Medieval Kashmir’s foremost socio-religious icon, Yogini Lalleshwari, has today become a subject of study by modern scholars and sociologists alike. Such is the expanse of her thought and philosophy that people are marvelling at the erudition of an apparently unlettered village damsel who lived in one of the darker and volatile periods of Kashmir history and yet rose to the peak of self-realization, a devotee of Lord Shiva in HIS pristine form; she had, during her own lifetime visualized divinity like Adi-Shankar and Swami Vivekananda! Her words of earthy wisdom, spoken probably extempore in Kashmiri language, have been recorded in the folk tales of Kashmir and by some later day Muslim historians; Lalla was beyond all formats of worldly restrictions and had lost her body-consciousness by then, uttering her precious Vakhs and Vatchuns(poems, set in a peculiar 4 line meter), in a state of divine ecstasy. 

Lalla, named Lalleshwari by her parents, was born on Bhadprapada Shukla Paksh Ashtami (Eighth day of bright half of month Bhaderpada) of the year 4396 as per Saptrishi Samvat prevalent in Kashmir, corresponding to 1320 CE at Village Pandrenthyan, near Pampore, Srinagar. She was married at an early age(12) to one Sona Bhat of Vill Drangbal near Pampore, Srinagar. As was customary amongst Kashmiri Pandits those days, her in-laws gave her a new name -Padmavati. At her new home, Lalla found her preceptor and guide, the venerable Shaivite Guru, Siddha Srikanth (also known as Syed Bayu) – incidentally, her was the Kul guru of her in-law’s family and thus had free access to Lalla. Srikanth introduced Lalla to the intricacies of Shaivite theory and theology. Soon, the master realized that his ward was ready to outshine him and allowed her the freedom of thought and practice. The exchange of ideas, in the form of deep meaning, philosophical riddles, between Srikanth and Lalla are of the highest philosophical order and is well documented. Occasionally, her husband too would participate in these exchanges. Lalla is said to have remembered her previous lives in various births and her Guru, Siddh Srikanth confirmed her previous incarnations.

At her new home, Lalla also found her tormentor-in-chief in the form of her wicked mother-in-law who appeared hell bent on making Lalla’s life miserable. Besides throwing jeers and insults at Lalla, she would find fault with whatever Lalla did. One famous folklore associated with Lalla is that the MIL, in order to underfeed Lalla, would keep a stone in the ‘toor’ (peculiar brass vessel found in every Kashmiri home; often, women folk would eat food from this ‘toor’) and cover it with rice. Lalla being what she was, never complained about the poor quantity of rice; instead, she would wash the stone and carefully keep it back, along with the ‘toor’. One day, when a feast had been arranged at her ‘in-laws’ house, she is reported to have commented wryly,” Bhat marityan ya bhatiyeny, Lalli nilwath tchalye ne zanh” – loosely meaning, ‘No matter what happens in the house, how many feasts are arranged, Lalla shall continue to receive the stone in her food plate.” Another story associated with Lalla is that once she was fetching a pitcher of water from the river for the household on her shoulder when her husband broke the earthen pitcher with his stick – while the pitcher broke, water is said to have remained intact; Lalla filled up all household utensils with the water and threw the remaining out where it took the shape of a pond. The pond, known as Lalletrag, exists even today in her village.

Such meteoric was Lalla’s spiritual progress that she started losing her body-consciousness and left her home at age 24. Legend has it that her belly started growing and drooping, thus covering her private parts – incidentally, a big, drooping belly is known as ‘lal’ even today, in Kashmir. In her state of spiritual ecstasy, she would roam around, meeting other spiritual people of the age. One such story concerns Nund Rishi, aka Shiekh Noor-Ud-Din. It is said that after his birth, Nund Rishi refused to accept milk from his mother’s breast. Lalla, a wandering mystic by then, is said to have taken the young baby into her own lap and commented,” Yeli Yine mandtchok ne, teli dodh kyaze chukh ne tchavan” – loosely translated as:” When you did not feel ashamed of being born (coming into this world), then why are you ashamed of suckling milk from the mother’s breast?” Saying this, Lalla is said to have offered her own breast to the infant Nund Rishi and lo! The baby accepted the milk that flowed from Lalla’s breast!

Lalla lived during probably the most tumultuous and trying period of Kashmir’s history. Much of the record of Lalla’s life is rooted in oral tradition, and as a result the details of her life and beliefs vary considerably. Many contemporary Kashmiri chronicles, such as those of Jonaraja, Srivara, Prajyabhata and Haider Malik, prepared by Chadura, do not mention Lalleshwari. The first written record of Lalleshwari's life is contained in Tadhkirat-ul-Arifin (1587), a collection of biographies of saints and religious figures written by Mulla Ali Raina, followed by Baba Daud Mishkati's Asrar ul-A description of his life. In these texts Lalleshwari is described as a mystical saint who appeared to travellers in the forest. In 1736, Khwaja Azam Diddamari's Tarikh-e-Azmi contains a more detailed account of Laleshwari's life. She is also mentioned in the Persian history, Wakiyati-e-Kashmir (1746), in which she is described as famous during the reign of Sultan Alauddin (1343–54) and died during the reign of Sultan Shihab. A total of 258 of Lalla’s ‘vaakhs’ stand recorded, very popular as folklores and folk songs as well as songs, proverbs and prayers. Her vaakhs are regularly sung by Kashmiri sufi singers, Hindu as well as Muslim – a tribute to their earthy wisdom and high spiritual content.

Towards the later part of her life, Lalla is reported to have moved Bijbihara (Anantnag) town where she is reported to have given up her mortal frame in year 1392 CE – her soul is said to have arisen as a flame to merge with the Supreme Soul. Lalla is said to have laid the foundation of the Rishi-Sufi trend in Kashmir. She had broken the shackles of organized religion, mingling with spiritually awakened people, irrespective of religion.  She became known as Lal Dyed (Dyed in Kashmiri means a grand old and wise woman), Lalla Yogini, Lalleshwari etc; Muslim populace preferred to call her Lalla Aarifa. Over the years, a peculiar trend is seen to have emerged in the name of ‘research’ by various ‘Islamic scholars’ in Kashmir – that towards the end of her life, Lalla embraced Islam. Such bigoted minds fail to accept that Lalla had started out as a devout Shaivite and, over time, just outgrew organized religion. Such devious mindsets, in a bid to erase the Hindu history of Kashmir have tried to rename Shankaracharya Hill as ‘Takht-e-Sulemani’ and Hari Parbat as Koh-e-Maran”. This trend is very much in keeping with the Islamic usurpation of Christian Churches Jewish places of worship and Hindu Temples – Sofia Hagia in Turkey and the history of Jerusalem( Al-Kuds for the Muslims).  

My painting is a humble tribute to Lalleshwari, Kashmir’s first poetess and spiritual giantess! 

Let me present before you some of her most popular Vaakhs:

अमि पन सदरस नावि छ्स लमान
कति बोजि दय म्योन मेति दी तार
आम्यन टाक्यन पोन्य ज़न शमान
जुव छुम ब्रमान घर गछह

आयस वति गयस न वति
सुमन साथा लूसुम दोह
वछुम चन्दस हार नो अखा
अथ वावि तारस दिम क्याह बा

क्याह कर पाचन, दहन त काहन
वाखशुन यथ लेजि यिम करिथ गयि
सरी समहन यथ रज़ि लमहन
अद क्याजि राविहे काहन गाव

आयस कमि दिशि त कमि वति
गछह कमि दिशि कवा जाना कथ
अन्तिदाय लगिमय तते
चनिस फोकस काह ति नो साथ