VERINAG
33.550000,75.250000
Description
The main source of the river Jhelum at Verinag is not only said to represent »a true Vauclusian resurgence, with the water rising from depth [note 1]« (COWARD 1971d) but also to be »perfectly crowded with sacred fish« (FOSTER 1873: 18th August 1868). The approximately 70 m wide pool of water, which is reputed to be 57 feet (17 m) deep (note 2), is surrounded by an octagonal building ascribed to emperor Jahangir (note 3). ETYMOLOGY: Veere Naug FORSTER, G (1790 / 1798, 1800: 2) Verinag nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) Vernag HERVEY, Mrs. (1853, 2: 116, 132-133); FOSTER, J C (1873 August 18th); LAWRENCE, W R (1895 edited 1967: 23); RAINA, B N & KAPOOR, H M 1964: 18; ROBERTS, F S (1897 edited 1898, 2005.08.14 chapter 4); IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 14: 160; 15: 74); AMS sheet NI43-11 Anantnag (U502 series, 1960 edition); nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) Vernagh KNIGHT, W H (1863 Diary: 1860 July 15) Vernay India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 2 C4) Verney Nag VIGNE, [G T] "G J" (1837: 196) Viranaga HAMILTON, W (1828, 2: 698) Virnaugh HAMILTON, W (1828, 2: 698) Wernagh ARROWSMITH in: HÜGEL, C (1840-1848, vol. 4: Map of the Panjab, etc) SETTING: At the »bottom of a high scarp of a mountain spur« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 14: 160) or at »the base of a high scarp« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 15: 74) on the south-eastern margin of the Vale of Kashmir, »the water rises through the valley-side talus slopes and alluvium about 500 feet [circa 150 m] from the limestone hillside« (COWARD, J M H 1971d: 33). »The springs of Vernag occupy the same position in the valley as those of Kookur Nag [Kukarnag] do in the other, but around them is a good sized village, and their point of exit has been converted into a large and very deep octagonal tank, which is perfectly crowded with sacred fish. Surrounding the tank is a series of arches, and on the side from which the stream escapes is a bungalow for the use of visitors« (FOSTER, J C 1873: 18th August 1868). POSITION: The village is positioned as »Verinag« and as »Vernag« near 33°33'N: 75°15'E (nima.mil/geonames, accessed 16.11.2003), indicated as »Vernag« on the AMS sheet NI43-11 Anantnag (U502 series, 1960 edition) but as »Vernay« on the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 2 C4). It is reported to lie at altitudes ranging between 1829 m or »6000 feet« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 15: 74) and 1875 m or »6150 feet« (COWARD, J M H 1971d: 35) or 1876 m (jktourism.org/cities/kashmir/excurs/index.ht m#3 accessed 2004.09.19). SITUATION: At the village of Verinag, which lies about 80 km along the road (note 4) from Srinagar, some 20 km in a direct line south-south-east of Anantnag (33°44'N: 75°09'E) and about 15 km on foot or horse-back from the spring at Kukarnag. DESCRIPTION 1783, 25th April: »In der Nachbarschaft von Veere Naug bricht ein Wasser mit grosser Gewalt aus der Seite eines Berges hervor, und bildet sogleich einen beträchtlichen Strom, der mit vielen anderen Bächen zur Fruchtbarkeit des Thals von Kaschemir beiträgt« (FORSTER, G 1790 / 1798, 1800: 2-4, 1808, 1997). DESCRIPTION 1837: There is a notable spring »Verney« and that's it (VIGNE 1837: 196). DESCRIPTION 1828: »Virnaugh (Viranaga).-- 37 miles south-east from the city of Cashmere [i.e. Shrinagar] … a torrent of water bursts from a mountain, and soon forms a considerable stream. A basin of a square form has been constructed, it is said by the emperor Jahangire …« (HAMILTON, W 1828, 2: 698). DESCRIPTION 1854, June: »From Martund [footnote 5: Three miles east of Islamabad] we made our way to Vernag, the celebrated spring which is supposed to be the source of the Jhelum river. The Moghul Emperor Akbar built there a summer palace, and the arches, on which it is said rested the private apartments of the lovely Nur Jehan, are still visible« (ROBERTS, F S 1897 / 1898, 2005.08.14 chapter 4). DESCRIPTION 1851, Sunday 25th May, 1851: »Vernâg, the real head of the Jhelum« (HERVEY, Mrs. 1853, 2: 116), 1851 »… is a pretty wooded spot, hemmed in by hills, and surrounded by rice-fields … The great attraction of Vernâg is the beautiful spring, whence rises the mighty Jhelum. This spring has been built all round, and is a body of water in a circular form, clear and pellucid. No stream flows into the basin; the spring is out of sight, and issues below the circular body of water, which is all that is seen of the head of the great river. Goolâb Singh is building a Bârruh Durrie at this spot, and it will serve as a pretty summer-house« (HERVEY, Mrs. 1853, 2: 132-133). DESCRIPTION 1860: William Henry Knight and his anonymous mate »F« (no name mentioned) marched on 15th July to »Vernagh, a distance of eight kos … The baradurree [note 5] was curiously built, close to an octagon tank, the water from which ran at a great pace through an arch in the middle of the house [note 6]. The tank was supplied with water in great volume, but from no apparent source, and was filled with fine fish, all sacred, and as fat as butter, from the plentiful support they receive from the devout among the Hindoos, not to mention the unbelieving travellers, who also supply them for amusement. The tank itself, the natives informed us, was bottomless, and it really appeared to be so; for from the windows of the baradurree, some fifty feet over the water, we could see the sides stretching back as they descended, and losing themselves in the clear water, which looked, from the intensity of its blue, both deep and treacherous to an unlimited extent. The water, too, was so intensely, icily cold, that an attempt to swim across it would have been a dangerous undertaking, and neither F. nor I could summon courage to jump in. We, however, bathed in the stream which ran out of the inexhaustible reservoir, and its effect we found very similar to that of hot water, so that a little of it went a very Iong way with us. As for the fish, they swarmed in such numbers that they jostled each other fairly out of the water in a dense living mass, while striving for grains of rice and bread« (KNIGHT, W H 1863 Diary: 1860 July 15). SITUATION 1868, August 18th: »To Vernag, ten miles, crossing a range of hills, the descent being the steepest I have experienced. From the top of the range there was a fine view of the two valleys of Kookur Nag and Vernag. They are very similar and down the middle of each is a layer of loose rounded stones …« (FOSTER, J C 1873 August 18th). DESCRIPTION 1895: »Vernag on the road [i.e. the old route from Shrinagar] to Jammu is another spring of great importance and beauty, with deep blue water which issues from the bottom of a high scarp of a mountain spur, and here again Jehangir built a pleasure garden and a summer house« (LAWRENCE 1895 / 1967: 23). DESCRIPTION 1908.1: The »Jhelum (Jehlam) … may be said to have its source in a noble spring of deep-blue water, which issues from the bottom of a high scarp of a mountain spur. The spring is known as Vernag …« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 14: 160). DESCRIPTION 1908.2: »Vernag (6000 feet), where a noble spring of deep-blue water issues from the base of a high scarp. This spring may be regarded as the source of Kashmir's great river and waterway, commonly known as the Jhelum, the Hydaspes of the ancients, the Vitasta in Sanskrit, and spoken of by the Kashmiris as the Veth« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 15: 74). CAVE POTENTIAL 1868, 18th August: »One hundred yards below the tank is another spring, which is the finest I believe in Kashmir. It comes straight up on level ground, and forms a mound of water eighteen inches high, and more than a foot in diameter« (FOSTER 1873: 18th August 1868). CAVE POTENTIAL 1970: Verinag is an inspiring diving spot that might yield underwater passages (COWARD, J M H 1971d). CULTURAL HISTORY: The spring is associated with the legend of Chandardeva (compare the Cave of –>Chandardeva), who is said to have received here the »ancient« Nilamatha Purana from Nilanag, the mythical Naga king living in this spring. »This also was a favourite resort of Jehangeer and Noor Jehan; and I found an inscription in the Persian character which, in a sentence according to Eastern custom, fixed the date of the erection of the building attached to the tank as A.H. 1029, or, about A.D. 1612. The inscription runs thus: "The king of seven climes, the spreader of justice, Abdool, Muzuffer, Noor-ul-deen [note 7] Jehangeer Badshah, son of Akbar, conqueror of kings, on the day of the 11th year of his reign paid a visit to this fountain of favour, and by his order this building has been completed. By means of Jehangeer Shah, son of Akbar Shah, this building has raised its head to the heavens. The 'Inventor of Wisdom' has fixed its date in this line, viz : 'Aqsirabad o Chushma Wurnak.' The fountain or reservoir, and the canal, &c. seem to have been the work of Shah Jehan, Noor Jehan's son, or were probably remodelled in his reign. The inscription referring to them runs also in the Persian character on a slab of copper: "Hyan, by order of Shah Jahan, King, thanks be to God, built this fountain and canal. From these have the country of Cashmere become renowned, and the fountains aye as the fountains of Paradise. The poet Survashi Ghaib has written the date in this sentence, viz: 'From the waters of Paradise have these fountains flowed'« (KNIGHT, W H 1863 Diary: 1860 July 15). SPRING LIFE - fish: In 1851, on Sunday, the 25th of May, »tame fish sported in numbers in the clear water, jumping to the surface on rice being thrown in. A Fakir has made them his holy charge« (HERVEY, Mrs. 1853, 2: 133). 1860, July 15th: »The tank … was filled with fine fish, all sacred, and as fat as butter, from the plentiful support they receive from the devout among the Hindoos, not to mention the unbelieving travellers, who also supply them for amusement« (KNIGHT, W H 1863 Diary). 1868, August 18th: The spring of water was »perfectly crowded with sacred fish« (FOSTER , J C1873: 18th August 1868).
NOTE 1: The water is said to be not only »so intensely, icily cold« (KNIGHT 1863 Diary: 1860 July 15) but also »cold, refreshing and crystal clear« (RAINA & KAPOOR 1964: 18) but the temperature measured 12°C (COWARD, J M H 1971d: 35 table 2). NOTE 2: »Six days ago a Hindoo was drowned here, and his body has not been recovered -- so deep is the water, it is probable that here this the fish have removed all but his bones« (FOSTER, J C 1873: 18th August 1868). NOTE 3: Jahangir had cared to see the octagonal pool excavated and lined with stone slabs in 1620 A.D. Seven years later (1627) his son Shahjahan added water channels, cascades and hot and cold water baths of which, however, only little remains. Two rock slabs engraved with Persian characters eulogize the beauty (STRASSER, R 1993: 372). »There are two Persian inscriptions on tablets, immediately near the spring. One of them was read out to me. It was written in high-flown language, but the purport it was … that the spring was the head of the Jhelum, and came direct from Paradise, to water and beautify, and make happy the lovely vale of Kashmir. And that the great Shah Jehan, King of the World, built it in the form it now presents to the eye« (HERVEY, Mrs. 1853, 2: 133). NOTE 4: Verinag can be approached through the link road off the national highway at Lower Munda (jktourism.org/cities/kashmir/excurs/index.htm#3 accessed 19.09.2004). NOTE 5: »Baraduree« (KNIGHT 1863 Diary: 1860 June 13) »baradari« literally [having] twelve doors; a »summer house« (LONELY PLANET, India 1997: 425) or »summer-house« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: vi), also spelled»barahdari« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: vi) and »Bâruh Durrie« (HERVEY, Mrs. 1853). NOTE 6: »This place is mentioned in the "Tuzuk Jehangeery" or "Precepts of Jehangeer" in a way which shows that the Conqueror of the World had not included himself among his victories. The name appears on a Persian inscription as Wurnagh, but is called by the natives Vernagh, and is mentioned by Jehangeer in his journal as Tirnagh: "The source of the river Bhet (Jhelum)[*] lies in a fountain in Cashmeer, named Tirnagh, which, in the language, of Hindostan, signifies a snake -- probably some large snake had been seen there. During the lifetime of my father (Akbar) I went twice to this fountain, which is about twenty kos from the city of Cashmere. Its form is octagonal, and the sides of it are about twenty yards in length. "I accompanied my father to this spot during the season of flowers. In some places the beds of saffron-flowers extend to a kos. Their appearance is best at a distance, and when they are plucked they emit a strong smell. My attendants were all seized with a headache, and though I was myself at the time intoxicated with liquor, I felt also my head affected. I inquired of the brutal Cashmeerians who were employed in plucking them, what was their condition, and they replied that they never had a headache in their lifetime."* »The Jhelum is called in Cashmere, Behat -- a contraction of the Sanscrit Vedasta, which the Greeks slightly altered to Hydaspes« (KNIGHT , W H1863 note 12). NOTE 7: »The title of Noor-ul-deen is also mentioned by Jehangeer in his Journal from Lahore to Cabul, and its origin is thus accounted for in his own words: "Now that I had become a king, it occurred to me that I ought to change my name, which was liable to be confounded with that of the Caesars, of Rome. The Secret Inspirer of thoughts suggested to me that, as the business of kings is the conquest of the world, I ought to assume the name of Jehangeer, or Conqueror of the World; and that as my accession to the throne had taken place, about sunrise, I ought therefore to take the title of Noor-ul-deen, or the Light of Religion. I had heard during the time of my youth from several learned Hindoos, that after the expiration of the reign of Akbar, the throne would be filled by a kin, named Noor-ul-deen. This circumstance made an impression on me, and I therefore assumed the name and title of Jehangeer Badshah« (KNIGHT, W H 1863 note 13).
Documents
Bibliography 04/07/2016- Coward, Julien M H 1971d; Forster, George 1790 / 1798, 1800: 2-4, 1808, 1997; Foster, J C 1873; Hamilton, Walter 1828; Hervey, Mrs 1853; Imperial Gazetteer 1907-1909; Knight, William Henry 1863; Lawrence, Walter Roper 1895 / 1967, 1981, 1996, 2002, 2005; Raina, B N & Kapoor, H M 1964; Roberts, Frederick Sleigh 1897 / 1898, 2005.08.14; Strasser, Robert 1993; Vigne, "G J " [sic! for: Godfrey Thomas] 1837.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | VERINAG CAVE | ||
| 1.5 | MUNDA CAVE | ||
| 4.8 | JAWAHAR ROAD TUNNEL | ||
| 4.8 | BANIHAL RAILWAY TUNNEL | ||
| 7.4 | ADIGAM SINK | ||
| 9.3 | SUNDABRAR SPRING | ||
| 13.3 | KUKARNAG CAVE & SPRING | ||
| 22.4 | Maliknag | ||
| 22.5 | SURYA GOFFAR, Martand |