*Trying to preserve one of the Treasures from Kashmir Valley. The Time Utpaladeva's Shiva-stotravali dates back to, will hopefully give some insight to individuals who question roots of Hindu/Pandit Community in Kashmir valley!

** For better clarity, it is recommended to use headphones when listening to this treasure from Kashmir - Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali (Śiva stōtrāvaḷi / शिवस्तोत्रावली / శివ స్తోత్రావళి).

*** I created this easy to follow slow chanting for my learning but thought others may also benefit....

This is a small effort in making it easier for individuals who like online viewing more than paper books. We are not an authority on Shivastotravali (Shiva Stotravali/शिवस्तोत्रावली). If you need details, please Google and/or check books written by enlightened authors like Swamy Lakshman Joo. This is a first attempt, as time permits we will bring in a better version. All I am trying to do is to preserve the treasure I found in the handwriting of my great grandfather, Late Shri Damodar Kaul of Habba Kadal, Srinagar ( His Guru was Swamy Aftab Joo Wangoo) and the style of chanting from Kashmir Valley by my aunt, Ms. Phoola Kaul of Habba Kadal, Srinagar.

Kashmir Valley, known as Sharda Peeth (seat of learning), has remained a center of spiritual learning for over two thousands years. There are many Shiva temples all over Kashmir Valley. Some of them range from –
- Shankaracharya temple built by Raja Gopadatya in 371 B.C.E,
- Sankara Guruvaram temple built by Shankaravarman (833 – 902 AD),
- Naranag temple in Harmukh Maountain built by 8th century Lalithdatiya Muktadiya of Kayastha Naga Karkota dynasty,
- Avantisvara in Avantipura by King Avantivarman,
- Mamaleshwar temple in Pahalgam dated back to 12th century was built by King Jayasimha,
- Payar temple from 11th century CE,
- Amarnath Cave temple we just can’t forget
- ….many more….
You can browse the internet to read more about the Shiv temples in Kashmir Valley.

About voice quality - I wish we had this idea when she was younger but nothing happens prior to time (samay say pahlay kuch nahee hota). This voice recording via phone was done just when she miraculously came out of COVID-19 in 2020/2021 (months in hospital and still recovering). When I reached out to Aunt Phoola for recording, as I wanted to capture how the Shivastotravali (Shiva Stotravali) was chanted in Kashmir, she accepted to record this for the future generation, even when she had trouble chanting (it is reflect in the chanting). This is a true form of giving back to the Kashmiri community. Please excuse voice quality.

The Shivastotravali (Shiva Stotravali/शिवस्तोत्रावली) is a collection of 20 chapters full of hymns of devotion and praise of Lord Shiva by Utpaladeva, a 10th century Shaiva master and an exponent of Pratyabhijna School of Kashmir Shaivism/Trika Shaivism.
The scripts in this video are from my great grandfather’s (my mom’s dad’s father) Late Shri Damodar Kaul’s notebook, all handwritten.

Since the full video runs over 3 hrs, I have also created two more videos, each split by 10 chapters. To check each part separately, you can click on links below:

1) Part 11 till end ----    • Shivastotravali(Śiva stōtrāvaḷi/शिवस्...  
2) FULL video -    • Full Shivastotravali(Śiva stōtrāvaḷi/...  

Let’s enjoy the beautiful Stotrams chanted by Ms. Phoola Kaul.

|| Om Namaha Shivaya ||

You can find more info on Shivastotravali (Shiva Stotravali) on internet.

*For Full Panchastavi by my mom as chanted in Kashmir valley - check    • Panchastavi पंचस्त्वी/పంచస్తవి FULL v...