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Jammu and Kashmir
History
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| The culture of Kashmir was preserved for many centuries and reached
a high point during the time of the Great Utpala and Karota
dynasties. For a period of over a thousand years the country despite
its exploitation, was independent and flourishing.
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Ancient & Medieval
Reliable sources trace the history of Kashmir only to the
seventh century, although it is known that in the second
century, Kashmir was annexed by emperor Kanishka and became a
part of the Kushan Empire, later a part of China. The culture
of Kashmir was preserved for many centuries and reached a high
point during the time of the Great Utpala and Karota
dynasties. For a period of over a thousand years the country
despite its exploitation, was independent and flourishing.
Against this backdrop, Kashmir was converted to Islam in the
early part of the 14th century. It was a peaceful conversion,
with many of the followers of Shah Hamadan, the noted Persian
leader, seeking refuge in the valley. Zain-ul-Ab-ul-Din, an
enlightened Islamic ruler, introduced many of the handicrafts
for which Kashmir is now famous, including carpet weaving and
papier-mâché.
The Mughal emperor, Akbar, subdued Kashmir in 1585 and
upgraded the administration by introducing more equitable
systems of land distribution. He laid the foundations of the
city of Srinagar at the base of the Hari Parbat Hill, and
his son Jahangir and grandson Shah Jahan were responsible for
developing the famous gardens there, including those at Nishat
and Shalimar, on the banks of the Dal Lake.
With the gradual decline of the Mughal rule, the Afghans
established their rule over Kashmir in 1752. The brutally
oppressive Afghan occupation was followed by Sikh rule from
neighbouring ~Punjab~. They constructed the impressive fort on
top of Hari Parbat above the old city.
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Following the treaty of Amritsar in 1846, Kashmir and the
adjoining regions of Jammu, Baltistan and Ladakh became part
of the Maharaja's state of Jammu and Kashmir. Four Dogra
Maharajas ruled Kashmir during this period. In May each year
they moved from Jammu to Srinagar to conduct their summer
administration. During this time under a peculiar relationship
with the Dogra rulers, the British assumed control over the
state's external affairs, while the Maharajas were able to
determine their own domestic policy. |
| Kashmir was converted to Islam in the early part of the 14th century. It was a peaceful conversion.
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Since the Britishers were
barred from owning land in Kashmir, a number of houseboats
developed along the banks of the Jhelum River. The British
presence also revitalised an interest in Kashmir's history
among various scholars, such as Auriel Stein, who translated
the Rajatarangini, originally completed in the 12th century,
which became the definitive guide to Kashmir's early history.
 In 1930, a Quit Kashmir movement led by Sheikh Abdullah
evolved against the Maharaja and drew considerable support
from the local people, the majority of whom were Muslim and
had little in common with the Hindu Maharaja.
Post Independence
The British announcement of impending independence followed by
partition in 1947 brought the Kashmir situation to a head.
Though Kashmir was culturally closer to Pakistan and
economically to India, Maharaj Hari Singh, who was at the time
the ruler, was not interested in joining either camp. When
armed Pathan tribals from Pakistan invaded the Kashmir valley,
however, he turned to India for help. In the military conflict
that followed, one third of Kashmir's territory was occupied
by Pakistan and the rest by India. In 1949, Pakistan and India
defined a cease-fire line in the region that, despite
outbreaks of fighting between the two sides in 1965 and 1971,
has remained as the "line of control" between the Pakistani
and Indian controlled sections of the region. In 1962, China
occupied about 64,000 sq. kms in Ladakh known as Aksai Chin.
The formal ratification of Kashmir's accession to India in
1954, kept Pakistan smouldering and resulted in two full scale
wars in 1965 and 1971, and to the recent '99 armed conflict in
~Kargil~ which resulted in the loss of 1000 lives, without
achieving much.
The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir retains a special status
with the national government as defined by the Indian
constitution. While the rest of India's states follow this
constitution, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has its own
constitution (adopted in 1956). Nevertheless, India's national
(union) government possesses direct legislative powers in
defense, external affairs, and communications in the state and
indirectly deals with citizenship, Supreme Court jurisdiction,
and emergency powers. The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir
has a governor who is appointed by the president of India.
Executive power is vested in the elected chief minister and
the Council of Ministers, and there is also a bicameral
legislature.
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| Following the treaty of Amritsar in 1846, Kashmir and the
adjoining regions of Jammu, Baltistan and Ladakh became part
of the Maharaja's state of Jammu and Kashmir.
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 In 1975, Sheikh Abdullah took charge as the Chief Minister of
the State, and after his death, his son assumed office. The
1987 accord between Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah gave the
National Conference and the Congress a common political
platform, but was not taken too well by the people of the
state. Separatist groups demanding the autonomy of Kashmir
emerged. After imposition of President's rule in the early
1990's, the state is back to an elected form of government
from 1996. The situation has improved considerably since then,
but the state is far from being back to its erstwhile glory as
a premier chosen destination to visit.
Compiled by Puneet Sachdeva
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Editor: Romola Butalia Site Presented by Media Trails © India Travelogue
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