FAKIR'S GARDEN CAVE, Manasbal
34.247200,74.677800
Description
There seems to be an unspecified cave (note 1) in »the old Fakir's garden which is still known for its grapes and peaches. We looked into its cave which, it is said, he intended should be his grave, but for some reason, now unknown, he was buried outside in his garden« (GERVIS, F 1954: 27). SITUATION: About 20 km in a direct line approximately north-west of Srinagar and somewhere in the vicinity of the upper end of Manasbal Lake (note 2), also referred to as Manaschbal (note 3), Manusbul (note 4), and »Mânnes Bul« (note 5). DESCRIPTION 1900: Marion DOUGHTY (1901: 96) narrates how she had been invited at Manasbal by »a pious fakir« who »proved a charming old man, dwelling with much content in a largish cave beside the lake, a well-filled garden surrounding his abode« (note 6).
NOTE 1: Fakir's Garden Cave is possibly identical with Cave at –>Manaschbal (Redslob 1891) or –>Manasbal Cave (Senior & Co) or –>Manasbal Cave (Waltham 1971) or Cave of Manusbul (John Burke s.a., circa 1862-1864 # 381). NOTE 2: Manasbal Lake N34°14'50”: E074°40' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003). NOTE 3: »Manaschbal … Man muß ihn eigentlich besuchen, wenn die ihn fast ganz bedeckenden Lotusblumen blühen und wenn die Pfirsiche und Trauben reifen … Wir bekamen aber auch [am 20. Oktober 1889] noch etwas von diesen Früchten zu kosten, den der alte Fakir, der die Aufsicht über diese Gärten führt und mit seinen drei Frauen ein recht behagliches Leben in denselben zu führen scheint, nachdem er früher in einer Höhle ein entbehrungsreiches Einsiedlerleben durchgemacht hat, war sehr freundlich gegen uns, ließ uns einige köstliche Weintrauben aus seinem Garten reichen und gab uns seine sammetweiche Hand, die offenbar mit Spaten und Hacke nie in Berührung kam« (REDSLOB 1891: 414, "515" [sic! qua: 415]). NOTE 4: »July 26th [1868], Sunday. -- Moved on in the morning to Manusbul, a small lake connected with the river by a canal. This lake is about three miles [4.8 km] long and one mile wide [1.6 km], it is very deep in the middle, and said by the natives to be unfathomable. In one of the Hindoo Legends we are told a story of a holy man who spent all his life endeavouring to make a rope long enough to reach to the bottom, and failing, at length threw himself in and was never seen again. My boatman to give me an idea of its depth, dropped in white pebbles which could be seen for a long time sinking in the clear green water, until they gradually disappeared from sight. […] Very handsome water lilies (lotus) on the surface of the lake, the flowers being of a delicate pink colour with a yellow centre, and as large as the crown of a man's hat. At the further extremity, a high hill rises from the edge of the water. A stream is artificially conducted along its face at a height of about fifty feet, and the surplus water escapes in several pretty little cascades, by the side of one of them grow some noble chenars. The bottom of the lake around the edges is very uneven, and covered with a dense growth of mynophillum spicatum, on which planorbus and other molluces graze and tiny fry pick their invisible atoms of food. The elegant shape of this plant with its branching and finely cut leaves, and the inequalities of the ground remind me of the pine-clad hills in miniature. A brilliant king-fisher took the gunwale of the boat as the "base of his operations," and I amused myself all the morning, by watching him catch fish; when one approached the surface he descended with a splash which I imagined would have driven every fish far away, emerging quickly and very seldom without a capture, which he turned head downwards and swallowed alive and whole, then looked round with a laughable air of self-satisfaction. When the fish was a size too large to be trifled with, he first polished it off by rapping its head on the boards. It is now sunset, and that bird is still feeding, and probably the day will end without deciding whether his appetite or his capacity is the larger. A native brought me a dish of excellent apricots and mulberries -- the mulberries especially good, and my garden is celebrated for the best peaches in Kashmir« (FOSTER 1873: July 26th, 1868). NOTE 5: »2nd August, 1850. Thursday … Mânnes Bul is a picturesque lake of no great size. The banks are prettily wooded and the waters clear and blue. They have a bad taste and disagreeable smell, and are not fir for drinking, pellucid though they appear. I would recommend no one to encamp here, as this Tope or Chenârs (or Grove of Plane-trees) swarms with mosquitoes« (HERVEY 1853, 1: 232). NOTE 6: »Manasbal Lake … While waiting beside the spring I had found, slaking my thirst there, and drowsily watching the swift flight of the kingfishers, a native boy approached, and with many salaams offered for my acceptance a basket of fresh fruits and dun (walnuts), with much pride pointing out the " gilas " (cherries), the very first that had ripened. With the fruits was a bunch of roses and "mogra" flowers (jessamine, used throughout India as a symbol of welcome or affection) ; these he gave, with a message from his master, a pious fakir, that he would like a visit from the Huzur. As my men were apparently lingering trying the pipes of all their acquaintances in the various villages they passed, I thought it best to make use of the fruits to stave off the pangs of hunger, and to fill up time went down to see the kindly sender. He proved a charming old man, dwelling with much content in a largish cave beside the lake, a well-filled garden surrounding his abode. He was used to visitors, and seemed happy and sociable, but when I asked him certain questions that always interest me, and which, I think, are more likely to be known to those lonely seekers after knowledge than to others, he shook his head sadly. "In the time I have learnt much, known much, but then I was solitary and silent. As the time draws near for me to know Siva (god of death, and therefore, according to Hindu teaching, god of new life), I seek to know this world well, and its dwellers, my brethren, and I talk to travellers of their countries, and it may be that when I am young again my mind will work as in old days, and I shall take part in the secrets of the mighty ones. Read, think, learn, but rewards« (DOUGHTY, M 1901: 96).
Documents
Bibliography 28/03/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1889.10.20: REDSLOB, F. (1891: 414, "515" [sic! for: 415]), a Protestant missionary (Brüdermission Herrnhut) in company with his wife and daughter (no names mentioned), was told of the cave. 1900, circa: Marion DOUGHTY (1901: 96) had been invited at Manasbal by »a pious fakir« who »proved a charming old man, dwelling with much content in a largish cave beside the lake, a well-filled garden surrounding his abode.« 1954 (before): GERVIS, F (1954: 27) was shown the cave.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | MANASBAL (Waltham 1971) (Cave at) | ||
| 5.6 | KHIR BHAWANI SPRING | ||
| 19.7 | DANISHAWAR CAVE, Erin Valley | ||
| 20.4 | BURZAHOM PITS | ||
| 20.8 | TOOMOO CRATER | ||
| 23.0 | IMSELVARA CAVE | ||
| 23.1 | SOORAPRA CRATER | ||
| 23.1 | WANGAT MINES, Kangan | ||
| 25.8 | HARAMUKH SINKHOLES AND SWALLETS |