English
A child born at that time is sometimes separated from its parents, that it may not bring harm upon their house ; at all events, it is an object of much care and expense to its father and mother, until its fate, perhaps, changes. Karim nanahwor. Barefooted Karim. Give a dog a bad name and you may as well hang him. Karim one day was seen walking without shoes on. The people called him " Barefooted Karim," and although always afterwards he wore nice shoes, yet the people continued calling him so up to the time of his death. 9? kashtrih hahai garah. Only eleven houses in Kashmir. Dark days. The reader may have noticed the frequent occurrence of the miniber eleven, and especially in the last few psKcs. *' Like an lovon months' man"; "Only one frying-pan for eleven houses" ; Eleven men have lost a cow between them" ; *' Eleven men arrived at the same unfortunate state" ; *' One wicked follow for eleven men" ; ** One loin-cloth for eleven fathers and sons" ; " Eleven grooms for a one-eyed mare" ; and " Only eleven houses in Kash- mir,"*Ac., Ac. As far as one can ascertain from the limited means of information at hand, this numlier is ejuite peculiar to the country. Captain Temple, in his most valuable and interesting " Survey of the Incidents in Mo<lern Indian Folktales" (one of the ap|endico8 of " Wide-awake Stories"). does not mention this number. The numbers I, 2, 3, 4, 5. H, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 18, 24, and larger numbers are <luotc<l as occurring in several tales, but never the number eleven. This is somewhat remarkable, and the only reasons suggested for the frequency of this number in " Uappy Valley" folklore are the fol- lowing Htorics : — Nearly 800 years ago a fatiir named Bulbul 8hAh came vux Tibet to Kashmir. When he had been here a little while he succeeded in turning Rontan Shih, the son of Kaki, then king of the Valley, from Hinduism to the faith of IsUm, and then Kentan Shdh killed all the Uindfis except eleven families. A vai-iant of this story, leading to the same result, is that Zainn'l- .-Umdin had a mot bot>headed son called Sultdu U&ji, or SultAn liyder. One day as this Toiith was goiog down the river Jhelum, when the boat reached 'AM Kadal (the fifth bridge), ho shot an rrow at a water-)X)t, which a little Panditdni girl was carrying on • r head on the bank close by. The pot was broken to pieces, but (he water was not spilt owing to its having been instantly tume<l into ice, which remained perfectly still upon the girl's head. The little Panditini went home crying to her father, a Rishi, who waa > much enraged with the young prince's conduct, that then and iliero he cursed him, saying, "May his hand be paralysed." It happened according to the Kishi's word. From that moment the l>rinee was unable to move hift right hand. When Zainu'ldbadin heard what had come to pass he was much grieved, and at once went to his son's house to enquire further of the matter. Said the prince, " I fired an arrow and broke a little I'anditdnf 8 water-pot, and soon afterwards I felt that my right arm was utterly powerless." The king then summoned his ministers and bade them enquire where the little girl's parents lived, and when after some time they had discovered the abode, he himself went to bog the Kishi's pardon, and to beseech him to invoke the 'jTods that they might restore the hand of the prince. The Rishi heard the king's request and prayed, and then turning to Zainu'l- dbadin said, " The prayer will be answered, if you will take ouei 13 98 bi my daughter's grass shoes and bum it, and then rub the ashes thereof over the prince's hand." The king thanked the Sishi for his kindness, went away with a glad heart, and did as he had been directed ; and no sooner was the prince's hand rubbed with the ashes of the burnt shoe, then its former use and strength returned. There was great joy in the court that day. When the king ^aw this, he perceived that these Hindus were a very holy people ; for none but the good and righteous could thus afflict and recover again by their curses and prayers. Accordingly, he at once began to think of a plan for rendering them unholy. Persian teachers were introduced into the valley, and the Hindus were ordered to learn that language ; and they were also commanded to eat yesterday's foOd and pickles under penalty of the king's great displeasm-e. A band of officers called Tsrali were appointed to see that this latter ord^r was carried out. Tsrdl is the ancient name for the functionary called Mahalladdr, for which see note to " Khauf kahund chhui, Sfc. ; cf. also note to " Ifoi gov tsrol," ^c. At length through threatenings and b^ribes all but eleven families complied with the king's order. (Another story says that all but eleven families refused to obey, and so were killed or obliged to flee the country.) In consequence of this the Hindfts became unholy ; therefore their prayers and curses were of no avail, and they remain so to this day, eating yesterday's food and studying Persian. However, the gods could not lightly pass over this matter, and therefore a Jogi went to the king and predicted that he would soon be ill, which prediction was fulfilled. On a certain day the king became very sick and the next day he was worse, and so he continued until all hope of his recovery had quite gone. While in this state the Jogi with his disciple was walking about outside the palacej and telling every one that he could divine ; and that by virtue of his art he was quite cei-tain that there was no other remedy for the king but the following : — " The Jogi must take out his own soul from his body and place it within the lifeless body of the king." Presently Zainu'ldbadin died, and the Jogi with his attendant was admitted within the palace and conducted to the corpse. In a minute or two the Jogi and his disciple were left alone in the death chamber. Turning to the latter the Jogi said " I am about to take out my spirit, and put it within this corpse. Take care of my body after death, and put it in some secret place." It was so done ; and when the king's wazirs and servants came into the room afterwards they beheld Zainu'Mbadin sitting up in his bed well and strong. Great were the rejoicings of the people and great the gratitude of the king, who lived for many, many, years after this. These accounts are most perplexing. Eentan Shah, the son of Kaki, has perhaps been mistaken for Ratan Sh^h, the successor of Raja Ven or Vend of Ventipiir, concerning whom the people say that a famous faqir named Bulbul Shdh flew over from Baghddd in a night and converted him ajid all his stibjects to the Muhammedan 99 faith on the following morning. But again this Rentan may have been Runjun, son of the king of Tibet, who invaded Kashmir in the time of Sana Deva, 1315 A. d., assumed the mle of the country, and became a Muhammedan under the name of Shams-ad-din (the san of the faith). A story just crops up, in which RAji Ven is called Ratan ShAh ! Then in the second story Zainu'ldbadin has certainly been credit* ed with the evil deeds of his father, Sikandar Batshikan, of whom it is related, that he did put to death all Hindus who refused to embrace Isl&m. (Cf. latter part of story attached to " ifoitanufc hatah," Ac ) Zainu'ldbadin is generally repreiented as a good and merciful king. " Tawdrikb-i Birbal" says : " B,e wa^ gopd and kind to every one, whether Musalm&n or Hind(i, and he brought back again to the Valley the Brdhnians, who had been compelled to leave it during the oppressive reign of Sikandar." A few notes frum a Persian work by the late Dlwdn Kirpd Kikin^ and entitle<l " Gulz^-i-Koshmirt" are still more confusing. Runjun, son of the king of Tibet, is now Sult&n Rattanjeo, an imbecile prince of Tibet, who as a mere child wai bronght into this country and so know nothing of his father's religion, and was therefore easily converted to Isl&m by Bulbnl Shih. 8u|tdn Shams*nd-din was the third ruler of Kashmir after Snltdn Rattanjeo. It waA during Sikandar's suooassor's, Soltia 'Ali Shdh'i, reign (U18— 1424 A.D.) that those Hind&s who refused to embrace IslAm were obliged to leave the country, and while on their way out of the country many of them were seised and burnt alive. Whatever the truth may be, it will be teen that the Kashmiri llind6s, especially, have reason to remember the number eleven. (Cf. also Drew, " Jamnju and Kaahmir," p. 69.