Between Buddha and naga king: Enter the yin and yang of the Swat River

From the Rigveda to present times, entire civilizations have lived by and been killed in this mercurial body of water

MINGORA:

The Swat River, referred to as Suvastu in the Rigveda, has a love-hate relationship with locals who both thrive off and die in it. Of considerable importance in present times, in historic significance it is said Alexander the Great crossed Swat River with his army before taking over Odigram and Barikot.

Rising from the lap of the Hindu Kush Mountains and swelling with melting snow and glaciers, the river joins Panjkora River and thus flows south-westward into Kabul River at Nisatta through the Peshawar Plain.

Searching for ‘Swat’

Kumkum Roy, a professor of ancient Indian history at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the author of the Historical dictionary of Ancient India has written that the Swat River “is mentioned in the Rigveda as Suvastu, which literally means the river on which settlements can be made.”

Historians and scholars argue the modern name of Swat is derived from Suvastu.

“The name Swat was derived from Suvastu, the Sanskrit name given by early Aryans to its majestic river, meaning ‘good dwelling place’. Civilization flourished along both sides of the 250-kilometre glacier-fed river,” says Edwin Koo, a Singaporean photographer and author of Paradise, a photographic monograph on Swat Valley.

According to writer Fazal Rabi Rahi, the names Swat Valley or Swat River originate from ancient names given to the body of water: Soto River, Soti River, Soltas or Suvastu, as mentioned in various historical documents.

With or without

“The Swat River comes from two major sources, the junction of Ushu and Gabral rivers in Kalam Valley,” Rahi told The Express Tribune. “It is then supplemented by several streams near Mingora.”

It serves inhabitants of the agricultural region and irrigates about 160,000 acres of land. “In addition, the river is a hub of various species of fish; locals have constructed hundreds of fish farms where they breed trout and earn a lot of money,” said Zubair Khan, a social activist in Madyan. Fishing is a common hobby and means of earning a living for those living closer to the river, he added.

In summer months, the river banks are overrun with tourists, giving even more to the local economy. “When it’s hot, a person is hard pressed to find a single space along the bank to sit on as it is so busy,” said Abdullah, a resident of Mingora. And it’s not just a day-time attraction. Abdullah added many families choose to come to the river at night, to sit alongside it and eat and unwind.

Of mythical creatures

There is a famous account in Buddhist mythology of “Buddha converting the serpent Apalala”. Apalala is the naga king or the king of serpents and Buddha converts him to the ways of Buddhism, a narrative depicted in relief sculptures and stupas, some of which can be found in the Taxila and Peshawar museums.

“Naga Apalala, a dragon-like creature with a human head, a long tail, two arms, two legs and wings, lived by the Swat River and was the guardian of its source,” Zarawar Khan, an archaeologist, told The Express Tribune. It is said, Zarawar added, that people used to offer a portion of their cultivated crops as annual sacrifice or homage to the serpent king.

“After some time the practice was stopped which is said to have angered the naga who then flooded the crops and destroyed property,” said Zarawar.

As a result, people went to Buddha and asked for help. Buddha appeared in Swat with his deity Vajrapani, descending at a place now identified as Tirat, opposite Madyan.

“Buddha challenged Apalala and after a fierce battle the naga was subdued,” explained Zarawar. It is believed Buddha left his footprints on a big stone, now at the Swat museum, he added.

This pacification of the naga was meant to be the end of floods in the region. But as the people of Swat know, floods continue and remain well beyond the fictional realm of a serpent king.

Even as they love the river, it has washed away their loves and livelihood many times.

In July 2010, the Swat River flooded and took with it thousands of houses, ruined swathes of arable land and pummelled the district’s infrastructure. But come next summer and all summers following, people will rush to greet the cold river, hoping the Naga Apalala will not allow it to flood again.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2014.