Legacy from the Budshah Era

The 15th Century bridge was the first to connect two sides of Srinagar


AALI KADAL BRIDGE

Jamsheed Rasool (Greater Kashmir)

Thrusting aside its submissive meandering up to the Zaina Kadal Bridge, river Jhelum shows off its latent ferocity on reaching near Aali Kadal Bridge, which is also the first bridge to be constructed on river Jhelum in Srinagar.

The bridge was built between 1413-1420 by Sultan Ali Shah, the brother of Zainul Abiddin (Badshah).

Maharaja Pratap Singh, who ruled from 1885-1925, got it reconstructed at its own place and than it was G M Sadiq, the then chief minister, who got it repaired in 1964.

Five years ago a new bridge has come up at the place of the same old bridge.

The channel of the river compresses as one reaches the Aal-i-kadal Bridge, the river flows so strong that sometimes it is just a pleasure squatting on the nearby Ghat and airing the gentle breeze that the river carries with it.

In the earlier times when boat used to sweep under this bridge it was tossed about on the waves caused by swirls and eddies.

This bridge has been a doubtless witness of Kashmir’s transition to Islam.

To the north of Aal-i-Kadal lies the Masjid of Roentgen (some people call him Rinchan Shah) said to be the first Masjid in Kashmir.

Close to it lies the highly revered Jamia Masjid and Aastan-i-aali of Shah Woosi Sahib (RA) where it is a common sight to see women in large numbers busy in prayers.

To the south of Aal-i-Kadal bridge is the Mohalla of Rehbab Sahib wherein lies the relics of Peer Dastageer Syed Abdul Qader Jeelani (RA) and the Sehyaar Masjid where according to elders of the area Rinchen Shah, the first Muslim Ruler of Kashmir, saw Bulbul Shah pronouncing Azaan for the first time in valley.

Historians say the spiritual vacuum of Rinchan Shah finally got filled with prudence and contemplation when he got under the studentship of the great saint Bulbul Shah Lankar and embraced Islam.

Khalid Basheer in his Jhelum-the river through my backyard quotes an interesting story from Shamsuddin Ahemad’s Shah-e-Hamdan-Hayat Aur Karnamay. It is said that after being annoyed over an un-Islamic cultural show of dance and music organized by Zain-ul-Abidin on the completion of Zaina Lank which was an Island built by him on the Lake, Woosi Sahib(RA) jumped into the Wullar lake.

A frantic rescue effort was launched and the divers were put into service but to no avail. Dejected and heart-broken, the King decided to return to Srinagar. During his upstream journey Zain-ul-Abidin to his utter disbelief spotted Woosi Sahab near Asham, a place upstream of Wular, washing his Khirqah (dress of a religious mendicant) on the banks of river Jhelum.

After having expressed regret, the King made him to embark on the boat. The Boat journey concluded at Aal-i-Kadal where the Woosi Sahib spent the rest of his life in devotion to Allah.

Like the shrine of Woosi Sahib many other shrines adorn the banks of the River Jhelum and have remained a focal points of religious activities for the Muslims of the valley.

The various Ghats on the banks of the river Jhelum served as the present day bus stands and railway platforms where people would collect in numbers to go to their destinations in different types of boats and also to send and receive cargo. Every devotee before going to the shrines on existing on its banks would first bathe or perform ablution (wadu) in the river Jhelum.

Thus these Ghats remained crowded with people all times of the day.

A Ghat and a Yarbal is a platform made of a local stone on the river bank and connected with a stone-stair going up to the Bund. Since the river transport has ceased to operate in Kashmir, these Ghats including that near the Ali-Kadal Bridge, are used by washermen to wash clothes and carpets.

The Ghat near Ali Kadal Bridge known as Daeb Ghat or washermen’s Ghat is famous for washermen and even today it is a common sight to see washermen smashing clothes against the stairs or twisting the clothes by putting their feet on one side and twisting the other side of the cloth.

“We have been doing this job from many generations. Government is unconcerned about the plight of the Daeb Ghat as the stairs have roughened and they need to be repaired if our business has to continue” says Ghulam Rasool pointing towards the bumpy stone of the Ghat.

Yarbal was used by people, especially women folk, to wash clothes and fetch water for drinking and cooking purposes.

There are several places in Kashmir with Yar connected with their names like Khanyar, Naidyar, Surasyar, Shahrayar, Badyar, Sehyar, Ganpatyar etc. “This bridge was the first to be constructed on river Jhelum. It has tremendous significance in the history of Kashmir and this bridge has been witness to many events of great political and social importance” says Farooq Fayaz, a teacher of History at the University of Kashmir.

As the river swiftly roars towards Nawa Kadal, this bridge reminds us about the measureless resilience that the Kashmiris are endowed with.

The boys swimming near the river cutting across the unsparing waves tell us about the vigor of both the Kashmiris and the river Jhelum.