ZAIN-ud- DIN, Aish Muqam (Cave of)
33.866700,75.283300
Description
A religious show cave, which is reputed to have been the troglodyte retreat of the Muslim saint »Zyn-u-Din (Ornament of Faith) … one of the four principal disciples of Shah Nur-u-Din (Light of Faith) … and for about twelve years before his death he lived in a cave … He then, in imitation of the prophet Ali, told his disciples not to follow him, said that his end was approaching, and enjoined them to place a tomb to his memory where his staff should be found … His body, they would have the world believe, was never found at all [VIGNE 1842, 2: 6].« REDSLOB (1891: 309) agrees: »Sin-ud-din, disciple of Nur-ud-din, the greatest saint of Kashmir, lived here for many years in hermitage. After his death, his corpse was found nowhere [keyword: exitcave], only his staff was leaning at the mouth of the cave to indicate establishing a monastery here.« CAVE DESCRIPTION 1842 (VIGNE 1842, 2: 6): »A low and narrow cave, and the tomb [of Zyn-ud-Din] lies in a nook at the extremity, only a few paces from the mouth.« CAVE DESCRIPTION 1891 (REDSLOB 1891: 309): A long and dark gallery ending in a tiny cell lined with cloth, a meditation cell, which also would have suited a Buddhist saint (note 1). SITUATION: The temple cave of Vigne's "Zyn-u-Din" (also: Sin-ud-din, Zain-ud- Din) lies only a few paces from the mouth of the "dargah" (tomb and cult spot) in the Liddar Valley (on the road from Anantnag to Pahalgam) and somewhere near (or at?) the village and the Ziarat of Aish Mugam, the "Seat of Bliss" (note 2). VIGNE (1842, 2: 6) places "Eysh Makam" near "Litur" (note 3). REDSLOB (1891: 309) says the monastery, of which the towers are see from far away, towers above the village of »Eischmakam« which is built in terraces and steps on the slopes of a hill.
NOTE 1: »Mehrere mohammedanische Geistliche gegleiteten uns vom Dorfe hinauf zum Kloster und forderten uns vor dem Eintritt in die Höhle auf, unsere Schuhe auszuziehen. Nach langen Verhandlungen einigten wir uns dahin, dass wir die zu den kaschmirischen Sandalen gehörenden Lederstrümpfe anbehalten durften, und betraten dann den sehr langen dunklen Felsengang, der in einer winzigen, mit Tüchern ausgeschlagenen Zelle endigt, einer Meditationszelle, die auch für einen buddhistischen Heiligen gepasst hätte. Nach dem Besuch der Höhle gingen wir noch in eine vor dem Kloster befindliche, mit vielen Fenstern versehene Gallerie, von der aus wir einen reizenden, sehr ausgedehnten Ausblickauf das ganze Thal bis Verinag und auf die Pandschalkette hatten« (REDSLOB 1891: 309). NOTE 2: The Arabic, Farsi, Kashmiri and Urdu term 'aish' is "delight, bliss" and 'makam' (maqam, maquam, magam, mugam, mukam, etc.) translates literally into "place" or "seat" and means a bare shaped sacret spot without architectural structures. The village of Aish Muqam, positioned as »Aish Mugam« at N33°52': E075°17' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003), is also called / spelled »Aish Muyam« (India Road Atlas, Eicher Goodearth 2006: 2 C3), »Ash-e Mukam« (personal communication 2004.09.15), »Eischmakam« (REDSLOB 1891: 309), »Eysh Makam« (VIGNE 1842, 2: 6), »Eshmukam« (india-tourism.net/Hillstations accessed 12.10.2002) and »Aish Magam« (AMS sheet NI43-11, 1960 edition). NOTE 3: »Litur« (VIGNE 1842), »Liddur or Sumbooderi« (NEWALL 1866) and »Lidar« (REDSLOB 1891) is indicated as »Lotur« on AMS sheet NI43-11 (U 502 Series, 1960 edition) at a linear distance of one or two kilomwters south-west of Aish Muqam.
Histoire
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1837, circa May or June, Godfrey Thomas VIGNE (1842,2: 6) claimed to have visited. 1889.09.26: REDSLOB, F. (1891: 309), a Protestant missionary (Brüdermission Herrnhut) visited in company with his wife and daughter (no names mentioned), guided by several Muslim priests and happy to wear leather stockings.
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.0 | SUCCURGAOM | ||
| 8.2 | BATAKUT GALLERY, Batakhut | ||
| 10.4 | SER (Höhle bei) | ||
| 11.1 | BHAMAJO CAVE | ||
| 12.7 | BHIMA DEVI (Cave of) | ||
| 12.7 | RUK-u- DIN RISHI (Dargah ka) | ||
| 12.7 | SHIVA, Bhamajo (Cave of) | ||
| 13.5 | BAWAN SPRINGS | ||
| 13.5 | KAMALA NAG |