The Paradise Garden: Kashmir and the Lōl of Habba Khatoon

Kashmiri Sufism has evolved over the course of time and emerged as a distinctive school of thought. The Sufis of Kashmir have employed poetry as a medium to convey their message of peace and harmony. However, Kashmiri Sufism did not emerge overnight, and hence lies a history of several centuries, tracing a history from its origin to the gradual development. Evidences suggest that the earliest known Sufi activity in the valley was the result of the arrival of Sayyed Sharfuddin Abd ur-Rahman, a Sufi saint from Turkistan, who is fondly known as Bulbul Shah. Under the influence of Bulbul Shah, the then Buddhist ruler of Kashmir, Rinchen Shah, converted to Islam, an action which was followed by the mass conversion of the Kashmiri mass into Islam. The most celebrated and highly revered figure of Kashmiri literature who is credited with introducing ‘Lōl’ or lyric in Kashmiri poetry is Zoon, popularly known as Habba Khatoon.

Habba Khatoon (1554-1609) was born as Zoon in a small village in Kashmir, during the rule of the Chak dynasty in the valley. Legend has it that the praises of her beauty and poetry reached to the ears of Prince Yusuf Shah Chak who married her, and gave her the name ‘Habba Khatoon’. Chak ascended the throne of Kashmir in 1579 but could not reign for long as Akbar’s army seized Kashmir in 1586. The young Kashmiri chief was put to arrest for life, and died in the Bihar jail. Habba Khatoon, unable to bear separation from her beloved, turned towards poetry, and developed Kashmiri lyric poetry called ‘Lōl’. In many of Habba Khatoon’s poems she announces the arrival of spring in the valley and urges her beloved to return. Her poetry is also full of garden references. In many of her verses, she refers to Kashmir as a garden. In the following poem she sings about the beauty and prosperity of Kashmir––

The bulbul sings to the flowers: 'A garden is our land !' The hyacinth says to the violet, 'Why are you hiding thus ? Come down from the woods to the garden ! A garden is our land !’ The early spring has come again And camped on mountain heights, And tulips blow in Shalimar. A garden is our land ! The sweet gift of spring To fountains, rivulets, streams And waterfalls is music. A garden is our land ! Mahjoor, our motherland Is the loveliest on earth Khatoon who turned ascetic during the later part of her life, turns philosophical and questions the idea of existence. Two important elements in her poetry appear during this period –– one of the nightingale and the other of the garden. Habba Khatoon in her lifetime was awarded the title of ‘the nightingale of Kashmir’. She discusses the relation nightingales have with the flowers and the separation in the following verse ––– “My friend, this youth is loss I lost all day on the way Why were we born? Why did we not die? Why such beautiful names? We must wait for the Judgment Day Many nightingales entered the garden And they had their play The flowers left the garden To make way for the nightingales I lost all day on the way Please protect me on the Day Where there will be fire of Hell Habba Khatoon will give you a call And I lost all day on the way” Facing early resistance in Kashmir, the Mughals finally managed to maintain a stronghold in the valley. A stable political structure was restored and a Mughal governors were employed. While the political system was reestablished, Habba Khatoon mentions her discontent because of the absence of her beloved. Khatoon in one of her verses says that while peace is maintained in Kashmir, her beloved has yet to return. Khatoon compares the restored political system to that of a blooming spring garden, as the leaves on the trees turn green. But her wounds will never nurse back to health. The verse is given below ––– “We were told in autumn to wait for the ensuing spring , Holding in her lap, it shall wash away all our sorrows . Today flowers bloom again in the garden

And life has come to reside in leaves that are turning green.. Yes friend! I saw visitors in close conversation in the garden But then who knows when these flowers shall vanish in sudden panic. O Breeze ! You too have passed on this soft coolness all over , And Friend ! When shall these wounds within nurse back to health ?” (Writer Zorung Sofi runs a Facebook page ‘Darbadar Kashur’ along with Jitesh Tickoo, dedicated to Kashmiri art and culture. One can also follow their blog @ darbadarkashur.blogspot.com)