O.N Koul
The land of Kashmir is rightly known as Rishi Bhumi because it has shrines, temples and other places of worship in all most at all places from north to south and east to west. It has been a highly spiritual and religious land.
One of the most sacred shrines of Kashmir – the Ganesh Astapan called in local Kashmiri parlance Ganesh Bal is situated in south Kashmir district Kulgam’s Hanad Chowalgam Village. This sacred shrine of Ganesh Bal is a living symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity and communal harmony. It is highly revered and respected by both the Hindu and Muslim communities. There was a big tree of Elm called in Kashmiri as Brenn having a big trunk of big diameter which symbolized Lord Ganesh is today non-existent due to afflux of time and the Devesthan Sudhar Sabha which is managing the affairs of this shrine has planted a new sapling of a yeri-Kul – Himalayan Blue Pine at the exact place where most and highly revered Brun tree existed some years back. There is a small pond below this tree which is not seen and all the offerings like milk and water falls in it. There is the Samadi of an ascetic called Dandi Swami which is located adjacent to this shrine and this saint did great penance in this village and his Samadi also stands renovated by DSS.
Before the wholesale migration of the KP’s a yearly havan used to be performed in the shrine to propitiate Lord Ganesh mostly on the day of birth of Ganesh which falls on the fourteenth day of the Hindu calendar month of Vaishak Shukal Paksh called Ganesh Chuturdashi and in kashmiri Gana Chudda – the full bright moon day.
For many years after migration of the Kashmiri Hindus no Yagya was performed at this highly revered shrine of Ganesh Bal ,but now from some years the Devastan Sudhar Sabha of this village performs yearly havan at this shrine with traditional gaiety, pomp and show and devotees from Jammu in big numbers and those Kashmiri Pandits who reside in colonies of Shiekpura Budgam, Vessu Anantnag and other KP’s still living far and wide in district Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian pay visit to this shrine on the Gana Chudda, pay obeisance to Lord Ganesh, seek blessings, participate in havan and partake Prasad on the culmination of Yagya on Buddha Purnimashi. The Dogri speaking Kashmiri Rajputs who still have a good presence in a number of villages of district Kulgam and Shopian also visit this shrine on Ganesh Chuturdashi, seek blessings from Lord Ganesh who is called Veghanhartar -remover of all troubles and partake the Prasad. A good number of devotees from Jagti camp and other non camp places from Jammu take yatra from Jammu in the vehicles arranged by the government free of cost and visit the shrine, pay obseience to Lord Ganesh, seek his blessings and stay for a full week at the accommodation constructed by the Devestahan Sudhar Sabha and participate in the Hawan and partake Prasad on Puranauhati. The district administration makes all security arrangements for those visiting the shrine on the auspicious occasion of Gana Chudda. There is much enthusiasm among the people visiting the shrine on this important festival of Kashmiri Pandits. The Muslim baradri of this village and also of nearby villages welcome their Hindu brethren from Jammu and embrace them and some of them make donations towards the Hawan.
Like previous years this year too the Hawan on the auspicious occasion of Ganna Chudda at this revered shrine of Lord Ganesh was performed with all traditional devotion. The arrangements for this year’s Hawan were made from Jammu under the auspices of Shree Devesthan Sudhar Sabha of village Hanad Chowalgam. It is said and believed that one Laxman Razdan of this village got the intuition to became a poet when he once kept awake for the whole night and meditated and in the morning spontaneously he started poetry and became known as Lal Laxman a satirical poet.
There is also a sacred shrine of Baba Reshi which is highly revered by both the Muslims and Hindus and is frequently visited by Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. As already mentioned that whole land of Kashmir is pious and abode of gods and goddesses. So a few miles away from the village of Hanad Chowalgam there is situated village Gudder at the bank of a mountain and this village is very famous because the fair of Gaudawari which comes only once after fourteen long years is held and devotees from far and wide and even outside Kashmir pay visit to this place and have darshan of the holy cow formed of a rock from whose nostrils Ganga flows and there is mention of this sacred Gaudawari in our sacred scriptures. Moreover some fifteen KMs from the village H.C Gam there is the sacred shrine of Kheer Bawani having a natural spring in village Manzgam where the festival of Zaisht Ashtami and Har Ashtami used to be celebrated and a big mela/fair takes place and thousands of devotees pay obeisance to Maa Ragyina Bhagwati. In brief the shrine of Ganesh Bal dedicated to Lord Ganesha and the performance of Yagya on Ganesh Chuterdashi is the shining and living example of communal harmony and a testimony to this fact.
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