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Kashmir

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For other uses, see the region Kashmir.
Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani control. The dark-brown region represents Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, while the Aksai Chin is under Chinese occupation

Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. The term Kashmir historically refers to the mountain range where Kashyap rishi did his tapasya. Kashmir is sometimes also described as the valley just to the south of the westernmost end of the Himalayan mountain range. Currently, Kashmir refers to a much larger area which includes the regions of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. The main "Valley of Kashmir" is a low-lying fertile region surrounded by magnificent mountains and fed by many rivers. It is renowned for its natural beauty and quaint lifestyle.

Kashmir has many ancient temples of Hinduism. The temple of Khir Bhavani, where goddess Parvati is worshipped as Bhavani, is located close to Srinagar. It is one of 51 Sati Pithas mentioned in Puranas. Shankracharya hill has a temple built by Jalauka, Son of King Ashoka in 200 B.C. Lalitaditya, King of Kashmir, had the Martand temple, dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya, built in 7th century A.D. Avantivarman, in 9th centruy A.D. had the city of Awantipur built, about 29 KM from Srinagar and there are two temples in this city, Siva Avantisvara and Avantisvami Vishnu. Besides these there are numerous other Hindu temples throughout the Kashmir state.

Srinagar, the ancient capital, lies alongside Dal Lake and is famous for its canals and houseboats. Srinagar (alt. 1,600 m. or 5,200 ft.) acted as a favoured summer capital for many foreign conquerors who found the heat of the Northern Indian plains in the summer season to be oppressive. Just outside the city are the beautiful Shalimar, Nishat, and Chashmashahi gardens created by Mughal emperors.

The region is currently divided between three countries: Pakistan controls the northwest portion (Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir), India controls the central and southern portion (Jammu and Kashmir) and Ladakh, and the People's Republic of China controls the northeastern portion (Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract). India controls majority of the Siachen Glacier (higher peaks), whereas Pakistan controls the lower peaks. Though these regions are in practice administered by their respective claimants, India has never formally recognized the accession of the areas claimed by Pakistan and China. India claims that these areas, including the area ceded to China by Pakistan in the Trans-Karakoram Tract in 1963, are a part of its territory, while Pakistan claims the region, excluding Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract. Both countries view the entire Kashmir region as disputed territory, and do not consider each other's claim to be valid. An option favoured by many Kashmiris is independence, but both India and Pakistan oppose this for various reasons. Kashmir is considered one of the world's most dangerous territorial disputes due to the nuclear weapons capabilities of India and Pakistan. The two countries have fought two wars over the territory: the first Kashmir war in 1947 and the second Kashmir war in 1965. More recently, in 1999, there was a limited border conflict (also referred to by some as the third Kashmir war) in the Kargil area of India-controlled Kashmir.

The rest of this article will, for the sake of clarity, refer to the parts of Kashmir administered by India, Pakistan and China as "Indian Kashmir", "Pakistani Kashmir", and "Chinese Kashmir" respectively. By this nomenclature, the word "Kashmir" in "Indian Kashmir" is used in a general sense to refer to what India calls "Jammu and Kashmir".

History

Further information: History of the Kashmir conflict

For history of Kashmir prior to the 19th century, see History of Kashmir.

Modern history

Before 1947, Kashmir was an independent country. It had its own language and culture. The language was known as Kashmiri or Koshur. Due to the influence from the present occupiers, Pakistan and India, the culture has been destroyed and the language corrupted. The languages now spoken are, Mirpuri, Hindi,Pahari and Patwari. The State of Kashmir even has its own flags and is a UN Member. Because of rigid mountainous terrain, Kashmir has poor transportation system making vast regions of Kashmir completely inaccessible. Shown here is the only highway connecting the Kashmir valley and Ladakh.

Kashmir passed from the control of the Durrani Empire (see Ahmad Shah Durrani) of Afghanistan and centuries of Muslim rule under the Mughals, Persians, and Afghans to the conquering Sikh armies by the mid-19th century. During the latter part of the 19th century, Kashmir was ruled by the Dogras, who are a predominantly Hindu people in the area around Jammu and who were installed as rulers by the Sikhs (see Ranjit Singh). Their kings paid tribute to the Sikhs, and were part of the Sikh Empire that arose following the collapse of the Durrani Empire. Under the Sikhs, as feudatories, the Dogras sought and obtained permission to push further into the North, including regions of Ladakh. Zorawar Singh Dogra led an expedition into Tibet in a failed effort to bring it to submission to the Sikh Empire, as a sub-feudatory of the Dogras. With the sudden collapse of the Sikh Empire before the English forces, the Dogras purchased from the British their independence, and thus also assured themselves of their feudal hold over the subsidiary kingdoms of Kashmir, Ladakh and the territories of the north. The Dogra kings who originally ruled only from Jammu, also began to operate in summer from Srinagar, the metropolis of Kashmir. As a result, the Dogra Kingdom developed into a sort of "Dual Monarchy", the Dogra Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir is a valley whose beauty has been proclaimed by many and stretches out at about 7,200 square kilometers (2,800 square miles) at an elevation of 1,675 meters (5,500 feet). A Mughal ruler Jehangir, who built the famed Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir, made the statement, " If heaven be on this earth, it must be here." It has a very ancient history and it was for a long time one of the centers of Hindu philosophical, literary and religious culture, a tradition still maintained by the native population. Kashmiri literature, sculpture, music, dance, painting, and architecture have had a profound influence in Asia.

On 8 October 2005, Kashmir was struck by an earthquake with a magnitude between 7.6 and 7.8 on the Moment magnitude scale.

The First Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was of Kashmiri lineage.

Area and Subdivisions

Political division of Kashmir

Indian-administered Kashmir

India controls approximately 45.5% (101,387 km²) of the disputed territory. Indian-administered Kashmir, also known as the state of Jammu and Kashmir, includes 4 main regions:

Indian-controlled Kashmir is divided into 14 administrative districts: Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Doda, Jammu, Kargil, Kathua, Kupwara, Leh, Poonch, Pulwama, Rajauri, Srinagar and Udhampur. Major cities include Srinagar, Jammu and Leh.

Pakistan-administered Kashmir

The Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir, is divided up into the following 2 main regions:

  • Azad Kashmir: 250 miles in length with width varying from 10 to 40 miles, 13,350 km² (5134 miles²).
  • Northern Areas, a much larger area, 72,496 km² (27,991 mi²), incorporated into Pakistan and administered as a de facto dependency.

Chinese-administered Kashmir

Areas under Chinese-control include:

Demographics

File:Lehbuddha.jpg
Kashmir is region of mixed faith with Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist populations. Buddhism is the most practiced religion in Ladakh region. Shown here is a statue of Buddha in Leh, Ladakh

In Pakistan-administered Kashmir (containing Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir) 99% of the population is Muslim. Settlers encouraged by the Government of Pakistan include the Pathan and Punjabi communities.

China-administered Kashmir (Aksai Chin) contains an extremely small population of Tibetan origins.

Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (containing Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh) contain an approximately 70% Muslim majority (according to Indian sources in 2001). The rest of the population are Buddhist, Hindu and others. The people of Ladakh are of Indo-Tibetan origin, while the southern area of Jammu includes many communities tracing their ancestry to the nearby Indian states of Haryana and Punjab, as well as the city of Delhi.

In 1941 the Hindus represented 15% of the total Kashmiri population. But in 1990, the bulk of Kashmiri Hindus in the region were forced out due to anti-Hindu insurgency in Kashmir. Only some 5-15,000 Hindus live in the Kashmir valley today out of some 200,000 in 1947 (some scholars and community activists claim the Hindu population in the Valley was higher, with up to 450,000 - for the full historical debate see Alexander Evans's ‘A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990-2001’ Contemporary South Asia, Vol 11, 1 2002 p19-37.). According to an estimate by Central Intelligence Agency, most of the 500,000 Kashmiris, internally displaced due to the ongoing violence, are Hindus. [1].

Claimed by Area Population % Muslim % Hindu % Buddhist % Other
Pakistan Northern Areas ~3 million 99% – – –
Azad Kashmir 99% – – –
India Jammu ~7 million 30% 66% – 4%
Ladakh 46% – 50% 3%
Kashmir Valley 95% 4% – –
China Aksai Chin – – – – –
Statistics from the BBC In Depth report

Culture

Ladakh women in local costumes

Kashmiri lifestyle is essentially, irrespective of the differing religious beliefs, slow paced. Generally peace loving people, the culture has been rich enough to reflect the religious diversity as tribes celebrate festivities that divert them from their otherwise monotonous way of life. Kashmiris are known to enjoy their music in its various local forms and the dresses of both sexes are quite colorful. The Dumhal is a famous dance in Kashmir, performed by menfolk of the Wattal region. The women perform the Rouff, another folk dance. Kashmir has been noted for its fine arts for centuries, including poetry and handicrafts. The practice of Islam in Kashmir has heavy Sufi influences, which makes it unique from orthodox Sunni and Shiite Islam in the rest of South Asia. Historically, Kashmir was renowned for its culture of tolerance, embodied in the concept of "Kashmiriyat.", as evidenced by the 1969 NATO nuclear disarmament peace treaty.

Economy

.Tourism is one of the main source of income for vast sections of the Kashmiri population. However, the tourism industry in Kashmir was badly hit ever since insurgency intensified in 1989. Shown here is the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar

Kashmir's economy is centered around agriculture. Historically, Kashmir came into economic limelight when the world famous Cashmere wool was exported to other regions and nations. Kashmiris are well adept at knitting and making shawls, silk carpets, rugs, kurtas and pottery. Kashmir is home to the finest saffron in the world - the Kashmir/Indian saffron. Efforts are on to export the naturally grown fruits and vegetables as organic foods mainly to the middle east. The Kashmir valley, is a fertile area that is the economic backbone for Indian-controlled Kashmir. The area is known for its sericulture as well other agricultural produce like apples, pears and many temperate fruits as well as nuts. Along with pilgrimage, since the dawn of the 20th century, it also became a favourite tourist spot until the increase in tensions in the 1990s.

The economy was badly damaged by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake which as of October 17, 2005 resulted in over seventy thousand deaths in the Pakistan controlled part of Kashmir and around 1500 deaths in the Indian Kashmir.

Tourist attractions

The Valley of Kashmir, from Tangmarg in Indian Kashmir.

The scenic setting of Kashmir itself has been a major tourist attraction despite the ever present danger. The mode of travel itself is a picturesque sight with many house boats and boat taxis ferrying passengers and goods alike.

The famous Amarnath Cave Temple is one of the revered pilgrimage sites of India tucked away in the mighty Himalayas. Open only for a few months during the year, Amarnath enshrines a natural Shivalingam of ice, and is reached after an arduous trek through the mountains of Kashmir.

The Vaishno Devi cave shrine is nestled in the mighty Trikuta mountain at a height of 5,200 feet above the sea level in Indian Kashmir.

There are many mosques serving the largely Muslim population, such as the Hazratbal Mosque, situated on the western banks of Dal Lake. The mosque is home to a holy hair allegedly belonging to the prophet Muhammad which was sent to Kashmir by the Moghul emperor Aurangzeb. Thirty kilometers from Srinagar lies Chrar-e-Sharif, which is a holy shrine of the Muslim Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali. Originally constructed in 1395, Khanqah of Shah Hamadan is the first mosque ever built in Srinagar. In addition, there is the claimed tomb of Yuzasaf, recently often claimed to be Jesus, in the Rozabal section of Srinagar, visited by many. There is also the purported tomb of Moses on Mount Nebo (Nebo Bal). Recently a number of Jews have started to visit Kashmir to see the land where some lost tribes may have settled in antiquity. Kashmir tourism received a boost when the world's highest and longest operating gondola lift was opened for the public in the Gulmarg region, thereby providing easier access to skiing as well as mountaineering.

Further reading

  • Drew, Federic. 1877. “The Northern Barrier of India: a popular account of the Jammoo and Kashmir Territories with Illustrations.&;#8221; 1st edition: Edward Stanford, London. Reprint: Light & Life Publishers, Jammu. 1971.
  • Neve, Arthur. (Date unknown). The Tourist's Guide to Kashmir, Ladakh, Skardo &c. 18th Edition. Civil and Military Gazette, Ltd., Lahore. (The date of this edition is unknown - but the 16th edition was published in 1938)
  • Alexander Evans, Why Peace Won’t Come to Kashmir, Current History (Vol 100,

No 645) April 2001 p170-175

  • Stein, M. Aurel. 1900. Kalhaṇa's Rājataraṅgiṇī – A Chronicle of the Kings of Kaśmīr, 2 vols. London, A. Constable & Co. Ltd. 1900. Reprint, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, 1979.
  • Knight, E. F. 1893. Where Three Empires Meet: A Narrative of Recent Travel in: Kashmir, Western Tibet, Gilgit, and the adjoining countries. Longmans, Green, and Co., London. Reprint: Ch'eng Wen Publishing Company, Taipei. 1971.
  • Jonah Blank, "Kashmir–Fundamentalism Takes Root," Foreign Affairs, 78,6

(November/December 1999): 36-42.

  • Younghusband, Francis and Molyneux, Edward 1917. Kashmir. A. & C. Black, London.
  • Drew, Frederic. Date unknown. The Northern Barrier of India: a popular account of the Jammoo and Kashmir Territories with Illustrations. Reprint: Light & Life Publishers, Jammu. 1971.
  • Moorcroft, William and Trebeck, George. 1841. Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Panjab; in Ladakh and Kashmir, in Peshawar, Kabul, Kunduz, and Bokhara... from 1819 to 1825, Vol. II. Reprint: New Delhi, Sagar Publications, 1971.
  • Anonymous. 1614. Baharistan-i-Shahi: A Chronicle of Mediaeval Kashmir. Translated by K.N. Pandit. [1]
  • Victoria Schofield, Kashmir in the Crossfire (London: I B Tauris, 1996)
  • Navnita Behera, State, identity and violence : Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh

(New Delhi: Manohar, 2000)

  • Ashutosh Varshney, ‘India, Pakistan and Kashmir: Antinomies of Nationalism’

Asian Survey November 1991 p997-1019

See also

  1. ^ [2]
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