Hari Parbat

Hari Parbat ( _hi. हरि पर्बत) is a hill overlooking Srinagar, the largest city and summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the site of a Durrani fort, built in 1808, and of a Hindu temple, Muslim mosques, and a Sikh gurdwara.

History

The first fortifications on the site were constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1590. He built an outer wall for the fort, and planned a new capital called Nager Nagor to be built within the wall. That project was never completed. The present fort was built in 1808 under the reign of Shuja Shah Durrani.

Legendary origin

According to legend, the Hari Parbat hill was once a huge lake inhabited by the demon Jalobhava. The inhabitants called on the goddess Parvati for help. She took the form of a bird and dropped a pebble on the demon's head, which grew larger and larger until it crushed the demon. Hari Parbat is revered as that pebble, and is said to have become the home for all the gods of the Hindu pantheon.

Another version of the myth says that two demons, Tsand and Mond, occupied the fair valley. Tsand hid in the water near the present location of Hari Parbat and Mond somewhere above the present Dal Gate, and both terrorized the people of the valley. The gods invoked Parvati who assumed the form of a Hor (myna) and flew to Sumer, picked up a pebble in her beak, and threw it on the demon Tsand to crush him. The pebble grew into a mountain. Parvati is worshipped as Sharika in Shri Tsakra (an emblem of cosmic energy pervading the universe) occupying the middle part of the western slope of the hill. The hill is also called Predemna Peet.

On the birthday of Sharika Bhagwati, the devotees make a sacrificial offering of `Taher-charvan' (Taher - rice boiled with turmeric powder and mixed with oil and salt; charvan - cooked liver of goat) to the goddess. This day is celebrated as Har Navum.

harika Temple

The hill is considered sacred by the Kashmiri Pandits due to the presence of temple of Sharika, the presiding deity of the Srinagar city. This temple is also known as Chakreshwari temple.

Muslim Mosques and Fort

Many mosques were built by Muslims in the Hari Parbat area since the time of the Afghan Ghaznavids and Afghan Ghurids. The present fort, called Hari Parbat Fort, was built by the Durrani Afghan rulers of Kashmir in 1808.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/pk_pandita/hari-parbat.html Hari Parbat]