This story is from a long, long time ago, before Sher Garhi became the capital of the kings of Kashmir. It tells us about a time when the land of Kashmir was ruled not by one king but by many, each living in his own throne city. In one such city, a group of fakirs (holy men) once arrived. They liked the city, for it was as beautiful as a picture.
The fakirs found one thing odd in this village. Everything was sold at precisely the same price. This meant that gold was as cheap as coal, and saffron was sold at the same rate as salt. This state of affairs greatly pleased one of the fakirs. He said, “This is a fine place to live in. We can eat the best food at a nominal price. Let us rest here awhile.”
“No, no,” said the leader of the group. “If everything is bought and sold at the same price, then justice too is probably bought and sold here. It is dangerous to tarry in such a place. Let us make haste and depart.”
But the first fakir would not hear of it. As the leader failed to persuade him, he was left behind while the others moved out of the city. As ill-luck would have it, a daring theft took place that very night. When the king heard of it, he ordered that any stranger found in the city was to be caught and hanged for the burglary. When the men saw the strange fakir, they caught hold of him and accused him of the theft. Though he vehemently denied having anything to do with it, no one listened to him. They dragged him to the king, who gave one look at the robust body of the stranger and ordered him to be executed the next day. He was taken away and thrown into prison.
The innocent man was in tears. Why, oh, why had he not listened to the wise advice of his chief and left this strange city with its strange ways? He sobbed and wrung his hands in helplessness at his miserable fate. He sent a message to his chief about his sad plight.
The day of the execution dawned, and the people thronged to the market square where the fakir was to be publicly hanged. The hangman was there in his black mask, waiting for the arrival of the king. The chief of the group of fakirs arrived in haste and was seen whispering to the condemned fakir. He said, “When the king arrives, I will go to him and beg him to hang me instead of you. Every time I say this, you must vehemently protest, ‘Sire, do not allow such a thing; hang me.’”
Though the fakir could not understand how this could save him, he put his faith in his patron saint and nodded. The king soon arrived in his gilded carriage. As he alighted, the old fakir ran forward and fell at his feet, sobbing, “My lord, do not hang this unfortunate man. He has an old mother to care for. What will become of her when he is no more? I am old, and my days are numbered. Hang me in his place, and you will be doing a kind act.”
Hardly had he finished speaking when the condemned fakir cried, “Sire, do not allow such an injustice; hang me.” The chief of the fakirs repeated his request, not once, but at least half a dozen times, giving various reasons. Each time, the condemned fakir played his part by protesting vigorously. The king looked in wonder from one to the other as they spoke. He was surprised and could hardly find his voice. Both men were willing to die, but why? Not being able to understand the situation, he called the two fakirs aside and asked them, “What is the meaning of all this? Why are you both willing to die? It is natural for a man to save himself, but both of you seem eager to die. Explain yourselves properly.”
The older fakir said, “My lord, if you have the sacred books of the saints read to you, you will find it is written that today is the most auspicious day to die. The man who dies today will surely find a place in paradise, no matter how great a sinner he may be. But this is a great secret known only to a few.”
The king had always been worried about how to get into paradise and had been performing various ceremonies for a long time, all with the hope of gaining entry into the coveted place. Being rather gullible, he was delighted to hear the fakir’s secret and straightaway believed it. Turning to the crowd, he cried, “My dear people, as the holy books say, today is the most auspicious day for dying. I have a great desire to relinquish my life today. I hereby order you to hang me instead of these innocent men here, so that my soul may go to heaven.”
Well, the king had always been obeyed, no matter how foolish his orders were. So his people promptly took him and hanged him before he had any chance to change his mind. The fakirs, blessing their stars, disappeared from the scene as fast as their legs could carry them.
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