Brief History of Kashmir :
Kashmir, if literally translated, means land desiccated from water:
“Ka” (the water) and shimeera (to desiccate). Tradition says that
Kashmir was originally a lake that was drained by the great saint of
ancient India Kashyap. It was included in the empire of Ashoka Maurya
who is credited with the foundation of the city of Srinagar around the
year 250 BC. During this period Buddhism spread in Kashmir and
flourished under the Kushans. During the reign of Kanishka, the third
Buddhist council took place in Kashmir which has been attested by the
7th century Chinese traveler Hien Tsang. But Hinduism held its sway in
the region. The 7th Century AD witnessed the establishment of a dynasty
called the Karkota whose foundation stone was laid by Durlabhavarrdhana.
The most famous ruler of this dynasty was Lalitaditya Muktapid who
built the world famous sun temple (Martand) in Kashmir. The Karkotas
were supplemented by the Utpalas in 855 AD. The most important ruler of
this dynasty was Avanti-verman. He recovered Kashmir from utter
political and economic disorder into which Kashmir had fallen during the
rule of his predecessors. Didda, a Gupta widowed queen, ruled Kashmir
until 1003 AD when the Lohara dynasty took over. The last Hindu ruler of
Kashmir was Udyan Dev. His Chief Queen Kota Rani was the de-facto ruler
of the kingdom. With her death in 1339 the Hindu rule in Kashmir came
to an end and thus was established the Muslim rule in Kashmir under
Sultan Shamas-ud-din-whose dynasty ruled the valley for 222 years. The
greatest ruler of this dynasty was undoubtedly Sultan Zain-ul-Abdin.
Under his rule, Kashmir was culturally and politically at its zenith. He
was essentially a man of secular out-look and patronized all faiths and
religions alike. He made Kashmir the centre of a great culture and
worked hard to promote learning and to build up the economy of the
people. Badshah was not anxious for the expansion of his dominion but
was equally reluctant to part with the territories which belonged to
Kashmir and were of a strategic importance. The Chiefs of Ladakh and
Baltistan who had acknowledged their allegiance to Shahab-ud-Din and
Sikandar his predecessors had, however, declared themselves independent
during the weak rule of Ali Shah. He, therefore, set out with his army
and made a Bumlde IV, Raja of Ladakh, to recognize his sovereignty. The
ruler of Baltistan also followed suit and surrendered. He next captured
the town of Kulu which was till then in the possession of Ladakhis.
After these achievements, Badhshah proceeded to subdue the ruler of
Ohind who had also declared himself independent during the reign of Ali
Shah. As before, the ruler of Ohind was defeated and agreed to
acknowledge the sovereignty of the king of Kashmir. Badshah also
exchanged embassies with various foreign countries. In particular, he
deputed his envoys to Khurasan, Egypt, Mecca, Rukh, son of Timur, were
most cordial. Budshah took a series of measures for development of
Agriculture trade and Commerce. He constructed many irrigation canals.
As a result of these works and the reclamation of vast areas, Kashmir
became self-sufficient in food. According to Moorcroft, Kashmir produced
as much as 5.50 lakh tons of rice per year during the time of Badshah.
The Kingdom was annexed into the Mughal Empire in 1586. In 1757 Kashmir
came under the control of Ahmed Shah Durrani, the Afghan who invaded
India many times. In 1819 Kashmir was annexed by Ranjit Singh and made a
part of his Sikh empire. The two Anglo-Sikh wars fought between the
Sikhs and Ranjit Singh resulted in the complete extinction of the Sikh
sovereignty in Kashmir. The British gave away Kashmir to Ghulab Singh
for the sum of 75 lakhs of rupees under the Treaty of Amritsar. He
extended his territory by annexing Ladakh. Ghulab Singh died in 1857 and
was replaced by Ranbir Singh (1857-1885). Two other Marajahs, Partab
Singh (1885-1925) and Hari Singh ruled in succession. Maharaja Sir Hari
Singh ascended the throne in 1925. He continued to govern the state till
1950. In 1932 Kashmir’s first political party-all Jammu and Kashmir
Muslim Conference was formed by Sheikh Abdullah. The party was later
renamed the National Conference in 1939 and continues to be a major
political party in Kashmir today. After Indian Independence in 1947,
the ruler of the princely state of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, refused
to accede to either India or Pakistan. When Pakistan invaded Kashmir in
the following year, the ruler of Kashmir sought help from the Indian
government and agreed to place Kashmir under the dominion of India. In
1956 Kashmir was integrated into the Indian Union under a new
Constitution. However, PoK Kashmir continued to be under illegal
occupation of Pakistan. Kashmir was a tourist’s paradise during the
1970’s and early 1980’s. However tourism in Kashmir declined during the
late 1980’s and 1990’s, due to disturbances. The situation has improved
and it is hoped that peace will return to Kashmir-followed by tourists,
who remember its beautiful parks, Rolling Meadows, spectacular mountains
and scenic destinations with nostalgia.
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