Was Shri Badat, the last Buddhist ruler of Gilgit, an anthropophagus?

Author: Ashfaq Ahmed Advocate

Translation: Ahmed Nayyar

Shri Badat was the last local Buddhist ruler of the ancient principality of Balor. His real name was Chandar Shri Deva Vikramaditya, but he was famously known as Cannibal King. He is believed to have reigned around the eighth century CE. For centuries, Shri Badat’s legendary story has existed in the vernacular language. It is evident from these fables that he was a charismatic personage who was likely portrayed as a cannibal king. During the colonial period, it is interesting to note that the relief of Buddha at Kargah was also regarded as a demon and witch-like spirit, which appears unrealistic because of the fact that it was merely a carved Buddha on a cliff.

There are several traditions about Shri Badat’s legendary story in Gilgit-Baltistan. Most written accounts came to us from Western scholars and travellers who employ their own lenses, perspectives and interpretations. They include G. W Leitner, H. C Marsh, John Clarke, John Biddulph, Reginald Schomberg, David Lorimer, H.L. Haughton, John Mock (who wrote a PhD thesis on Shri Badat), Munshi Ghulam Muhammad, and Ahmad Hassan Dani.

Historical evidence tells us that Shri Badat ruled around 749 CE. He was an indigenous ruler who governed a large territory through his governors, comprising Hunza, Nagar, Chilas, Darel, Haramosh, Astor, Guraiz, Punyal, Yasin, Ghizer and even expanded to Chitral. According to Ahmad Hassan Dani, the rock carvings and petroglyphs at Haldeikish Hunza suggest his reign year as 749 CE.    

G. W. Leitner was the first European to record the myth of Shri Badat in 1866, which was published as “Historical mythical fables of Gilgit” in 1877. In his book ‘Dardistan’, Leitner mentions that according to local traditions, Shri Badat was born with evil spirits (P. 9-16). He wrongly wrote Azur Shamsher instead of Azur Jamshed, the prince who killed Shri Badat. Leitner tells us that the prince captivated Shri Badat’s daughter and acquired secrets of his life that his “soul is made of ice” and his life can only be ended by fire.    

According to a local tradition, Shri Badat was living in a palace. His tastes were capricious. He was fond of Polo and there was a Polo ground in front of his palace, and in every one of his actions, his fiendish origin could be discerned. However, the country was rendered fertile and around the capital bloomed attractive gardens. Yet, he was the cannibal king. This taste had been developed by accident.   

It is commonly believed that Shri Badat received a sheep daily as levy from his peasants. One day, while having a meal, he perceived a different taste in mutton which was more delicious than before. He inquired about the sheep from his chef. After much inquiry, it was eventually traced to an old woman from Barmas village, its first owner. The king ordered to present the woman in his court. Unaware of her production order and the king’s court, the woman got terrified. When she was brought to the court of Shri Badat, her fears were eased with the questions asked by the king. She happily answered: “Lo! the great king of Gilgit, may peace be upon you.    

She continues, her child and the sheep were born on the same day. Her child died after some days; similarly, the ewe died after giving birth to the sheep. Along with the ewe, she had lost her child; therefore, she had consoled herself by suckling the sheep until it learned to graze. Recently, she had presented that lamb to your highness.” Shri Badat contented while listening to her story; he provided a gift and allowed her to go.    

Sitting alone! He started thinking about savoring sheep’s broth.

Shri Badat inferred that the sheep which was fed by human milk for a while tastes so delicious, then how tasty would-be human fetus that is nurtured by human milk be? Upon reaching this conclusion, he ordered to change his levy rules; he replaced sheep with children of tender age as his new duty. He commanded his servants to serve the dish at his dinner. Thus, he became anthropophagus.      

The people of the country were dismayed at such things, and sought slightly to improve it by sacrificing, in the first place, orphans and children of neighboring tribes. Gradually, it became everyone’s fate. The people of the country were hopeless, and soon his oppression was felt by many families at Gilgit, who were unwillingly forced to give up their children to slaughter. The local population was unable to stand up against his oppression due to his supernatural powers.

“Relief came at last. At the top of the mountain Ko, which it takes a day to ascend, and which overlooks the village of Doyur (Danyor), below Gilgit, on the side of the river, appeared three figures. They looked like men, but much stronger and more handsome. In their arms, they carried bows and arrows.” They were angels. According to Leitner, Azur Shamsher told Shari Badat’s daughter that he was an angel. This made her captivated and break the secret of her father’s life to Azur Shamsher. Subsequently, with the help of local population, he managed to burn his palace, ultimately killing Shri Badat.

Azur Jamshed married Shri Badat’s daughter and proclaimed himself as the ruler of Gilgit. One of the interesting aspects of this story is that Shri Badat’s daughter was renamed as Noor Bakht. Apparently, it happened after the arrival of Islam.   

It appears that Leitner interpreted the legend of Shri Badat as a synthesis of fact and fiction. This approach is evident from his choice of topic and his reference to both ‘historical’ and ‘purely literary’ perspectives. Yet, it is the historical perspective that subsequently attracted the attention of many scholars following Leitner. 

On the other hand, Munshi Ghulam Muhammad, chief clerk at the British political agent’s office in Gilgit, wrote one version on the legend of Shri Badat, focusing on historical identity in his book “Historical folklore of Gilgit-Baltistan”. He shares an interesting story about Shri Badat, stating his palace was situated some 200 meters away from the polo ground. As per traditions, Shri Badat’s daughter and his wazir colluded with Azur Jamshed to kill Shri Badat since the secret of his supernatural power was not known to anyone except his daughter. He was invincible and mortal. But his daughter, who became acquittance of Azur Jamshed, told his secret that he can only be killed by fire. Therefore, Azur Jamshed incited the local population against Shri Badat and planned to set his palace on fire.         

It is believed that Shri Badat made a fortified fort at Agortham boulder near the river Gilgit. According to one tradition, when Shri Badat came to know about the conspiracy to topple his rule and his planned murder, he confined his treacherous daughter in this fort. Today, Agortham boulder is locally known as Agortham Gerri (stone) and can be seen in the middle of the river Gilgit. Moreover, Shri Badat is also known as Agortham and in Burushaski, ‘tham’ means ruler. 

In one traditional account, when Shri Badat saw that his palace was set on fire, he understood the conspiracy. There was no time to punish his colluded daughter. He immediately mounted his horse and jumped out of the walls of the palace. He flew towards Chatorkhand, in Ishkomen valley, soaring in the air because of his mythical character and supernatural powers.  

It is generally held that Shri Badat rested for some while in Yashpur village (located some 20 km west of Gilgit), where he asked a local for a glass of water. Yashpur had an abundance of grapes at that time, and the local population produced wine from them. So instead of providing water, the person presented a glass of wine to Shri Badat. He furiously refused to drink wine, uttering that he was critically injured while escaping from fire, therefore he needed water.  

But no one provided water to him. Disappointed with the unpleasant attitude of villagers, he cursed the village of Yashpur that it would be destroyed, so that there would be no more grapes to grow. As per tradition, the very next year, the village of Yashpur was washed away by the melting of the nearby glacier, which was once a source of drinking water. The village was destroyed and ruins can be spotted today.  

Traditions hold that Shri Badat travelled to Ishkoman valley and covered himself under a glacier in Chatorkhand. It is believed that this spot is still present there. It is interesting to note that another mythical creature, Mirza Kachat’ is famous in Chatorkhand and in Ghizer in general. There are many myths related to this creature. It is possible that Shri Badat has been symbolized later in the form of Mirza Kachat to psychologically intimidating local population. However, this narrative requires a deeper engagement and systematic investigation in order to arrive at a well-grounded contextual interpretation.       

Nevertheless, Ghulam Muhammad is of the position that “it is a strong belief of locals that one day Shri Badat would return to Gilgit and once again revive his rule. Revival of his fearful rule had led local people to mark the end of his rule as a celebration held in the month of November each year. Locals lit fires in their houses and stayed awake all night to keep his evil spirit away.    Munshi Ghulam Muhammad maintained that no one slept that night; rather, they stay whole night, dancing and singing around the fire. According to Munshi Ghulam Muhammad, it is noteworthy that the descendants of Shri Badat’s chefs are still residing in Gilgit. Owing to their loyalty to him, they refrained from participating in the fire celebrations, as they believed that one day he would return.”   

During the colonial period, an attempt was made to overlook and erase elements that could foster a sense of harmony, unity and shared identity among the local population. Therefore, local rulers were depicted as evil in literary works. External invaders and aggressors were represented as liberator which seems to portray colonialist thought and exoticism. Thus, the new generation of Gilgit-Baltistan needs to critically examine the history written by colonialists.        

Unfortunately, the history of Gilgit-Baltistan is lost in the darkness of captivity during external oppressive rule. Nonetheless, historical narratives can be found in the form of oral traditions and rock carvings. There are more than fifty thousand petroglyphs, motifs and symbols carved on different rocks as a stunning gallery that offers rich historical evidence about the region.   Likewise, the ancient manuscripts in the Gilgit library, which were excavated from Naupura village near Gilgit, are also a source of historical evidence about past civilizations including Palola Sahis or Balor Sahi rulers.

According to Schomberg, the last ruler of Gilgit reputed to have been a Hindu was Shri Badat; … he was a real person but has become legendary on account of his reputed cannibalism.

In his book, “Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh” John Biddulph, the first British political agent in Gilgit, asserted that “despite the supernatural attributes now assigned to him, there can be no doubt that Shri Badat was a real personage.” The term Shri is doubtless the title of respect still given to Hindu princes. Some scholars are skeptical about his name; they believe that he was Hindu; however, this argument does not convince modern intelligentsia.     

According to Karl Jettmar, a huge number of Buddhist monasteries and stupas were constructed during the fourth century CE. Gradually, Gilgit became an important seat of Buddhism. In those days, the ruling Balor dynasty of Gilgit-Baltistan were followers of Buddhism. Similarly, the local population also adhere to Buddhism. This is a historical fact that Gilgit became the centre for Buddhism and Buddhist monks in that period. The relief of Buddha at Kargah, Henzal stupa, ancient library of Buddhism in Gilgit, Gilgit manuscripts, relief of Buddha at Manthal and many other remains and traces of Buddhism in Gilgit-Baltistan are testaments.    

John Biddulph, in his book “Tribes of Hindoo Kush”, while referring to Leitner states that “in his legendary story about Shri Badat, he wrote, there are various perspectives among the local population on Shri Badat which are mostly derived from oral traditions. However, there are similarities among all these tales. Yet, it appears that the supernatural elements are inserted in these stories. Besides associating Shri Badat with mythical creatures in fables, there is no doubt that in reality, he was a human being.” Biddulph describes the story of Shri Badat as a combination of fact and fiction.

It is significant to look at the legendary story of Cannibalism attributed to Shri Badat employing new lenses. Since this is not merely an important mythology, but in fact, it exposes us to the collective consciousness and contextual reality of that period. Clearly, the story offers evidence to hundred years old struggles of our forefathers.

While examining the legendary story based on oral traditions, it suggests that Shri Badat and Azur Jamshed were both portrayed as mythological characters. These traditions assert that Azur Jamshed is depicted as fairy-like and Shri Badat is presented as an evil spirit and anthropophagous. However, it is not surprising to note that such unique creatures, fairies and deities, can be found in mythological stories and folklores in every civilization.

On the other hand, in fact, there are traditions related to Cannibalism in the historical narratives, which are underscored by the famous British philosopher Bertrand Russel in his award-winning book “A history of western philosophy”. He states that “sacrifices of sacred animal and human were offered and consumed during the evolutionary period of religions around the world. This phase was prevalent at different times and spaces. Human sacrifices lasted longer than cannibalism. This tradition remained enacted in the evolutionary period of the Greek empire. Productive rituals were common throughout Greek society, without these oppressive aspects. Deities were considered to be entirely human, but they are different from humans in the sense that they are immortal and possess supernatural powers.”     

Shri Badat was characterized as a supernatural creature in the historical traditions of Gilgit-Baltistan. It can be understood based on his murder plot, which highlights his character as having mythical powers; therefore, he was portrayed as a cannibal king and evil symbol. In the same way relief of Buddha at Kargah was represented as an evil spirit and an anthropophagus.

Conversely, Azur Jamshed, who is the murderer of Shri Badat, was depicted as a liberator. Nowadays, some people claim to be descendants of Azur Jamshed who live in the foothills of the Hindukush and Karakoram. For example, in an interview with Sadaf Munshi from the University of North Texas, Raja Jamshed Ali Khan from Hunza claimed that he is a descendant of Shri Badat’s daughter.       

It is noteworthy that there were various socio-economic and political motives behind the portrayal of Shri Badat as the embodiment of evil spirit. Closer analysis of these facets would make it easier to discern the truth.  This prompts a critical question: whether Shri Badat was an anthropophagus in reality, or was it merely a hateful and false propaganda spread by his enemies to pave the way for external aggression? There are two types of scholarly opinions on this matter. For instance, according to John Mock, who wrote PhD dissertation on Shri Badat at California University, underlines that the last Buddhist king of Gilgit has been turned into a tyrant and a cannibal to discredit the old social structure and "demonization" of history to validate a new social order.

Aziz Ali Dad, in his research paper “Cannibalism in Gilgit,” cites that it is more likely that famine might have occurred during Shri Badat’s rule, which had compelled people to Cannibalism for survival. Perhaps, famine had created internal strife, a state of civil war and made everyone against everyone, which has destroyed the state. 

Regarding such circumstances, French philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his treatise “Leviathan” states that the natural state of man is either war or conflict, unless the rules of societal principles are enforced. According to Hobbes, “with the end of the social contract, conflicts would erupt in society, thus humanity is trapped in a perpetual state of ‘war of all against all.” Obviously, this would lead society to such a state of war without the rule of law, where the natural condition of human life would be marked by solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.     

Shri Badat’s reign is around 749 CE, four years after the disintegration of the Balor dynasty. It was a war-torn society. After evaluating the available historical evidence, it appears that the Balor dynasty collapsed as a result of the war between Tibet and China, which was fought in the valleys of Gilgit between 740 and 747 CE. In an effort to capture little Balor, a bloody war was fought between Tibet and China in the valleys of Gilgit in 747 CE, resulting in the defeat of Tibetan forces. Regarding these historical conflicts, Susan Whitfield shares valuable evidence in the chapter titled ‘The Soldier’s Tale: Seg Lhaton, 747–790’ in her book Life along the Silk Road, published by the University of California. She notes that Seg Lhaton was part of the Tibetan military front that confronted Chinese aggression. Seg Lhaton’s account indicates that the Tibetans exercised control over several small principalities, which in turn controlled the routes along the Gilgit river leading toward northern India.”  

The Tibetan army had previously faced Chinese aggression in these valleys for several times from 740 CE onwards and was defeated on each occasion. However, in 747 CE, they were unable to secure a victory. Seg Lhaton clearly recalls this battle, in which his army of nine thousand men fought the Chinese forces in these mountainous regions. The battle between China and Tibet was fought in the “little Balor” in the valleys of Gilgit. General Gao was commanding ten thousand troops of the Chinese against the well-armed nine thousand Tibetan troops. Subsequently, the Chinese army defeated the Tibetan forces in the spring of 747 CE.    

In light of available historical accounts, it is possible that the economic system of the Balor principality was deteriorated by war, and the state suffered from famine. As a result, society fell into a state of conflict and the internal strife created conditions such as cannibalism. Interestingly, in the local Shina language, fighting is called "akse ek khok". It is possible that this was later interpreted as cannibalism.   

Aziz Ali Dad is of the position that externally imposed war and famine had led to internal strife. Likewise, the tyrannical rule of Shri Badat and internal strife had provided a safe space for external powers to exert their rule and exploit for their own interests. The society was also marked by internal conflicts and conspiracies; consequently, Shri Badat’s daughter and his minister (wazir) played a significant role in the plot to assassinate him.      

In fact, based on historical evidence, it is quite clear that Shri Badat was the last local Buddhist ruler of little Balor. His real name was Chandra Shri Deva Vikramaditya, who is commonly known as Shri Badat in Gilgit-Baltistan. The legend of Shri Badat is essentially a fable from the Buddhist era, and over time, people have added supernatural elements to it.

Among the ancient rulers of Gilgit-Baltistan, Shri Badat is the figure most widely remembered by the local population, albeit in a largely hostile and negative manner. During the colonial period, the fable was recorded by European writers through their own perspectives and interpretive frameworks, in which the local ruler was depicted as a cannibal and an embodiment of evil. Thus, foreign domination was presented in a manner that encouraged its acceptance by the local population as a form of salvation.         

The German scholar Professor Oskar von Hinüber of the University of Freiburg states that the expanding Tibetan Empire attacked the Balor principality, resulting in its disintegration in 747 CE.

As a result of the Tibetan-Chinese war fought in the valleys of Gilgit between 700 and 747 CE, the society was engulfed in a state of war. Thus, it is not surprising that taking advantage of the ongoing situation created due to the collapse of the Balor dynasty (Gilgit), the last local ruler, Shri Badat, was portrayed as anthropophagus and the local population was turned against him and manipulated for their own benefits, leading to the abolition of local rule. The outcome of such consequences has been felt across generations till today. Ironically, Kargah Buddha is also perceived as a cannibalistic demon like Shri Badat, even though this perception has no basis in historical reality.    

Picture credit: Artist rendition

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