[Reader-list] Ancient art treasures of Kashmir -The Disappearance Syndrome

[Pawan Durani]

*Ancient art treasures of Kashmir
*The Disappearance Syndrome

If reports emanating from sources in Srinagar have any truth in them, a
systematic pilferage of ancient art objects has been going on ever since
terrorism was unleashed in the unhappy valley. A report appearing in a
leading national daily recently appears to confirm this. According to it,
Rajputana Rifles handed over 32 pieces of priceless artefacts to the
National Museum on June 21st, 1996. These were recovered from the house of
one Ghulam Mohammad Lone residing in a colony near Shalimar Gardens during a
cordon and search operation as he was trying to smuggle out the artefacts
for the international market. These date back to the 6th to 15th century.
The important sculptures include Gajalaxmi, Vishnuchaturanana, Swayambhu
Lingas, Kumbheshwara etc.

While these pieces of art were saved by a chance seizure by the security
forces, there are hundreds which have disappeared over the years. What is
intriguing is the silence maintained by the state custodians of art and
culture over such losses.While the lackdaisical and even negligent attitude
in preserving the art objects displayed by the government managed
institutions like the Shri Pratap Museum, Center for Central Asian Studies
Research and Publications Department is quite evident, the appalling
indifference shown by the concerned officials cannot but give rise to
apprehension of connivance.

The reason is not difficult to understand - these objects are relics from
Kashmir's pre- Islamic past. The official attitude in this matter can be
illustrated by the state in which these objects have been kept in the museum
and other places. Not many years ago, in 1984 to be precise, a delegation of
important academics from the then USSR Republic of Tadjkistan came to
Kashmir for a visit. Their itinerary included a visit to the Shri Pratap
Museum at Lal Mandi, Srinagar. According to Captain S. K.Tikoo, who
accompanied the delegation along with veteran journalist Sh. P.N. Jalali,
some members of the delegation got interested in some statues displayed at
the museum while they were being shown round and made some queries about
them. The members obviously bore Muslim names. Much to their surprise, the
then Director of the State Department of Museums and Archives, Fida M.
Hassnain, started talking in an apologetic tone about such statutes being
displayed at the Museum saying that display of such objects could not be
helped even though it went against the writ of Islam which forbids idol
worship. The leader of the delegation, Mr. Rasulov, a prominent historian
and himself a Muslim, was taken aback. "It took us more than a decade in
restoring the damage done to our ancient monuments by the Germans, but we
did it as a matter of priority to maintain our links with the past. And you
are apologetic about these ancient objects of art when you ought to be proud
of them", he burst out, admonishing the official.

But such admonishment could hardly be expected to make any change in the
attitude of the Muslim officialdom in Kashmir, which has not only been
reluctant to come to terms with Kashmir's pre-Islamic past, Hindu or
Buddhist, but has deliberately tried to create the impression that such a
past never existed.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons why masterpieces of Kashmir's glorious
artistic traditions have disappeared from time to time from where they are
supposed to be preserved while the art pieces mentioned above were luckily
saved. The disappearance syndrome is now quite old. As far back as 1995, a
gigantic terracotta pendant belonging to the necklace of a huge image of
Boddhisttva suddenly disappeared from its shelf in the S.P.Museum, Srinagar.
It was one of the finest examples of Buddhist baroque in Kashmir which came
to light when excavations of the ancient Buddhist monastery of Shad-Arhat-
Vana (modern Harvan) were first undertaken by Daya Ram Sahni, and later by
Ram Chandra Kak in l919. The attention of the well known archaeologist and
art critic, Charles Fabri, was attracted towards this 'Gem of Kashmir', in
1933. The pendant, measuring 20 inches in height and 14 inches in width, was
oval in shape and intricately beautiful reflecting on the exquisite
craftsmanship of ancient Kashmiri jewellery. Immediately after its discovery
it was kept for display in the S. P. Museum in 1925 where it attracted the
notice of archaeologists, historians and scholars from the whole world till
it disappeared.

What is more amusing is that the Museum authorities first gave out that the
teracotta masterpiece had been removed to a safer place within the Museum
itself. People were made to believe that it had been broken to pieces due to
the carelessness of some Museum official. The pieces were, however, not
restored to their original shape despite the presence of a qualified
museuologist at the Museum. And then came the stunning news - the pendant
had been smuggled out of the Museum ! And such games continued to be played
even afterwards.

Surely, money can not be the sole motive behind such acts of disappearance
of invaluable art objects. A more sinister design appears to be at work - to
deplete the rich treasures of Hindu and Buddhist art in Kashmir. It will not
be totally surprising if one morning we wake up to find that Kashmir has
been swept clean of most of the relics that would remind one of the glories
of its pre- Islamic past!

Source : NRKI