Lal Ded

Works

• c. 1360Vakhs (Lal Vakh)

  Short Kashmiri verses, passed on orally for centuries: the search for Shiva within, beyond ritual, idol and caste.

Position

Her vakhs – short rhymed sayings in Kashmiri – are the oldest surviving literature in the language and were transmitted orally for centuries before being written down. They express the non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir, the tradition of Abhinavagupta, as personal experience: the self and Shiva are one, and whoever searches for the Lord outside, in temples, idols and pilgrimages, has not understood. She mocks ritual, caste pride and learned pretension in equal measure. Her voice is that of a woman who has shed social identity entirely. Because the verses were handed down by singers, their exact wording and the authorship of individual vakhs are uncertain. Lal Ded remains the most quoted figure of Kashmiri culture.

Life & context

Lal Ded, also called Lalleshwari or Lalla, lived in Kashmir in the 14th century; the dates c. 1320–1392 are traditional. Legend says she was married at twelve, badly treated by her mother-in-law, left her husband’s house and became a wandering ascetic, a disciple of the Shaiva teacher Siddha Srikantha. Hindu and Muslim Kashmiris both claim her, and the Sufi saint Nund Rishi is said to have met her.

Appears in

• Journey ‘Paths of Indian Thought’ · Stop 8 of 9