Verinag: A Spring in Kashmir

Verinag: A Spring in Kashmir

By: Karan Singh

I visited the beautiful Kashmir Valley last month, my first autumn visit after many years. I decided that I would revisit the one place which I consider to be the most beautiful in the entire Valley. Visitors to Kashmir fall into two categories — those who like Gulmarg and those who prefer Pahalgam. Both of them now have excellent golf courses and so it is entirely a matter of personal preference as to which one of them to visit. It may surprise readers to know that my favourite spot is in neither of these two beautiful resorts — it is Verinag, the massive pond from where the great Jhelum river begins its long journey through the Valley, Pakistan and finally into the Arabian sea. Its location, with the backdrop of thickly wooded mountains, its absolutely calm, light green appearance and depth make it unique.

The pool’s first enclosure is 18 feet deep, the second is another 18 feet and the third is yet another 18 feet, going into the spring. Huge fish inhabit the pool but mainly stay at the bottom and rise to the surface only in the evenings. The pool was constructed by Emperor Jehangir in 1029 Hijri or 1620 AD. The octagonal pool is large, surrounded by a low colonnade, with arched recesses. One of these contains a shivling and is held sacred by Hindus in the valley. The water is absolutely calm and as we circumambulate it, our minds also seem to become calm. Walking around that pool is as sacred an act as circumambulating any temple.

There are two stone slabs built into the western and southern walls of the pool on which, in Persian, there is praise for the spring and the dates of construction of the tank and aqueduct. The translation is as follows: “The king of seven kingdoms, the administrator of justice/ The father of victory, Nur-ud-din Jehangir, son of Akbar/ The martyr king, halted at this spring of God’s grace in the/ 15th year of his reign/ This construction was made by order/ of His Majesty/ By Jahangir, son of King Akbar/ This construction was raised to the skies/ May the mansion last forever together with the/ Spring Verinag ! (1029 Hijri)[7]”
Below the pool is a beautiful Mughal garden, 400 by 110 meters in area, and spotted with huge Chinar trees. This is built around the central water access emerging from the pool into which a stream of very cold water flows, later to become the mighty Jhelum. Verinag is mentioned in various historical texts, including the Jehangirnama, the Ain-i-Akbari, as well as the famous Rajatarangani.

There is a wealth of mythology connected with this pool, including stories about Shiva and Parvati. Apparently, there was a huge snake there at one time because the spring is known as Nilanaga, who, in the ancient tradition, is at the head of all nagas or spring deities in Kashmir. According to the Nilamata Purana, the entire valley of Kashmir was once a lake called Sati Sara. It is near the Verinag spring that Lord Vishnu is said to have first struck the plough with which Sati Sara was drained and the Valley became habitable. It was here that, with a stroke of Lord Shiva’s trident, Parvati was brought into the light from the nether world in the form of the river Vitasta.

I find this magnificent pool unique. While all the Mughal gardens in Kashmir are beautifully designed with water flowing through them, including Shalimar, Nishat and Chashme Shahi, only Verinag has a great pool. It is, as I have said, my favourite spot in the beautiful Valley of Kashmir. On this visit I learnt something new. The old mali (gardener) claimed that a Chinar tree had been planted when I was born in 1931, which has now grown into a flourishing tree. My photograph against this tree has gone viral. I cannot be sure of the story but it added an interesting dimension to the whole visit.

 

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