Bharat Ki Kahani

The story of the arrival and spread of Islam in Kashmir is closely associated with the life and teachings of a Shaivite mystic Lal Ded (‘Mother Lal’) and her adopted Muslim son Nund Rishi. Known variously as Lalleshwari, Lalla Arifa, Lal Diddi, Lalla Yogishwari and Lallishri, much of her early life is shrouded in mystery and magical hagiography. But we know that she was born to a poor Brahmin family in 1320. As was the custom of the time, she was married at the age of twelve. But marital bliss held little charm for her. She was drawn to the world of Yogis and mysticism. When sent to fetch water by her mother-in-law, she would make use of the opportunity to visit a Siddha Yogi, Srikanta, who introduced her to the mysteries of the mind and self-contemplation. Hagiographical tales tell us that her mother-in-law accused her of infidelity and subjected her to humiliating taunts. Stung by her petty jibes, at the age of twenty-four, Lal Ded renounced the world to adopt the path of an itineran