Spring again April 2010

Kashmiris welcome the end of winter, and commemorate a Sufi saint’s protection.

Every year, as the harsh winter melts into a welcoming spring, people from across southern Kashmir gather at the shrine of the Sufi saint Zainuddin Wali in Aishmuqam of Anantnag District. The day is auspicious for many reasons. For one, it is celebrated as the urs, or death anniversary, of the 15th-century saint, who belonged to the Rishi order of Sufism. Others consider it an occasion marking the triumph of good over evil, as legend has it that it was the day the saint defeated a demon that had long troubled the village. But most of all, the festivities mark the coming of spring, and with it the arrival of the time to till the land and sow seeds. For the communities of southern Kashmir, many of whom rely on agriculture for their survival, the annual pilgrimage is an important one. Seeking the saint’s blessing for a good growing season and healthy crops, people from the surrounding villages set out to the shrine, carrying high their flaming pinewood torches. As can be seen in the accompanying photographs by Altaf Qadri, in the glow of thousands of such flames, the people pray, sing and dance – asking Zainuddin Wali to continue to protect them, as he did their ancestors so many centuries ago, by keeping their families and livelihoods safe from the demons of drought, pests and ill-health.

– Editors