost portion is elliptical in form and is covered
with diagonal, rope-like dhārās. This is the principal worshipped portion of the liṅga.
According to the visual identification provided here, this section contains
1008 miniature liṅgas arranged in 21 rows of 48.
2. Viṣṇubhāga — Middle Portion
The middle portion is octagonal or transitional in form. In
the photograph, it appears to merge visually with the lower square section and
is visible as a slightly raised band beneath the fluted upper portion.
3. Brahmabhāga — Lowest/Base Portion
The lowest portion consists of a square block. In the
photograph, it is heavily carved with double-spiral chakra motifs, lotus
designs, and geometric ornamentation. It is presently fixed within a modern
red-cement Yoni-pīṭha.
All three portions appear to have been carved from a single stone, as prescribed for the Sarvasama-liṅga.
Antiquity
Such liṅgas have been associated with the Karkota and Utpala periods,
particularly the 8th to 10th centuries CE, a period often regarded as a
formative and culturally significant phase in the development of Kashmir Śaivism.
If the stylistic and iconographic attribution of the Gundi Jaffar liṅga
is correct, it could potentially belong to this broad historical horizon and
may therefore be approximately 1,200–1,300 years old. Local elders refer to it
as a “Dhāru
Liṅga”
and associate it with rain, fertility, and the removal of obstacles. It is
considered particularly auspicious for Jalābhiṣeka within the local religious tradition and is
associated with the ritual significance of water in Kashmir Śaiva
practice.
Significance
According to the Kashmir Āgama tradition as understood locally, the Dhāra-liṅga
is considered highly auspicious for Jalābhiṣeka and is associated with rain, fertility, and
the removal of obstacles. Local elders refer to the object as a “Dhāru
Liṅga.”
The distinctive treatment of the surface, the multiplicity of carved channels
or miniature liṅga forms, and the ritual relationship between the liṅga
and water make the Dhāra-liṅga an important subject for the study of Kashmir's religious
art, Śaiva
iconography, and temple traditions.
Present Status
This approximately 1,200-year-old Sahasra-Dhāra
Liṅga,
if the proposed dating and identification are confirmed through archaeological
and art-historical examination, represents an object of considerable religious,
artistic, and archaeological significance. At present, however, it is
reportedly lying in a state of total neglect in a roofless temple without
adequate protection. The condition of the Shivalaya and the exposed status of
the ancient liṅga
raise serious concerns regarding its preservation. The monument and the liṅga
require appropriate protection, documentation, conservation, and safe custody
so that this important element of Kashmir's ancient Śaiva
heritage is not lost or further damaged.
The Dhāra-liṅga of Gundi Jaffar is therefore not merely an object of local
religious veneration. It potentially represents an important surviving example
of Kashmir's distinctive Śaiva sculptural tradition and deserves careful archaeological,
epigraphic, iconographic, and art-historical study. Its present condition makes
the need for documentation and preservation particularly urgent.
(Avtar Mota)
PS
Photographs by Robin Koul
Based on a work at http://autarmota.blogspot.com\.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.