KASHMIR- A WALK DOWN THE CORRIDOR OF HISTORY

Introduction

The history of Kashmir can be traced to as back as the mythical times. In the ancient most scripts of Hinduism or Neolithic era, we can find reference of Kashmir, time and again. This area was mountainous terrain, consisting of valleys, and river. The name “Kashmir” is also derived from the Sanskrit words of “Ka” and “shimeera,” literally meaning desiccated water. It was thought that the lake was drained by making a hole in the hill and the valley which appeared after the drainage of water in the area which constitutes of Kashmir now.

Hindus and Buddhists

According to the legends and the myths, this area was first inhabited by Brahmins. The name Jammu is a distorter of the name of Prince Jambu who discovered the area near Tawi River while hunting, during the 14 century BC. After Hindus, Buddhists also settled down in the area. In a lot of Hindu mythical text, we can find legends about Kashmir, and how Brahmins lived here. They believed that their gods made this place for descendants and followers of Brahma to live in. Shiva followers also have traces in the history of the area.

Muslims in Kashmir

Muslims came to Kashmir in 13th century AD. Sufism has great influence in Kashmir. It came to the area from Central Asia and Persia, while several Muslim rulers from across the world, tried to conquer it too. From the Ottomon Empire to the Muhmud of Ghazni, everyone tried to raid this area. There was a ruler of Kashmir, Rinchan, who converted to Islam after the meeting and influence of a Sufi preacher, Syed Sharfuddin He changed his name to Sardaruddin, and became first Muslim ruler of Kashmir. The first Muslim dynasty in Kashmir was Shah Mir dynasty. Shah Mir conquered Kashmir from the descendants of Sardaruddin. The Mughal king, Akbar visited Kashmir too.

The Sikh rule

After the fall of Mughal Empire throughout the Indian subcontinent, Kashmir fell under the Sikh rule. Sikhs were tyranted. They restricted the practice of Islam in the area. They banned the prayer calls, closed mosques and decreed that cow slaughtering will be punished by a death sentence. They also imposed high taxes.

A rich culture

Kashmir always had a rich cultural and ethnical identity. The Kashmiri shawls, rugs, furniture made up of walnut wood; their cuisine was getting recognition in the world. The Kashmiri culture is a mix of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Sikh traditions, taking in something of every rule they had.

In the recent past

In 1947, Kashmir had the majority of Muslim population and a Hindu Maharaja. The Maharaja chooses to be with India after independence from the British rule, and that sealed the fate of oppression for the Kashmiris and started a dark period for them. Since independence, India has denied Kashmiris their fundamental human rights and had army deployed there. Despite the United Nations ruling of having a referendum to know the will of Kashmiris, India has not budged a bit from its occupation.

We hope that one day in future, Kashmiris will get their right, they will be free, and they will live.

Share This Post

Recent Articles

Leave a Reply

© 2024 Historic Blog. All rights reserved. Site Admin · Entries RSS · Comments RSS
Powered by WordPress · Designed by Theme Junkie