Beaten tracks anew

The author sounds like a Renaissance man; trainer, theatre director and heritage educationist, directing plays for children and adults alike, and co-author of 20 books. And he has chosen a city that is a good vehicle for his multifaceted talents — Srinagar, long a paradisical haunt for poets, authors, artists and film lovers alike.

He explores the city’s rich past and its architectural influences — from Islam, the Mughal Emperors, the Afghans, the Sikhs, the Dogras and the British. There is a chapter on Sufism and its impact on the people and the landscape.

To help readers understand the city, the author has put together a series of walks encompassing the city’s scenic and architectural beauty along the River Jhelum, considered the lifeline of Srinagar. The book is well-researched and aims to “place the distinctive architectural heritage in a specific cultural context whose environment and history combine to create a unique style.”

Another chapter is on the crafts of Kashmir (the famous pashmina, papier mache and walnut wood carving), the description of the Aali Masjid (the second largest in the city), which has been a renovation project of INTACH (Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage).

The beginnings of the book deal with the history of the city, touching on the Sakas who came in the second century BC, followed by the Huns, the Gujjars and the Tibetans. The three different empires of religion, as she calls them: Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, and their contribution to the “priest, the pleasure seeker and the profiteer.”

The city expanded along the River Jhelum. Along its banks are dotted edifices like ghats, mohallas and traditional wooden bridges. The mohallas were designed for specific communities based on their occupations. Alkazi also traces the city’s religious history from Buddhism (Hiuen Tsang’s account of his travels describes the religious life of Srinagar). By the ninth century, Islam came to hold its sway with great attention to construction of religious and commercial edifices on a large scale.

This was followed by an account of the reign of the Sufi royalty. According to Sir Aurel Stein, the great explorer, Islam made its way into Kashmir not by forcible conquest, but by gradual conversion.

In the 18th and 19th centuries came the invaders who would leave their impression on the city — the Afghans, the Sikhs and the Mughals. During the Mughal era, Kashmir became the focus of trade with India. Akbar visited eight times and Jahangir 13 times. He praised the flowers and fruits for which the region is justly famous and encouraged miniaturists to portray scenes from life.

Soon after this, the general status of the city and its people declined. Then came the Dogras, whose control ended in 1957. During their tenure, the population increased. Punjabi traders moved into the valley, there was lively action on the economic front, and tourism began. There was a colonial impact with the advent of British engineers and contractors linked with the PWD (Public Works Development), who changed the external characteristics of its public buildings.

The book describes the typical architectural features of each wave of rulers. And there are amusing and interesting tidbits such as the origin of houseboats, that distinctive feature of Srinagar. There was one shop owner whose shop burned down. Therefore he moved all his goods on to his doonga or boat. A British officer wanted to buy it. Realising the potential of the houseboat, the shopkeeper sold it to him and started building boats instead.

Islamic architecture has examples such as the Jamia Masjid, shrines and khanqah (for the gathering of Sufi brotherhood and meditation) and hammams (public baths). Aspects of traditional Kashmiri architecture are in sync with local environment, and the use of wood of trees like deodar include the dub, which is a projecting wooden bay window on the upper floors, intricately decorated shah-n-sheen, which are long narrow halls with side galleries; naquashi — beautifully stencilled walls of blue and dark green; and finally, my most preferred — khatamband, an architectural delight (the only other place that has it is Turkey), which are beautiful latticed ceilings in a geometric layout.

The gardens of Srinagar — the Shalimar, Nishat and Pari Mahal — built by Dara Shikoh are also described. This informative book is a must-have. The style is sometimes a little dense. Pictures, not flaunting the glorious colours of the region, are very evocative.