Le maître du jardin : rivalités religieuses au Nangarhār

Abstract

In the Kabul River Valley, several religious movements arose towards the end of the sixteenth century when commercial exchanges with North India intensified. According to some religious texts, historical chronicles as well as temple or books pictorial representations, communities of Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan started their expansion between Peshawar and Kabul, at an unspecified date. In the vicinity of large fruit gardens, built by the Mughal conqueror Bābur in these regions, some inhabitants could find employment when, at the same time, production was exported towards distant markets. By exploring field data and various religious or historical written sources, we discover that a locality of this Valley, its garden and water source, as well as its principal place of worship, were at the origin of disputes between Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. While the religious specialists were trying to expand the number of their devotees in the area, the farmers and the merchants attached to their movements were competing to earn income from agricultural activities, transportation and land ownership. However, the contribution of artisans and workers was decisive in the dissemination of religious practices along the Kabul River Valley and the development of the different religious communities. The production of the trades’ people and the services they gave were more often necessary for daily rituals or occasional celebrations could take place.