[Reader-list] Love in ancient Kashmir... by Neeraj Santoshi

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

*Love in ancient Kashmir...

Neeraj Santoshi
*
Much before Valentine’s Day became popular in India and fundamentalists
started opposing it as a Western construct, people in Kashmir used to
celebrate this festival dedicated to Kamadeva, the Indian God of Sex and
Love, with much gaiety and aplomb.

More than a thousand years ago, Kashmiris celebrated Madantrayodashi, a
festival of Love celebrated on 13th of the bright half of Chaitra
(March-April), when Kamadeva , the Indian equivalent of Eros of the Greeks
and the Cupid of the Latins, used to be worshipped with various types of
garlands and diverse incenses. Madantrayodashi comes from two words- `Madan’
which means he who intoxicates with love and `Trayodashi’, which means the
13th.

The 6-8th century AD Sanskrit text Nilmata Purana says that ``on the 13th of
bright half of Chaitra ``Kamadeva , (painted ) on cloth should be worshipped
with various types of garlands and diverse incenses’’.

In verse 680, Nilmata Purana records that on this day, ``One should decorate
one’s own self and worship the ladies of the house. O twice born this (13th
day) should be necessarily celebrated, the rest may be or my not be
celebrated’’.

On how this festival was celebrated, the famous text mentions, ``O
descendent of Kasyapa, best among the brahmanas, on the12th, a pitcher full
of cold water and decorated with flowers and leaves should be placed before
Kamadeva, and before sunrise a husband himself should bathe his wife with
water (from the pitcher).’’.

The importance of Kamadeva in the life of Kashmiris could be gauged from the
fact that there is reference about a pilgrimage in the name of Kamadeva. In
verse 1365, Nilamata Purana states , ``Having bathed at Kamatirtha, a man
obtains the fulfillment of his desires and having bathed at Apasarastirtha,
he becomes possessed of beauty’’. At another place the text mentions, ``One
obtains happiness and becomes beautiful after seeing Kamadeva erected by
Agastya on the mountain’’.

There is another connection of Kamadeva and Kashmir, the land of Shiva.
There is a legend about Kamadeva’s annihilation and subsequent resurrection
at the hands of Shiva. It is said that wishing to help Parvati, the daughter
of Himalayas, in gaining the favour of Shiva, Kamadeva shot his floral
arrows at Shiva to disrupt His meditation and help Parvati gain Shiva’s
attention. Enraged by this, Shiva opened his third eye, and annihilated
Kamadeva with a single glance. Later, at the behest of the Gods and Parvati,
Shiva resurrected Kamadeva to life, thus ensuring the procreative continuity
of the world through desire, love and sex. It is said that It was Kamadeva
who succeeded in bringing Shiva who had turned away from love after the
death of wife Sati, near to Parvati.

Kamadeva, who is also called Madana (intoxicating), is represented as
beautiful young man, having a bow made of sugarcane and five floral arrows
in his hands, traveling through the three worlds accompanied by his wife
Rati, the cuckoo, the humming bee, gentle breezes, all symbolizing the
spring time and the ambience of romance. And Kashmir, with its natural
bounty, seems made for love. Kamadeva’s ornaments are the conch and the
lotus, both related to water, the symbol of creativity and fertility. And
Kamadeva’s this ornament, is found aplenty in emerald waters of Kashmir .

Some critics feel that V-Day is being propagated by some market forces as a
whole new industry has come up to market ``love’’. Some rightwing activists
have been opposing V-Day celebrations on the grounds that it is a Western
concept and is diluting the age-old Indian culture.

Though V-day is a Western construct, but love itself isn't Western or
Eastern. In our tradition, Kama is the personification of the divine will
which leads and propels the ray of creation.

*Neeraj Santoshi is senior correspondent with the Hindustan Times. You can
visit his blog at http://neerajsantoshi.blogspot.com/*