Hinduism - Where Is Kashmir? Do Kashmiris Still Continue To Have A Shared History, Language, Culture, And Identity?


 Along with Jammu and Ladakh, it is one of the three different cultural zones of the contemporary Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir was formerly a princely realm controlled by Hindu Dogra monarchs who also reigned over the mostly Muslim Kashmiris and predominantly Buddhist Ladakhis.

Since India's independence in 1947, ethnic and religious divisions have been a cause of strife, particularly in Kashmir.

Pakistan sought to capture the territory by force after independence and claimed a chunk of Kashmir.

Since then, India and Pakistan have fought multiple battles over it; Pakistan claims it based on their common faith of Islam, while India claims it based on a document signed by Maharaja Hari Singh, the last of the country's monarchs.

Kashmiris have been trapped in the middle of this regional conflict, and their requests for greater self-determination have mostly gone unheeded.

Tensions in Kashmir reached a peak during the widely acknowledged fraudulent state elections of 1986.

Since 1990, the tension has escalated into a full-fledged revolt, aided by secret Pakistani assistance.

During medieval times, the majority of Kashmiris converted to Islam.

Previously, the region was a Hindu cultural hotspot.

The sun temple at Martand, a temple to the deity Shiva at Pandrenthan, and the Shiva shrine at Amarnath cave, which is still a significant pilgrimage destination, are all remarkable examples of early Hindu architecture.

Kashmir is also home to a Hindu minority known as Kashmiri Pandits.

Many of them have moved south to other areas of India as a result of recent problems.

Despite their differing religious views, these two populations share a shared language and sense of Kashmiri identity and culture.

See Christine Nivin et al., India, 8th ed., Lonely Planet, 1998, for general information about Kashmir and other Indian locations.


You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.

Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.