Rishi order

This vale of Kashmir, that you call a paradise, owes a lot of its charm to the traditions set in vogue by the Rishis.

They eat no flesh, they have no wives and always plant fruit bearing trees in the fields so that men may benefit by them, themselves desiring no advantage.

"[7] In recent years, the history of the Rishi order has attracted interest from scholars such as Mohammad Ishaq Khan.

Nund Rishi and Lal Ded, both sufi and Shaivite saints criticised idol worshipping, orthodox religious practices, eating meat, they insisted that all religions are equal and believed God was one.

Sufi Rishis were certainly aware of yogic practices, as evidenced by the poet Shams Faqir's praise of Lal Ded: "Lalla achieved the fusion of her vital air and ether, and thus realized God.