THE KASHMIRI GIANTS
In folklore, giants are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times enormous in size and have greater strength with a notable appearance. The word giant is derived from the Gigantes of Greek mythology. The name “Gigantes” is usually means “earth-born”.There are various religions and mythologics that state the existence of giants, however according to the Hindu mythology there are accounts stating that humans grew to the size of giants during the Satya Yuga, the first of the four cyclical ages (yugas) in the Hindu reckoning of time. The Delhi Durbar. In the early 1900s, an event called the Delhi Durbar was held in Delhi, as a huge celebratory event in honour of the coronation of the British Monarch Edward VII (Former King of UK). The King was not able to attend the Delhi durbar, but in order to compensate the absence, a large number of exhibitions were organised in the Durbar. It took almost two years for the preparation of the event. Numerous pavilions were opened on a large area near the outskirts of Delhi, designed to emphasize the glory of the British monarchy and the vast British Empire. In the entire event, there was one exhibition of precious jewel stones and according to one of the eyewitness, people were very much fascinated by the sight of these jewels. Kashmiri Giants in Delhi Durbar. But it was neither the jewels exhibition nor the huge elephants in the event that gathered most of the attention but the two huge guards that were the head turners. It was believed that the two Giants were the body guards of the Maharaj of Jammu and Kashmir who was attending the Delhi Durbar. Both of the Kashmiri giant guards were twin brothers. One of the brothers was 8 ft tall, the other 7.5 ft tall and they were also wearing huge hats that created the illusion of an even greater height of the giants. These brothers were elite marksmen and trained soldiers who had dedicated their lives in service of the Maharaja. They belonged to a place called Balmukand in Kashmir but no one was able to trace their village. These Giant guards arrived at Durbar armed with spears, maces and even hand grenades and were ready for any contingency to protect the Maharaja. Each of them had a personal elephant and accompanied the Maharaja wherever he went. The international journalists and photographers who gathered for the Durbar were also fascinated by these giants and wrote many enthusiastic articles about them. These giants made the ruler of Kashmir famous all over the world.
