THE QUEST FOR THE ANCIENT SHIVALINGA OF SHRI NEELKANTH MANDIR KISHTWAR

              The history of Kishtwar is as ancient as it is unknown. Unfortunately, our history was never documented, and we have relied on oral traditions passed down through generations. We have heard stories of Rajas, saints, fakirs, events and wars, but these tales are fragmented and lack concrete evidence. It was until the 20th century that some historians, writers and travelers began to write about kishtwar. We have been relying on these accounts as our history. However, I believe it’s essential to re-examine and research our history, leveraging the advances in technology and resources that are now available to us.

              I am deeply grateful and thankful to the authors who have written about the history of kishtwar, despite the lack of modern technology and facility during their time. I pay my respects to their hard work and dedication, as it is because of their efforts that we are able to explore new paths and discover new information. In this pursuit, I have made a modest attempt to contribute to our understanding of Kishtwar’s history. I now present my findings to you dear readers, in the hope that they will shed new light on our shared heritage.

Jagat Singh became the Raja of Kishtwar in 1626 A.D. after death of his father Raja Gaur Singh. His younger brother Bhagwan Singh was hostage in Emperor Shah Jahen’s court at Delhi. As soon as Jagat Singh became the Raja, he invaded Bhaderwah and merged it into his kingdom and remained there for some time. Bhupat Pal, Raja of Basohli made Fateh Singh his wazir in 1627 A.D. and launched an attack on kishtwar in absence of the Raja Jagat Singh and captured this territory without any tough resistance. Bhupat Pal with his furious and merciless warrior Kantak Balauria looted and plundered the town. Upon receiving this news, Raja Jagat Singh with his contingent retreated from Bhaderwah and waged a war against the Raja of Basohli to regain the control of kishtwar. Raja Jagat Singh gave him tough defiance, but all in vain. He fought bravely but fell a martyr in the battle field along with many of his soldiers. After assassinating the Raja Jagat Singh, Bhupat Pal installed Kantak Balauria as his surrogate in kishtwar and returned Basohli with the great Shiva Linga of Neelkanth Mandir located (present old Bazaar) near the mansion of the Raja. The Shiva Linga presently installed in the temple of Basohli near old fort is almost one foot in height and has half feet in diameter. It is of very fine stone like the marble. The Shiva Linga had very interesting story, it is said that once Raja Jagat Singh was strolling in the Chougan (parade ground), he noticed that a girl was laughing loudly. He enquired about the cause of her laughter. The girl narrated the full incident of her previous birth as an eagle and also regarding carrying of the chopped arm of a warrior during the Mahabharata war in Kurushetra with a Shiva Linga made of valuable gem studded in his arm let and then dropping that in the well in Kurushetra. In order to verify the truth of the story, the Raja of Kishtwar went to Kurushetra and recovered the same from the well and brought to Kishtwar. He placed it into the Neelkanth Mandir near his fort and worshipped it for a long time. By the grace of Shiva Linga the prosperity and peace once again ruled in the Kishtwar. It is believed during those days that anybody who tries to see his or her face in the most transparent Shiva Linga could see their previous births. Maharani threw the Shiva Linga in the burning fire when she saw her face that of a she monkey. From that day the color of Linga turned black. Annoyed over the disgrace of the Shiva Linga, whole Kishtwar had to face famine due to the failure of rains and drought.

  After conquering and looting Kishtwar, Raja of Basohli Bhupat Pal married the princess of Kishtwar from whom the successor of Basohli Sangram Pal was born in 1628 A.D. Sangram Pal sat on throne after the death of his father Raja Bhupat Pal in 1635 A.D. at the age of seven. He was summoned to Delhi in 1640 A.D. by the then Emperor Shahjahan after hearing his handsome appearance, where he was praised for his good looks by the royal ladies. He was very brave and able commander. He fought twenty two battles and without losing a single battle emerges victorious in all gulfs. He married twenty two times and died without male issue in 1673 A.D. Out of his twenty two wives, seven of whom wives committed themselves to the flames in rites of Sati. He was succeeded by his half-brother Hindal Pal.

                        On hearing the defeat and assassination of his elder brother Raja Jagat Singh, Bhagwan Singh, who was at the Mughal Court as a hostage, obtained an army of a thousand men from Shahjahan marched towards the kishtwar in 1642 A.D. As Bhagwan Singh had leaved the Mughal court, he was replaced by Ghias-ud-din as a hostage in the Mughal court. Bhagwan Singh with the Mughal army advanced towards the Kishtwar through Marbal pass and had a gulf with Basohli army at Chougan, which ends with defeat the Basohli’s army. Kantak Balauria is said to have been killed, and his head was used as football on the Chougan ground by the locals. A mela was instituted by the Kishtwar chief in honor of his victory, called Kantak Yatra, which was celebrated till 1950’s A.D. After recapturing the territory Mughal army was sent back to Kashmir with presents. Bhagwan Singh is said to have extended his boundaries up to the Ramban. Two brothers namely Kahn pal and Jewan pal, Khatris of Delhi had sent with Bhagwan Singh from Mughal court to help him in the administration. Frederic Drew in his the Jammoo and Kashmir Territories writes that the descendants of these two brothers are still living in Kishtwar. He writes in his books that he met with their descendents and they told him that they were advisors of kishtwar Raja and it is their hereditary occupation.

                 As, I delved into numerous books about this temple and Shivalinga, I was astonished to discover that none of them mentioned the discovery or recovery of the Shivalinga. No author or historian has documented its discovery, nor have they provided any information or photographs. This Shiva Linga is still in a temple of Basohli near old fort situated in old bazaar near Ramleela maidan. It is black in color and is almost twelve inches in height and has diameter of six to seven inches. The stone of this Shiva Linga is not an ordinary one but is like made up of fine marble. The locals have decorated and maintained this temple very well. Behind the temple there is a big pond like the Sarkoot pond of Kishtwar. The ruins of old fort of Basohli are still telling the story of its grandiosity.

I embarked on a journey to Basohli to rediscover the lost Shivalinga of Neelkanth Mandir. When I arrived in Basohli, I was astonished to find that there was a Shiva Temple every hundred meters. The sheer abundance of Shiva temples left me in a state of bewilderment, unsure of how to proceed in my quest to locate the exact Shivalinga I had been searching for. After inquiring with numerous locals, I was unable to obtain any accurate information. Finally, I decided to visit the local government degree college, hoping to gather information from the professors. I was confident that the history teachers would possess some knowledge about the temple. Upon introducing myself, the professors welcomed me warmly, offering tea and snacks. However, even they were unable to provide a satisfactory answer. Their response was uniform: 'There are thousands of Shivalingas and temples here; we don't have specific information about each one. As I engaged in conversation with the professors, a thought occurred to me - what if the Raja of Basohli had launched an invasion of Kishtwar, slain the Raja, and retrieved the Shivalinga? Wouldn't he have kept such a precious relic in close proximity to his palace? I posed this question to the professors, inquiring if there existed a palace in the vicinity with a Mahadev temple. They confirmed that such a palace and temple did indeed exist but the palace has been reduced to state of ruin. I exclaimed that this must be the very temple I had been searching for, and the professors were intrigued by my line of reasoning. I elaborated that if a Raja had acquired a valuable relic, he would naturally keep it close to his palace.

After getting the directions from professors, I proceeded towards my destination. As I approached the location, I spotted a Shiva temple nearby, which was being meticulously cleaned and prepared for the upcoming Mahashivratri festival. I inquired with the locals if this was indeed the temple I was searching for, and if the Shivalinga was the same one brought from Kishtwar by the Raja. They regarded me with surprise and curiosity, why I was searching for this specific temple. I explained that I had come from Kishtwar and was searching for this very temple. The locals exchanged glances, seemingly astonished that someone from Kishtwar had come searching for this temple. One of them nodded in affirmation, and another added that in all these years, they had never seen anyone from Kishtwar visit this temple in search of the Shivalinga. My quest had seemingly stirred a sense of wonder among the locals."

I stepped into the temple; the sight of the Shivalinga moved me to tears. It seemed as though the Shivalinga was whispering to me, I have remained here for centuries, waiting the day when I would be reunited with my rightful home. Any devout Sanatani who knows about this ancient Shivalinga and has faith in it yearns to behold it, should visit Basohli at least once. Upon laying eyes on this ancient marvelous Shivalinga, they will experience its majesty eye catching sensational power. Despite the local resident’s efforts to construct a grand temple and maintain its pristine condition, the Shivalinga's inherent longing to return to its place of origin is a sentiment that echoes the universal human yearning for one's homeland. Behind the temple, there is a large pond, and on the east side of the temple there is the palace which has now become a ruin. However, looking at the palace’s architecture and construction technique, it seems that it must have been a very grand and impressive structure in its time.

We embark on pilgrimages to Shri Sarthal Mata, Shri Chandi Mata Machail, Shri Amarnath Yatra, Shri Vaishnu Devi Yatra, and Shri Hudhud Mata Yatra and visit numerous other sacred places. Can’t we also undertake a journey to Basohli to pay homage to our ancient Shivalinga which was forcibly taken away from kishtwar and established there? Do we still want to remain oblivious and unaware of the fact that this ancient Shivalinga belongs to us? 

Is it possible or can it happen in future that the common people of kishtwar will try to bring this Shivalinga from Basohli to Kishtwar. I wonder if it is possible to hope that the Sanatan Dharm Sabha and other organizations in Kishtwar will take concrete steps in the future to facilitate the return of the Shivalinga to its original location. We often wax eloquent about our cultural heritage in our writings, but it is rare for us to take tangible actions on the ground. I earnestly appeal to these organizations to collaborate with the local administration and make a concerted effort to ensure that the Shivalinga is reinstated in its rightful place.

Authored by: ANIL KUMAR BHAGAT

Mobile: 7051350159

Email: anilk11111982@gmail.com