220 Notes on Pilgrimages in the Country of Cashmere. [No. 4, 



must needs stumble at every step upon some stock or stone communi- 

 cative of fabled adventures of their deities ; adventures as puerile 

 and fantastic as can be well conceived, containing few elements 

 wise, historic or sublime, not redeemed from utter absurdity by the 

 glory of poetic imagery, nor, like the myths of the Greeks and other 

 ancient nations, by the vigour of a profound cosmogony. 



Fatuous ecstacy impressed on their features, the wretched idolaters, 

 male and female, may be seen, stark naked, abjectly grovelling in the 

 snow and dragging their bodies over the " lingum" or " phallic 

 emblem," which in the form of a stalactyte issues from the frozen 

 fount of the " Lord of Immortality." 



I could draw attention, however, to these various places of Snan 

 or religious ablution, at the various steps of Hindu pilgrimages, as 

 presenting in some instances objects of archaeological interest. Thus 

 one may pass many times along a road without observing any object 

 worthy of attention, until guided thereto by the pilgrim ; when, 

 turning a few paces into the jungle at the road-side, some stone or 

 symbol or other object of passing interest to the antiquarian may often 

 be discovered. I beg to note this point as worthy the attention of 

 the members of our Society. I would mention also at this point that 

 in Cashmere, (where the Mahommedan faith has prevailed for about 

 five centuries) it is no unusual thing to see both Hindus and 

 Mussulmans worshipping at the same holy place. This may be 

 attributed, on the one hand, to the Mahommedan in some degree still 

 clinging to the superstitions of his ancient Hindu ancestors ; and on 

 the other, i. e. in the inverse case of a Hindu worshipping at a Moslem 

 shrine, to the fact that the fragments of many overturned or ruined 

 Hindu temples have been used in building the Mahommedan mosque 

 or zearut. I could instance examples of both these cases. With 

 these remarks I proceed to the actual detail of the pilgrimage to 

 Amr-nauth as detailed in the Shastr on the subject, and as par- 

 tially verified by myself as to the localities of the various stages. 



Proceeding from the city of Srinuggur on the seventh day before 

 the full moon of August, the pilgrim proceeds up the river Jhelum (or 

 Vitasta) and arrives at the first place of Snan or religious ablution, 

 called " Shrvya" the whole or collected waters of the valley previous 

 to its desiccation by the Muni Kashiapa. I am not aware of any 



