Source By TNN Local
Habba Khatoon Mountain symbolizes eternal love, embodying the resilient spirit of Gurez Valley’s Dard-Shina community, with roots in harmonious nature, distinct identity, and rich heritage.
Habba Khatoon Mountain in Achoora village of Gurez Valley symbolizes the essence of eternal love. The glimpses of the Habba Khatoon Mountain reflect the story of Habba Khatoon and her husband Yusuf Shah Chak, who was of Dardic descent. The mountain is remembered in memory of Habba Khatoon and her beloved Yusuf Shah Chak.
Habba Khatoon (1554-1609), lovingly known as Zoon (the Moon), was the Nightingale of Kashmir. She was from a humble subaltern peasant family, but her inclination was towards the poetic world. She used poetry as a medium to express her miseries, love, and spirituality.
Habba Khatoon emerged in an era when women were trapped in patriarchal conundrums. Apart from her romantic love story, she is considered a towering figure in the fields of poetry, literature, and spirituality. Her poetry has a deep touch of spirituality, love, and nature, and she has gained immense respect and love from those who know her poetry.
She acquired the title Habba Khatoon and is popular among Kashmiri masses.
The melodious voice of Habba Khatoon attracted the emperor Yusuf Shah Chak. He saw her in the fields, and after listening to her melodious voice, Yusuf Chak proposed marriage to her. Her poetic ambiance, literary taste, and spiritual empowerment invited the emperor to fall for her. The emperor Chak was overwhelmed and loved her to the core. She is the one, who warned Chak against meeting the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Her intuition was so strong that she would know the repercussions of meeting Akbar, and she did not allow Yusuf Chak to visit him.
She was separated from her husband in 1579 when the Mughal Emperor Akbar arrested Yusuf Shah Chak on reaching Delhi and imprisoned him. Chak emperor finally died in the prison and was buried in the Indian state of Bihar. The heavy loss made the Queen Lover (Habba Khatoon) fall deep in pain and grief; her life became a living hell without her better half.
The Habba Khatoon Mountain peak today stands as a testament to the love of the Emperor and his Queen and it carries within its bosom the story of love and pathos. Besides the Habba-Khatoon peak/Mountain, Habba-Khatoon Spring is highly revered by the people of Gurez and the tourists coming from different parts of India. The divine and sacred nature of this spring defines the symbol of sentiments and emotionality that it brings forth.
From scriptural pieces of evidence and historical references, the impact and relevance of this ‘spring’ have never dimmed. Habba Khatoon spring comes from an underground source in Achoora village of Dawar Tehsil.
