‘It is a country where the sun
shines mildly, being a place created by Kashyapa as if for his glory. High
school – houses, the saffron, iced-water and grapes, which are rare even in
heaven, are common here. Kailasa is the best place in the three worlds,
Himalaya the best part of Kailasa, and Kashmir the best place in
Himalaya’.
Poet Kalhana in
‘Rajtarangini’
1. Kashmir’s
remoteness hides its strategic importance. The famed overland trading route,
the Silk route, lies to the north linking Central Asia with China by way of
Tibet and this route was well worn by successive caravans and conquering armies
some of whom included Kashmir in their grand designs. The step down to the
plains joins Kashmir with the sub-continent and so the region also came to be
prized by the empire builders of India who wanted to secure their north-west
and north-eastern frontiers by bringing this ‘iron fort’ within their orbit.
2. The Kashmir
valley is sandwiched between a number of mountains. To the north lies a
‘sea of mountains’, in which the great Nanga parbat (26,620 feet) stands out.
To the east stands Haramukh (16,930 feet), which guards the valley of the Sind.
Further south is Mahadeo, very sacred to the Hindus, and south again are the
lofty range of Gwash Brari (17,800 feet), and the peak of Amarnath (17,321
feet) the mountain of pilgrims. On the south-west is the Pirpanjal range with
peaks ranging up to 15,000 feet, and further North the great rolling downs of
the Tosha Maidan (14,000 feet) which is a leading pass to Poonch, and in the
north-west corner rises the snowy Kazi-Nag (12,124 feet). Geographically the
Jammu and Kashmir State can be divided into four zones. Firstly, the
submountaneous and semi-mountaneous plains commonly known as the Kandi Belt ;
the second, hills including Shivalik Ranges ; the third, mountains of Kashmir
Valley and Pir Panjal Ranges ; and the fourth, Tibetan tract of Ladakh, Kargil, Gilgit and Skardu. The State
is situated between 32 degrees 17 minutes and 36 degrees 58 minutes North
latitude and 72 degrees 26 minutes and 83 degrees 30 minutes East longitude.
It’s boundaries extend to Russian Turkistan in North, Tibet in East, Punjab in
South and Pakistan in West
3. Kashmir
has the good fortune of possessing an uninterrupted series of written records
of its history, reaching back beyond the period of Muhammadan conquests. The early history of Kashmir is divided into four periods: the early period of the
Hindu kings chronicled in the famous Rajatarangini (River of Kings), the period
of the Kashmiri Musalmans known as Salatini Kashmir, the period of the Mughals
known as the Padshahi-i-Chagatai or Shahan-i-Mughlia, and the period of Pathans
known as Shahan-i-Durani. This was followed by the Sikhs and Dogra rulers.
4. Rajatarangini
(River of Kings) written by Kashmirian poet Kalhana is the base for Kashmir
history. It comprises in eight cantons of Sanskrit works, the history of the
various dynasties which ruled Kashmir from
the earliest period
down to the time of the author, who began to write
this
book in A.D 1148, in the reign of King Jayasimha.
Although Kalhana himself mentions several historians as his predecessors, none
of their works have come down to us. The Rajatarangini has thus become direct
source of information on the ancient history of Kashmir. Kalhana’s work was
continued by Pandit Jonaraja who brought down the history of the valley through
the troubled times of the last Hindu dynasties and the first Muhammadan rulers
to the time of Sultan Zain-ul-Abedin (1420-70). Srivara’s Jaina-Rajatarangini
takes up account of Zain-ul-Abedin’s rule and continues the history of his
descendants down to the accession of Fateh Shah (A.D 1486). Prajyabhatta’s
Rajavalipataka, records the history of the valley till its conquest by Akbar
(A.D 1586). Mughal rule was covered by Persian authors like Haider Malik,
Mohammed Azim, Narayan Kul and other authors. And later history was provided by
numerous Persian works like the Thawarikh of Birbal Kacheri, the
Gulzar-i-Kashmir of the late Diwan Kripa Ram, which besides embodying the
accounts found in earlier narratives describe also the history of the valley in
the times of the Sikh and Dogra rule.
5. Legend in
‘ Rajatarangini ’ and ‘ Nilmat Purana ’ has it that the Valley of Kashmir was
once a large lake. According to it, Kashyap Rishi - the revered sage, drained
off the water thus making it a place of abode. Great King Ashoka introduced
Budhism to Kashmir in Third Century BC which was later strengthened by
Kanishka. Control of the Valley passed on to Huns in the early Sixth Century.
The Valley regained its freedom in 530 AD but soon came under the rule of
Ujjain Empire. On the decline of the Vikramaditya dynasty, the Valley had its
own rulers. There was a synthesis of Hindu and Budhist cultures. Islam came to
Kashmir in 13th and 14th century. Zain-ul-Abedin
(1420-70) was the most famous of the Muslim Rulers who came to Kashmir when the
Hindu King Sinha Dev fled before the Tartar invasion. Later, Chaks overran
Haider Shah, son of Zain-ul-Abedin;
they continued to
rule till 1586
when Akbar conquered
Kashmir. In 1752,Kashmir passed on a feeble control of Mughal emperor of
the time to Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan. The Valley was ruled by the
Pathans for 67 years.
6. Jammu
has been mentioned in the Harappan
remains and artifacts of Mauryan, Kushan, and Gupta periods. Dogra Rulers ruled
Jammu for years and towards the end of 1782, Maharaja Ranjit Singh annexed the
territory to Punjab. He, however, later handed over the territory to Maharaja
Gulab Singh, a scion of the old Dogra ruling family. The Jammu and Kashmir
State was governed by the Dogra rulers with the paramountancy resting up to
1947 as the British Crown’s representative in India.
7. The
period after 1947 is marked by major administrative changes and demographic
profile of Jammu and Kashmir. Crises have become endemic to Kashmir. Violence
has been the hallmark of this era. An otherwise peaceful era, which could have
easily been ushered in under the democratic, federal structure of modern India,
has been shattered by spreading Islamic fundamentalism and expansionist designs
sponsored and abetted by Pakistan.
8. The aim
of this abridged history of the state is to present the facts as they occurred
keeping in focus events of the past that have a direct bearing on the existing
situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
KASHMIR : THE EARLY YEARS
9. The name
“Kashmir” has its roots in early Hindu legend and is derived from “Kashyap-mar”
or “the abode of Kashyap Rishi” the ascetic who made the Jhelum Valley his
home. The name “Kashyap-mar” evolved into kasmira, kasmir, cashmere and the
modern day Kashmir.
10. The Naga sadhus (Snake-worshippers)
were the earliest known inhabitants of the Kashmir valley alongwith the tribes
known as Dars, Bhuttas and Damars. In the year 800, the Aryans from central
India settled in the valley. The king was the ruler and Brahmins dominated the
society. Due to their revered status they came to have great influence on the
kings and acted as royal advisers and ministers. Sanskrit was the official
language. The Brahmins or Pandits, as they came to be known continued their
important role in governance through the years in spite of ongoing political
upheavals in the history of Kashmir.
Early Rulers
11. Emperor Asoka of Magadh ruled over a vast empire which included Kashmir. It was during his ded perhaps due to their mediocrity.
reign that Buddhist monks
were sent to Kashmir. After the death of Asoka, Kashmir regained independence
under Jaluka who, like Asoka, converted to Buddhism and built stupas throughout
the land. In the first century AD, the valley was invaded by the Kushans from
north-west China and king Kanishka of the Kushan dynasty converted to Buddhism.
Art, architecture and learning were given due emphasis during this period.
After 178 AD, Brahminism again came to the fore after the decline of Kushan
kings. A new religion, Shaivism, came into being which was an amalgamation of
the teachings of Buddhism and Brahminism.
12. The Huns invaded Kashmir in sixth century AD. Mihirakula
(the Hun), was defeated by the kings of northern India and after arriving in
Kashmir as a refugee, in a short time, upsurped the kingdom for himself. He let
loose a reign of terror and cruelty and destroyed Buddhist monasteries. He
committed suicide in 530 AD as an atonement for his sins. The following decades
were “the golden years” in which intellectual pursuits flourished alongwith
poets and studies in astrology. Fourteen of the best known rhetoricians of
ancient India (out of sixteen)
came from Kashmir. The famous
poet Bilhana lived during this period.
Lalitaditya was the most celebrated king of the Karkota dynasty and an
able administrator (early eighth-Century)
and was a predecessor of the European emperor
Charlemagne. He is credited with having gone on a spree of expansionism and
successfully defending the frontiers of Kashmir from the Tibetans and Dards and
had links with the Tang dynasty in China. He was tolerant of all religions and
built both Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas including the magnificent temples
of Martand. Lalitaditya was followed by the kings such as Jayapida and
Avantivarman. It was during the latters reign that an unknown person, Suyya
solved the flooding of the Jhelum River and Sopore (Suyya-pur) in named after
him. During Sankaravarman rule, forced labour (begar) by villagers was ordered
and conquests were the hallmark during this period.
13. A period of misrule and tyranny
commenced from the tenth century. Intrigues and power struggle were the order
of the day especially during the reign of Queen Sugandha (A.D 904-906) and
Didda (A.D 980-1003). The Utpala dynasty (founded by Avantivarman) ended in 939
A.D and was followed by Yasakara and Parvagupta. Queen Didda, who ascended the
throne in 958 AD was infamous for her cruelty and debauchery. Sangramaraja (A.D
1003-1028), belonging to Lohrin near Poonch, was the founder of the Lohara
dynasty and it was during this time that the Sultan of Ghazni made two
unsuccessful attempts to invade Kashmir through the Toshamaidan Pass.
14. The next century (eleventh) was
unremarkable with a string of successions and each reign marked mostly by
intrigue, cruelty, misrule and moral degradation and the people lived in
discontent and misery. Kings such as Kalsa, Utkarsa, Jayasimha ruled during
this period during which Kashmir was reduced to a piteous state.
15. The
Mongol invasion commenced in 1320 by Zulqudar Khan (also known as Dulacha) via
the Baramulla pass and Srinagar was plundered. King Sahadeva who ruled Kashmir,
fled. Dulacha during that time alongwith most of his army perished in a snowstorm on the Banihal pass. The reign
of the Hindu kings came to an end largely due to their policy of isolating the
Kashmir valley from the rest of India (thus starving the populace of resources
after the plunder of Mongols) and also due to misrule and despotism.
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