Hari Parvat Kashmir
Hari Parvatsituated at the periphery of Srinagar city is an
ancient and one of the holiest places of Kashmir. It is the
abode of Mahashakti-the Divine Mother Jagatamba Sharika Bhagwati,
also known as Maha Tripursundhari or Rajrajeshwari (locally
called as harie). The eighteen armed Goddess Sharika is regarded
as the Presiding Deity (Isht - Devi) of Srinagar city. The Godess
Sharika is represented by a Sayambhu’ Shrichakra (Mahamaha
Shrichakra), also called Mahashriyantra, which consists of circular
mystic impressions and triangular patterns with a dot (bindhu)
at the Centre. The mystic Shrichakra engraved on a vertical
holy rock (Shila) is located at the middle of western face of
Hari Parvat. The shrine can be approached from Deviangan by
a flight of chiseled stones, numbering one hundred and eight.
The number one hundred and eight has mystical signficance in
Hindu mythology. It is perhaps due to the Goddess Shrichakra
that the capital city of Kashmir is said to have derived its
name of Srinagar (Shrinagra)
As per the ‘Visishtadhvaita’ doctrine, ‘Shri’
is the Divine consort of of the Lord and is said to play on
intermediatory role between God and the human soul.
The Shrine of Chakrishwar has been a place of worship from
the day, the Goddess Sharika manifested Herself in the form
of a ‘Shila’ on the Hari-Parbat.
To worship the Supreme Godess, the devotees used to go to
Hari Parvat regularly and reach the Shrine of Chakrishwar
to be at the holy feet of the Divine Mother in the wee hours
of the morning. Phagun Krishna Paksh Ashtami (Hora Ashtami)
and Ashad Shukla Paksh Saptami, Ashtami and Navami (Har Satum,
Har Aatham and Har Navum) are the auspicious days for the
devotional congregational prayers at the Sharika-peeth Chakrishwar.
Ashad Navami (Har Navum) is said to be the Birthday of Sha-rika
Bhagwati. On this day of Sharika Jayanti the devotees make
sacrificial offering of ‘Teher-charvan’ (rice
boiled with turmeric po-wder and mixed with oil and salt and
cooked liver of goat) to the Supreme Goddess. This ritual
is locally known as ‘Chout Kharoun’. On ‘Navreh’
(The new Year Day of Kashmiri Pandits, during the month of
Magh and ‘ ‘Navratra’, the devotees regularly
visit the Hari Parvat for special prayers and worship.
Shree Yantra or Shree Chakra
Shree Yantra is considered one of the most auspicious, important
and powerful Yantras which not only gives the maximum benefit,
but also proves beneficial for almost everybody. While this
Yantra has been used as a source of attaining all worldly
desires and wishes, the Yogis, saints and spiritual personalities,
by virtue of their devotion, have used it as an instrument
to attain the ultimate.
To attain the ultimate, the great spiritual personalities
have always focused their energies on a “ Swayambhu”
Maha Shree Yantra considered to be in the old city of Srinagar,
Kashmir. While in India there are 52 energy centres, but the
energy centre of Hari Parvat Srinagar is considered the only
of its kind in the entire universe which has a great significance
in terms of attaining spiritual bliss.
The word “Shree” means wealth and “Yantra”
an instrument— and it makes the sense of “Instrument
for Wealth”. At Hari Parvat, where the Shree Yantra
is considered to be in the shape of a rock, people have craved
for spiritual wealth and they attained what they wished.
The whole hill of Hari Parvat seems to be the multi-dimensional
figure of geometrical figure of Goddess Sharika and at the
corner of the hill is this magnificent and holy rock and those
who have the eye to look at it can find different geometrical
images in the shape of triangles, squares and pentagons .
On gets lost while gazing at this energy centre as it emits
different figures while concentrating on it.
Although most of the lines and shapes are not so visible
due to the “sindoor” coated on it yet those who
can see through, can identify themselves to be a part of this
holy rock.
It was great painter-cum-scholar of Kashmir— Late Ghulam
Rasool Santosh who was benefited by this Yantra in his art.
Those who have gone through his art work, could see how Santosh
painted Shree Yantra in his master-pieces in a bid to reach
near to the ultimate.
Santosh could not carry forward his dream of deciphering
all those geometrical figures emitting from this holy rock
and kits sorroundings. There were many reasons for that.
After the mass migration of Hindus from the valley in 1990,
this place is presently a little in a state of neglect although
visited by people in one or two once in a blue moon. This
author had an opportunity to visit this foundation rock of
Kashmiri Pandits in recent past only to see some security
personnel guarding it. Those on the guard had high regard
for the place but were unaware of the importance of this Shila
of Sharika— the Maha Shree Yantra. The security personnel
posted at this place said that there exists a committee and
it members visit quite often this place and also arrange religious
functions. They, however, regretted that under the present
circumstances, when Kashmir is in turmoil, this place is by
and large ignored in terms of visit by devotees and daily
prayers.
An elderly Muslim recalled those golden days when the Kashmiri
Pandits in thousands would visit this holy place every day.
The youngsters had no knowledge of this Yantra. A youth wondered
how a person by name of Ghulam Rasool (Santosh) was obsessed
with this rock and place.
This Shree Yantra has a great significance for Hindu community.
Those who have its knowledge, categorize it in two forms—
Evolution Yantra of Samyachar Order of Kashmir and Involution
Yantra of Koulahar order of Kashmir.
There are nine folds of Shri Yantra— Outer three circles
that depict the Chakra ruling the three worlds; Sixteen petals
depicting 16 Yoginies associated with the attainment of desires;
Eight petals— depicting power of speech, holding, walking,
excreting, pleasure, abandoning, concentration and detachment;
Fourteen triangles describing all good fortune and associated
with chief nadis or currents of bio-energy; Ten outer triangles
depicting Yognies of 10 vital breaths; Inner ten triangles
depicting Shakties of 10 vital fires; Eight triangles depict
powers that rule cold, heat, happiness, sorrow, desire and
three gunas— Sativas, Rajas and Tamas; Central Triangle
depicts Chakra giving all success and Bindu depicting Maha
Tripura Sundari— the ultimate.
According to Kamlesh Tufchi, member Satisar Foundation, the
entire hillock of Hari Parvat is a great Yantra. While Yantras
are normally two dimensional, this Yantra is a three- dimensional
and that is why it holds great spiritual importance, Tufchi
said. The concept of three-dimensional Yantra is also vived
by this rare picture that was clicked by the author on his
recent visit.
This foundation rock of Kashmiri Pandits has withstood the
evil and bad times. It is witness to number of occasions when
Kashmiri Pandits had to migrate from the valley. It is also
witness to the fact that Kashmiri Pandits have firm belief
and faith in this energy centre, the description of which
is in Nilmatpuran and Rajtarangani.
.Earlier, the Birthday of Jagat Amba Sharika Bhagwati used
to be celebrated by performing a ‘Mahachandi Yagna’,
which would commence on Ashad Saptami (Hari Satum) and culminate
on Ashad Shukla Paks Navami (Har Navum) with a sacrificial
offering of a lamb called ‘Raze-Kath’. Presently
‘Har-Naum’, the holy birhtday festival of the
Goddess Sharika is celebrated at Chakrishwas Shrine with a
night long singing of hymns and bhajans in the praise of the
Goddess.
Some of the devotees prefer to do parikarma for the complete
month of Magh right from the Lord Ganisha’s temple),
passing through Devi-angan right upto Kathi-Darwaza. A legend
from ‘Sharika Mahatmya’ records that inorder to
save and free the residents of the valley (Satidesh) from
the evil deeds of the demon, the Mother Goddess Ashatadushbuja
Jagatamba Durga took the form of a bird (Haer in Kashmiri)
On the day of Ashad Shukla Paksh Navami (Har Navum), it is
believed to have carried a celestial pebble in its beak and
dropped it on the demon to crush it to death.
A miracle happened and the celestial pabble is said to have
assumed the shape and form of a hillock giving it the name
of Sharika Parbat or Hari Parvat. Subsequently the Goddess
Sharika (represented by the mystic ‘Soyambhu Shrichakra’)
made Her permanent abode on the western face of the hillock
(Hari Parvat) on the vertical rock (Shila) to assure the native
people of Her presence and protection. The whole of Hari Parvat
is a hallowed place. A number of temples and holy temples
representing the different deities are located on its all
sides. It is due to this belief that the devotees undertake
a circumambulation of the whole hillock of Hari Parvat. The
parikrama starts from the Lord Ganesh Shrine, which is located
on the south-western corner of Hari Parvat. Inisde the temple,
the deity is represented by a huge ‘shila’ from
Lord Ganesh’s temple, there are two parikarama’
routes; one along the foot-hill of the hillock and the other
along the fortified stone well, locally known as ‘Kalai’.
The devotees have the option of taking either of the two routes.
The next place of obeisance on parikarama route is the ‘Saptrishi
sthapna (Satresh) which is marked by an open space on the
slope of a hillock near a big boulder in the vicinity of a
chinar tree. Here, the devotees ascertain their luck (locally
known as ‘phall’) by random picking up of some
rice grains scattered on the boulder.
Furtheron, the next holy spot on the ‘parikarma’
is the ‘sthapna, of the Goddess Kali, which is marked
by a small temple adjacent to a Chinar tree. Infront of the
Kali temple, a large flat chunk of pond measuring about ten
Kanals or so is known as ‘Sidh-Peeth’-- a place
of awekened Divine presence. The ‘Sidh Peeth’
is said to be invested with strong divine spiritual vibrations.
Next, on the parikrama route is a vast stretch of open space
known as ‘Devi Angan’- the playfield of the Cosmic
Mother. It is studded with small hutments for the purpose
of worship and meditation. Due to its scenic charm and absorbing
natural beauty, Devi-Anagan is also a place for religious
and social festivities. Next holy spot on parkarama of Hari-Parbat
is the ‘sthapna’ of Hari, represented by a rock
located on the north eastern face of the hillock. The devotees
after performing pooja here, take a symbolic ‘round
turn’ parkrama infornt of the ‘Shila’ pronouncing
loudly the holy words ‘Hari Kartum Yaeri (Mother Goddess
bless me). Infront of Devi-Angon, the two perikarma routes,
one along the fortification wall (Kalai) and the other below
the foothill merge together. Next on the parikarma route,
the devotees pay their obeisance to the Goddess Mahalakshmi
a next and opposite to Mahalakshmi sthapna, on the left side
of parikarma route, there is a temple called ‘Amber
Kouls’ mandir, though some wrongly refer it as Ram Koul’s
Mandir.
Next on the parikarma, falls the sthapna of ‘Vamdev’,
which is located on the left side of the parikrama route.
‘Vamdhev’ is regarded as the Divine Consort of
the Goddess Reghnya. Earlier, there existed a stone statue
of Lord Vamdev and a small ‘dharamshalla’. The
devotees also perform parkarma here. Pakhribal, the shrine
of the mother Raghnya is the next holy spot on the parikarma
route. It has a holy spring inside the temple complex. A ‘yagnya’
is performed in honour of the Goddess Raghnya especially on
Shiklapaksh Ashatmi’ and other auspicious days. A small
Hanuman temple located on the right side of the foothill is
the last holy spot on the parkrama route. The circumbatation
(parikarama) of the Hari-Parbat ends at ‘Kothi-darwaza’,
which is one of the two main gates of the old township around
Hari Parvat, the other being ‘Sangeen-darwaza’
towards Hawal. It is rightly believed that those who worship
at Hari Parvat are deemed to have worshipped all the Gods
and Goddesses of the Hindu mythology.
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