Poets

Swami Parmananda (original name 'Pandit Nand Ram') was a prominent saint-poet of Kashmir, whose poems reflect a blissful blending of poetry and mysticism. He was born 1791 AD at Seer, a village near the town of Mattan, the site of the ancient temple Martand.

Parmananda received his early education in Persian (the then court language of Kashmir) in his own village. He also learned Sanskrit from Sadhus who occasionally used to visit and stay at the Martand temple. His teachers and schoolmates were greatly impressed by his ability and devotion for learning and his inborn knowledge regarding spiritual matters. Parmanand attained mastery over Persian and wrote verses in that language under the pen-name "Gareeb".

Parmanand rose to enviable eminence not only as a saint, but also as a poet articulating spiritual insights. Born in the family of a village Patwari he was named Nanda or Nanda Ram, and his persistent endeavour transformed him into Parmanand (Parma Ananda, i.e. Supreme Bliss) His father, Krishna Pandit, belonged to the village Seer, about three kilometers away from Mattan where he was working as Patwari. His mother, Sarswati, was a pious lady thoroughly conversant with the spiritual heritage of the community, despite her illiteracy.

Parmanand received his formal 'schooling' in a Maktab where he was given a smattering of rudimentary Sanskrit with a working knowledge of the Persian courses deemed essential for a prospective patwari. Persian was, those days, not on..