This year Herath (Maha-Shivratri) falls on 8th March 2024. It is the most ancient, auspicious, traditional socio-religious and cultural festival of Kashmir. From the times immemorial, this grand festival of Jammu and Kashmir has remained a star attraction for everyone within and outside the valley of Kashmir. Its description is available in all major chronicles, scriptures and history books of Kashmir and it has fascinated the Kashmir observers always and ever.

‘Herath’ is a specific name given to this three-week long festival of Kashmir. Shivratri special invitation to all the special puja festival is held generally one day ahead of Shiv-Chaturdashi of Hindu lunar month Phalgun, which falls in February or March every year. There are twelve “Shiv-Chaturdashis” in a year, but the Shiv-Chaturdashi of Phalgun is considered as Maha-Shivratri. Herath, which is the indigenous festival of Kashmir valley though independedent of Maha-Shivratri is also deeply connected with the grace of Bhagwan Shiva.

In fact Herath is dedicated to the two wishful sons of Bhagwan Shiva and his consort Mata Parvati, who are called Vatuknath and Raman (Ramgaudh). They and especially Vatuk Bhairav are recognised as Bhairavs with the divine power of removal of distress (Sankat-Haaree). The reference to the Mahashirvratri festival is in the ancient scripture of Kashmir, the Neelmatapuran as well.

Herath as it is called in Kashmiri language is the offshoot of “Har-Ratri”, the night of Hara -the lord of lords, Shiva. Usually, the festival begins from the first day of the Phulgun lunar month with the cleansing process of houses and especially of the place where the Vatuknath-Puja is ceremonised. The establishment of the Vatuk-Bhairav in the form of “Kalashas” in homes is a very significant part and the core of the whole festival. Walnuts are put in the water filled and beautifully decorated “Kalashas”. The walnuts later are taken as the ‘Prasad’ of the deities and of the whole puja performed on the great occasion. The festival comes to a complete end on the eighth day of the bright fortnight of Phalgun lunar month (Teelae-Aitham).

The current puja system is based on a very specific and special way compiled and composed, on the basis of the earlier traditions, by Rishi Logaksha, one thousand years ago, and the Grah-Sutra. A modern look was given to the ‘Logaksha-Padati’ by Pt. Keshav Bhat Shastri almost a century ago which was later adopted by the Kashmiri Pandit community as the final voice on the subject.

The coincidental togetherness of Herath with Mahashivratri is the beauty of the festival and adds charm and bliss to the festival both socially and spiritually. Both the nights of the Herath and the Mahashivratri are considered spiritually oriented nights and the great ‘sadhaks’ use these two nights as a means to their spiritual advancement and attainments. In south Bharat, there was a tradition in certain areas to throw small pebbles on the roofs of the people in order to remind them to keep awake during the night of Maha-Shivratri so that they are led to do ‘sadhana’ during the blissful night.

Herath is an extraordinary manifestation of understanding, co-existence, assimilation and beauty of thoughts that impact the spiritual and cultural pathways. Vaidik tradition, Advaita philosophy, Shaivism, Kashmir’s Sarvastvadin school of Buddhist philosophy, Vajrayana Bhairav-leniage and Vaishnava and Shiva Astuti have found their comfortable place in the tradition of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits and Herath is a symbol of this wonderful assimilation.

The nature-lovers and nature-worshippers; and spiritually oriented community of the Pandits maintained their tradition for the last thousands of years with, without and despite through the vicissitudes of history. There is a very famous story of history of Kashmir related to one of the unkind rulers of Kashmir, Jabbar Khan, who took over from his younger brother, Sardar Azim Khan, as an Afghan ruler of Kashmir in the early years of nineteenth century and the observance of Herath in Kashmir.

Pandit Anand Kaul, the celebrated author of the famous book, The Kashmiri Pandit (originally released on 1st January 1924) on page 69 records, “Jabbar Khan was once told by someone that it was a common notion among the Pandits that snow falls invariably at the Shivratri night (13th of the dark fortnight of Phalgun). To test this, he ordered that the Pandits be not allowed to observe this festival in Phalgun (February-March) but in Haar-Aashad (June-July).

Accordingly, it had to be observed on the corresponding night in the latter month. It so happened that even on this night flakes of snow, preceded by a heavy rainfall which had rendered the atmosphere very cold, fell. The bard then, mocking at Jabbar, sang-

Wuchhton yih Jabbar, Jandah,

Haaras tih karun wandah.

(Look at Jabbar, the wretch,

Even Haar turned into winter)”.

Consequent upon the miraculous happening, the local Muslims (who were also irritated by the unjust dictum of Jabbar) turned up for their neighbours and friends, Hindus; on the following day and congratulated them on the occasion. They additionally paid their tributes (Salam) to the deity of the festival for the wonderful thing that had happened. It is with effect from this particular event that the following day of Herath was recognised and called as ‘Salam’ in the valley and continues to be as such till date, practically. They also used to call Herath as “Hairath” (a matter of great & utter surprise).

Herath this time is being observed by the Kashmiri Pandits in their 35th year of displacement due to their forced mass exodus as a result of the Pak-sponsored terrorism in the valley. They continue to practise the rituals and festivals even in their exile with more dedication, devotion, commitment and sense of duty towards their indegenous cultural tradition. This makes them more akin to the soul of Kashmir’s proud past, tormented present and the bright future.

There is no doubt that the members of the exiled Hindu community of Kashmir have been celebrating the festival consistently and with deep commitment and dedication throughout the globe over the last almost three and a half decades. But what is being observed simultaneously is that the younger generations have started to experience diffficulties in the observance of the age-old traditions and rituals of the important festival. It is fundamentally because of the dispersal of the community, dismemberment of the large sized families and the gradual decay of the older generations within the community.

Hats off to all those institutions, people of scholarly qualities and the devoted community activists who keep on adding value and richness to the festival of Herath by their invaluable contributions. There are no two opinions that the displacement of the community due to terrorism and the consequent ethnic cleansing has brought severe challenges before the exiled community in regard to their cultural, civilizational and traditional pursuits. In addition, many more challenges of social nature have also emerged with the passage of time.

The next year which begins on ‘Navreh’ (Nav-varsh pratipada) will also be the completion of 5,100 years of the indegenous alamnac of Kashmir called “Saptrishi-Samvat”. On the 9th April 2024, the new year “Saptrishi-Samvat:5100” will commence which is a very significant event in the history and civilization of Kashmir. The primary responsibility to observe and celebrate the “Saptrishi-Samvat:5100” rests upon the Kashmiri Hindu (Pandit) community as the inheriters of the ancient Civilization of Kashmir. On the auspicious occasion of this Herath, both the inheriters and followers of the Civilization of Kashmir are humbly appealed to take concrete and positive steps to celebrate the “Saptrishi Samvat:5100” in the most befitting manner on 9th April 2024 and onwards during the full year ahead……!