Kashmiri people
| Regions with significant populations |
| India, Pakistan |
5,362,349 (as at 2001) |
[1] |
| Pakistan |
|
|
| United Kingdom |
115,000-150,000 |
[2] |
| China |
|
|
|
| Languages |
|
Kashmiri
Hindi,[3] Urdu,[3] or Punjabi[3] also spoken widely as second languages
|
| Religion |
|
Sunni Islam, Shi'a Islam,[4] Hinduism, Sikhism [5]
|
| Related ethnic groups |
|
Other Dardic peoples
|
Political Map: the Kashmir region districts, showing the
Pir Panjal range and the
Valley of Kashmir.
The Kashmiri people (Kashmiri: کٲشُر لُکھ / कॉशुर लुख) are a Dardic linguistic group living in or originating from the former British India state of Kashmir. That former state is disputed territory, comprising the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan, and the People's Republic of China-administered regions of Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract. Many people of Kashmiri origin live in Upper Punjab Pakistan and Potohar where they make one prominent ethnic group.
Language [edit]
According to language research conducted by the International Institute of UCLA, the Kashmiri language is "a Northwestern Dardic language of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian subfamily of the Indo-European language family." There is, however, no universally agreed genetic basis for the language. UCLA estimates the number of speakers as being around 4.4 million, with a preponderance in the Kashmir Valley,[6] whereas the 2001 census of India recorded 5,362,349 throughout India, and thus excluding speakers in the non-Indian Kashmiri areas.[1]
Conversion to Islam [edit]
By the 14th century CE, Islam had supplanted Hinduism as the dominant religion in Kashmir Valley, starting with the conversion in 1323 of Rincana, the first king of a new dynasty from Ladakh, at the hands of the saint, Bulbul Shah. After conversion to Islam He called himself Malik Sadur-ud-Din and was the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir. He was subsequently killed by the Kashmiris. The majority of the Hindu Brahmins of Kashmir (commonly known as Kashmiri Pandits) converted to Islam, and a few from Afghanistan and Iran also settled in Kashmir and vice-versa. Many of these people retain their identity. The Muslims and Hindus of Kashmir lived in relative harmony as under the Sufi (Islam) and Reshi (Hindu) tradition of Kashmir. Other Kashmiri rulers such as Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, were tolerant of all religions in a manner comparable to Akbar. In the late 18th century during the reign of Emperor Alamgir, many converted to Islam. Today, many people are Muslims, although some Kashmiri Pandits still practice Hinduism.
Migration [edit]
Drought of 1800 [edit]
During 1800, a severe drought swept across Kashmir, which caused many in the region to migrate out of the Kashmir Valley, and south of the Jhelum River into what the Punjab region.[7] Those who migrated entered mainly into agriculture, and by the 1820s, after the drought passed, many of the Kashmiri immigrants returned to the Kashmir Valley. Some, however, remained in Punjab as they had settled comfortably. Some chose to continue migrating southwards, eventually settling in the old city of Lahore mainly at Delhi gate and Bhatti gate.[8]
Culture [edit]
The social structure is based on the extended family. However the wider kinship network of biraderi and how it impacts on relations and mobilization is equally important. The extended family is of fundamental importance as a unit of decision making and with respect to the relations of its members with wider society. The institution of biraderi*mdash;which loosely means brotherhood—provides a useful collective framework for promoting mutual well-being. This is achieved through help and co-operation in social, economic and political spheres and it reinforces a sense of belonging and collective self-assurance.[9]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
Further reading [edit]
- Kashmir Return of Democracy By Yodhishter Kahul, Yudhistar ed Kahol
- The Crisis in Kashmir: Portents of War, Hopes of Peace By Šumit Ganguly
