For many years, the separatists, the terrorist, the apologists and Pakistan have been propagating a lie to justify the Jihad in Kashmir by saying that Kashmir has never been a part of India or the Bharatvarsh. Not only have left liberals supported this lie, the intellectual class to has fallen for the lie and constantly used this lie to justify the crimes of terror in Kashmir, as an indigenous movement of a free nation. Unfortunately, the articles 370 and 35A helped this lie and even the innocent people not only in Kashmir but across India started believing in this lie.
Bharat etymologically is rooted in the verb Bha, which means light and rat which means devoted or immersed. So, Bharatvarsha is not just a geo-space but also a geo-cultural matrix from which various thoughts, concepts embedded in the depth of its consciousness of its people have emanated, giving shape to a great civilization called Bharatvarsha or India. Vishnupuran defines this land a country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains. Thus, Kashmir is not only by geo-space definition but also because of geo-cultural matrix has been part of this great civilization and land from time immemorial.
The land Kashmir derives its name the great Indian Sage – Kashyapa. The story of Kashmir has Sanatan Dharma written all over it. The SSatisar as Kashmir was known earlier was given to Nagas by Vishnu on the request of Wasuki (whose village ‘Waskur’ still exists in Gandherbal district), after they were losing out to Gaurda, their perpetual enemy. It is here that Jalodbhava, the demon was killed by the mother Godess after she came in form of a sparrow (ha-ri in Kashmiri) and crushed him under a hill. The hill still exists as Hari Parbat and the temple of Ha-ri too exists even now. It is here that on request of Sage Kashyapa, Nila, the King of Nagas allowed the Manu Putras to reside in Kashmir. The recorded history of Hindus of Kashmir dates back to almost 5200 years.
The Nilamat Puran, is probably the only puran which talks about a land and its people, starts with a question, ‘why did Kashmir not participate in the great war Mahabharta, where every King of Bharatvarsha did. The kingdom of Kashmir was no less than any other in the country?’ Nilmat says that King Gonanda was a relative of Jarasandha and he had joined him in his fight against Yadavas. Gonanda was killed by Balram and Gonanda’s sons Damodra went to fight Lord Krishna and was slain in the battle field by Krishna. Realising the sanctity of Kashmir, Bhagwan Krishna himself coronated the widow of Damodara, Yasmoti as the ruler of Kashmir. For the first time in the history of mankind, a female was made a ruler and Bhagwan Krishna herself coronated her. At the time of Mahabharta, Yasomati son was a minor, so Kashmir was exempted from joining either Kauravas or Pandavas. The Mahabharta, adi parva 2.64 states that sons of Pandu grew up in the holy mountains of Himavat. An area which many believe is Kashmir.
Every inch of Kashmir talks about its connection with Bharatvarsha. When Jalodbhava was to be killed, Lord Vishnu instructed Ananta to drain the water of Satisar by breaking the mountain barrier. The place Ananta did this is called Varahamula. Kashmiris still call it Varmul.
Kashmir has geographically been located in a difficult terrain and thus made the pilgrimage of Kashmiris to key tirthas spread in rest of India difficult. So, they created their own replicas of these key pilgrimage centres. Kashmir has its own Godavari, Ganga, Prayag and Sangam. Has Bhadrakali of Bengal, a temple of Tripura Sundari. And are used for the same religious activity the originals are used for. The gangbal of Kashmir has the same sanctity as Ganga of plains. It also flows from the locks of Shiva residing at the Kailash of Kashmir, Harmukh. The Sangam and Prayag have their Kumbhs and same religious activities as done at Allahabad or Nashik.
The land of Kashmir has had great contribution to the vedic civilization and won’t be unfair to call it ‘The Hub.’ Patanjali, the great commentator of Panani’s work often refers to the people pf Kashmir, whom he calls Kashmirikas. It is believed that Patanjali himself belonged to Kashmir. Many Puranas including Matsya, Vayu, Padma, Vishnu mention Kashmir. In the field of creative literature, the whole gateway of brilliant scholars were from Kashmir; Damodargupta, Jayanta, Somadeva, Bilhan, Kalhan amongst many others. It is here in this land that Somadeva wrote his magnum opus Katha Sarita Sagar.
Daughter of Sanskrit is what Dr. Toskhani calls Kashmiri. George Buhler, the most respected scholar of Indian Languages believed that Kashmiri descended from the Vedic speech, one of the dialects of classic Sanskrit.
Adi Shankaracharya, the great Saint and philosopher who in his desire to re-establish the faith in Upanishads decided to travel the length and breadth of this country. And part of his tour of this country, he decided to visit Kashmir also. It is here that Adi Shankaracharya accepted and acknowledged the importance of Shakti and wrote the beautiful Saundarya Lahiri on top of a hill that is today known as Shankaracharya Hill. In awe of Adi Shankaracharya, the Sharda Peeth (now in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir), the great Indian learning centre of those times, opened the never opened South Door in his honour. The targa, traditional headgear that Kashnmiri Pandit women wear is a gift from Adi Shankaracharya and symbolically represents crown as gift from ascetic.
Even today most of the Indians including Kashmiris start their day with a recital ‘Namaste Shaarade Devii Kaashmiira-Pura-Vaasini. Tvaam-Aham Praarthaye Nityam Vidyaa-Daanam Cha Dehi Me’. Salutations to you, O Sharada, O Goddess, O one who resides in Kashmir. I pray to you daily, please give me the charity of knowledge.
The Mahayana Buddhism had its birth in Kashmir. It is from here that Buddhism spread to China, Japan, Tibet and Korea. Even today China admits that India conquered and dominated the China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border. India conquered them, not Kashmir. Because even for Chinese, Kashmir has been a part of India form time immemorial.
The Kashmiri Pandits have seen many exoduses, some small, some big. It is a well-documented fact that there have been 7 major exoduses all driven by the atrocities of Islamic rulers or their officers. And where does one go to if driven out of home. One goes to a place where he/she is comfortable with. A place which practices his own religion, a place is part of his own country but safer. In 1990, Kashmiri Pandits did not go to flee to Pakistan, China, Tibet or Afghanistan. Most went to Jammu, a peaceful part of the J&K state and few others to the other parts of India. Even in the earlier exoduses Kashmiri Pandits fled to other parts of India only. Although the exoduses brought suffering to them, they also did enrich arts and culture in many other parts of India. The Pahari-Kangra school of Art is one such example. The fugitive KP family who escaped the forced conversion, swept the region of Kangra and surroundings with their genius. While Seu Raina established the pre-Kangra style, his descendants led to the ultimate blooming of the style.
Kashmir has been part of many great Indian empires including those of Mauryas, Kushanas, Kamboj, Mughals, Sikhs and British India. Ashoka, the great King of India, founded the capital city of Kashmir, Shri Nagri, today known as Srinagar. The Shri is the honorific title for the Goddess Lakshmi, and the capital city of Jammu & Kashmir has been named after her.
It was on the outskirts of Srinagar that Kanishka, again a great Indian emperor, held the 4th Buddhist council. Kashmir is the birth place of what is known as Sanskrit Buddhism. The great scholar of Shaivism Acharya Abhinavgupta ancestors belonged to Kannauj and had moved to Kashmir on the request of the great Indian King, Lalitaditya Mukhtipida. Lalitaditya, a Kashmiri, is considered one of the greatest kings of India, whose kingdom extended from Karnataka in South to Orrisa & Bengal in East to Konkan in west and Afghanistan and many parts of central Asia in North.
With the advent of Islam, Kashmir saw the last of its local rulers. The first Muslim King dynasty in Kashmir was the Shahmir dynasty. The Shahmir himself was of Turk or Persian origin and sought asylum in Kashmir after he was banished from the SWAT region. Many Kashmiris are often heard saying that ‘Yusuf Chak was the last indigenous King of Jammu & Kashmir’. This is a blatant lie and highlights ignorance or deliberate mischief. The last indigenous King of Jammu & Kashmir was Maharaja Hari Singh. The Dogra rulers of Jammu & Kashmir claim to be descendants of Bhagwan Ram, an Indian God. The last indigenous ruler from Kashmir valley was Kota Rani. Chaks are not from Kashmir but are Dardis. And interestingly Yususf Chak was defeated by Mughals, who were invited to Kashmir by the famous Sufi Saint of Kashmir, Sheikh Hamza Maqdoom.
In the last 450 years of Kashmir’s history, expect for 67 years of Afghan rule, the state of Kashmir has been part of part of the Indian Empires including Mughals, Sikhs and British India. Maharaja Hari was of one of the many princely kings in the British India empire and his status was as same as the others. He was no different and like other princely states were subject to suzerainty of the British Crown exercised through Viceroy of India. In 1947, the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir signed the same Instrument of Accession as did other 569 princely states.
Such has been the foolish attempts to claim that Kashmir has not been part of India, when some of the most prominent Indian freedom fighters were Kashmiris; Tej Bahahur Saproo, Vijay Laxmi Pandit, Moti Lal Nehru, Kailash Nath Katju, Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi and even Allama Iqbal, the poet who wrote ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha.’ Infact India’s two prime ministers including the first, the longest serving and the first female were Kashmiris. It was a Kashmiri that set up India’s highly respected foreign intelligence wing R&AW. Kashmiris have served as Chief of Army, Airforce, Bureaucracy and various premier institutions of this country. Kashmiri is amongst the 22 scheduled languages of India.
Sources:
- Nilmat Puran – Dr. Ved Kumari
- The Hindu History of Kashmir – H H Wilson
- Cultural Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits – S S Toshkhani & K Warikoo
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