Our Kashmir valley as per geological facts was a huge waterbody around 4.5 million years ago. This lake was formed as a result of tectonic activity which caused valley to sink and fill with water. Over time this lake began to drain due a devastating earthquake which broke open the mountain wall at Baramulla, and the water flowed out from a gorge leaving behind sedimentary rocks lacustrine mud, known as the Karewas, along the margins of mountains. Thus, came into existence the oval but asymmetrical Valley of Kashmir.
However, in the folklore we have been made to believe that this was not a geological phenomenon but the effort put in by Kashyap Rishi who was one of the Saptarshi’s. Kashmiri Pandits are his descendants and they named the valley as Kashmir after him to honour him. However, the followers of Islam would make us believe that Hazrat Suleiman (A.S) is supposed to have done this wonder while sitting on the top of hill, called Takht e Suleimani (Shankaracharya Hill) and drained the valley by giving power to one of his servants, a deo or jinn, named, Kashuf who has been named as Kashyap of the Hindu mythology. Thus, justifying the name Kashmir.
In good old days, may be around the last century, as narrated by my grandparents, the long dark winter nights were punctuated by the presence of a number of mythical beings mostly coming in the form of wild and horrifying looks. For this reason, we as small kids in villages were scared of going out of our homes after sunset. The list of these characters is long. Some of the grownup children would try and make the replicas of these imaginary characters by using solid snow and inks of various colours in their courtyards and then stone them till their virtual death.
Bramrachok (Kashmiri pronunciation), also known as Bram Bram Chokh or Rahchok. It inhabits desolate areas near forests and fools travellers by pretending to be a light, it is also known as Bill Bill Chowk in some parts of Kashmir. This person is a monster with a fire pot balanced on his head. On his forehead is a strong, shining eye. It is thought that persons traveling late in night frequently encounter this light in remote locations, which makes them change the route and hide in a cave or if they can find a house nearby.
Children frequently sit by their windows in villages, casting glances at distant locations where light burns and extinguishes, and call out to their friends to watch the scene quietly after putting off the source of light, usually a lantern. If his fire pot is stolen or broken, he usually gets it back in a few days. He mostly lives in upper-part of mountains and is very fast and agile.
The younger Bramrachoks tend to stay near rural populations, and older ones tend to stay in mountains or jungles. Pandits recite Gayatri Mantra to get rid of his influence while Muslims do it by reciting some Surahs. These measures are supposed to be successful in defeating him.
Rantas
She is a witch and a seductress. Her face is scary & grotesque. She hides her body with long hair that reaches her feet. Though she can change form at will often pretending to be a beautiful woman.
Her feet are usually turned backwards. She is known to kidnap only men and not women and take them to her cave in mountains and eat out their hearts. She is known to seek some of the good-looking men as husbands, but their attachment has fatal consequences, as he is destined to die within a few months only.
Pari
A fairy. A beautiful feminine being, two-winged like a bird and able to fly and change forms. It is often found near springs and water bodies, targeting young men who fall in love with her tricks. If a man resists her charms, she is known to try and drown him. If the man is already engaged to another or even married the pari does not hesitate to put obstacles in their way and harasses the woman concerned. To get rid of a pari’s shadow, one must take a strand of her hair to a saint or a peer who will pray on it, and only then can one get rid of her.
Daen
Similar to Rantas, she is an ugly, grotesque lady who roams naked with her hair running all the way to her feet and covering her body. Her feet face backward. She normally lives in a dense forest but occasionally steps out to meet humans. She is known to love human kidneys and heart and for this, she resorts to killing humans often by pretending to be an affectionate aunt who has come back after a long journey .
More practically, she is used to scare children to keep them quiet when they fuss and become difficult to handle. The method to control her is through gaining control of her hair or through prayer and intercession of a saint or reciting Kalima.
Daev
A cannibal giant, with an immense head on his shoulders and large, bulging eyes. The word daev is used humorously too to mean demon or devil, often as a suffix while teasing and taunting.
These mythological beings and the stories woven around them were an interesting way of spending time during the long dark evenings and nights in the days when there were no other means of entertainment and are with us from times immemorial. These need to be known to our new generation for simple nostalgic reasons as a part of our chequered history.
Prof Upendra Kaul, Founder Director Gauri Kaul Foundation
