Identifying a Kashmiri

During last two decades Kashmir has been so much battered physically as well as in the media that a Kashmiri is probably the most well known person through out the world, even though sometimes for wrong reasons. However, there is confusion about who is a Kashmiri and what actually constitutes present Kashmir?

During last two decades Kashmir has been so much battered physically as well as in the media that a Kashmiri is probably the most well known person through out the world, even though sometimes for wrong reasons. However, there is confusion about who is a Kashmiri and what actually constitutes present Kashmir? Some people doubt even Kashmiris being a nation! It was the partition of Indian sub-continent and the subsequent conflict between the two emergent countries of Pakistan and India for owning this unfortunate piece of land that put Kashmir on the front page of almost every news paper and news channel through out the world. Even though in ancient chronicles the land of Kashmir is extensively mentioned by Greek, Chinese, and Arab historians as a beautiful valley deep in the Himalayan Mountains, yet not much has been mentioned about the Kashmiris themselves.

There are passing references about the peoples’ disposition and their habits. Almost all historians have mentioned that Kashmiris are great pedestrians and are given to walking long distances in mountains. Greeks called them a tribe famous all over India for their fast feet. Even Alberuni rates Kashmiris as good pedestrians. Hiuen Tsang describes Kashmiris in these words, “The people are handsome in appearance, but they are given to cunning. They love learning and are well instructed”. All these descriptions do not establish the real origin of Kashmiris. It is the accounts given in Kalhana’s Rajatarangini that take us back a few thousand years. Burzahom relates us to Neolithic age and confirms the existence of habitations in Kashmir during the human evolutionary process itself. The other Neolithic discoveries made in different parts of the valley including Gufkral in Tral take our origin to almost 8,000 years back. However, the recent finds of mammoth fossils and tools at Galandar, Pampore, push us almost 400,000 years back. Thus we have been there from the very evolution of the human life on this planet.

However, the unfortunate political conflict has put out a totally confusing picture about Kashmir as well as Kashmiris. There is urgent need to identify both the real Kashmir as well as a Kashmiri so that the present turmoil does not drown us completely in a sea of conflicting claims and counter claims. The most authentic book of history which, in fact is the earliest recorded history in the entire sub-continent is no doubt Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, written in twelfth century AD. It is the most reliable guide on all aspects of ancient Kashmir. Sir Aurel Stein, the translator of this most valuable document on Kashmir, after extensive research and actual ground verification has compiled a Memoir on the Geography of Ancient Kashmir. Let us examine what Stein has to say about the “Frontiers of Ancient Kas’mir”. He opens the account of the political topography of ancient Kashmir with a survey of its frontiers. Starting from south east is the valley of KASTHAVATA, the present Kishtwar. It was a separate hill state with predominantly Kashmiri population. Next is the hill district of BHADRAVAKASA, the Raja ruling it used to be a tributary to Chamba. The Rajas of Chamba often figured in Kashmir chronicles and inter-married with the Lohara dynasty which reigned in Kashmir. To the west of Chamba and south of Bhadravasaka lay the old chiefship of VALLAPURA or the present day Billawar. Between Billawar and Rajapuri (present Rajauri) were many Hindu chieftains.

The inhabitants of this region were called Dogras and their country Dugar. Between these two limits on lower hills lived the Thakkuras. The chiefs of the hills immediately south of the Pir Pantsal Range acknowledged their suzerainty to strong Kashmir rulers. The most important hill state in this area was Rajapuri or the present Rajauri. Hiuen Tsang who passed through here mentions that Rajapuri was subject to Kashmir. Next to Rajauri comes Lohara which included Parontsa or present Punch. The most important valley in this region was that of Lohrin, the route to Tosamaidan which was the shortest access to Kashmir valley. Lohara has played an important part in the history of Kashmir. Alberuni also mentions its importance. Next we come to URASA or present Hazara between Vitasta and Indus. Hiuen Tsang calls this territory Wu-la-shi and according to him it was a tributary to Kashmir. In Muslim period Urasa was also included in the region known as Pakhli and was situated between Kashmir in the east and Indus in the west. This tract is now known as Karnau or by the old name of KARNAHA. The valley of Kisanganga above its junction with Karnau River and as far as Sardi was known as Drava or Duranda of Kalahana’s chronicle and was a dependency of Kashmir.

Immediately above Sardi the valley of Kisanganga turns into a narrow gorge and at the end of which is the territory of Dards or the DARADADESA. Daratpuri, the town of the Darads is modern Gurez. From the head-waters of Kisanganga to those of the Drass River we reach the land of the Bhauttas. Thence the eastern frontier of Kashmir is formed by a mountain range which runs from Zoji La due south towards Kishtwar. Along this range in the east is the narrow valley of Wardwan inhabited by Kashmiris. Thus the ancient Kashmir was the main valley of Kashmir surrounded by small hill chieftains mostly subject to the Kings of Kashmir. The Kingdom of Kashmir expanded much beyond its usual borders during the reign of Lalitaditya and stretched from Kanauj to Tokharistan which comprised Badakhshan and upper tracts of Upper Oxus. He also had a military treaty with Chinese against Tibet and in fact perished during one of his northern campaigns. As far as Kashmiris themselves are concerned, they are more akin to Central Asian stock than to the people living in the south. People who have visited Tajikistan say that except language everything else is common between Kashmiris and Tajiks. Even Kashmir’s great spiritual leader Mir Sayed Ali Hamadani, popularly known as Amir-e-Kabir or Shah-i-Hamadan is buried in Tajikistan. The present State of Jammu & Kashmir came into being in 1846 by the infamous Treaty of Amritsar. Ladakh had already been annexed to Dogra Empire by General Zorawar Singh and Kashmir was purchased along with its unfortunate inhabitants by them from the British. In 1947 the dispute arose about the whole erstwhile princely State of Jammu & Kashmir and not only regarding the vale of Kashmir. During last 60 years due to extensive media coverage the entire territory is known as Kashmir and all the people residing therein are projected to be Kashmiris. Again at present attempts are being made to limit the entire problem to Kashmiris only who are supposed to be the valley residents. The people of the three distinct regions of the state may ultimately decide to live with either of the two dominions or even as an Independent State but that will not wipe out the distinct historical identity of Kashmiris. Confusion has also been created by some people for various reasons about Kasmiris not being a separate Nation. The Cyclopaedia of Political Science states, “A nation is an aggregation of men speaking the same language, having the same customs, and endowed with certain moral qualities which distinguish them from other groups of a like nature. It would follow from this definition that a nation is destined to form only one state, and that it constitutes one indivisible whole”.

Other definitions are, “a large body of people united by common descent, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory”. “A large group of people of the same race who share the same language, traditions, and history, but who might not all live in one area”. “People whose common identity creates a psychological bond and a political community. Their political identity usually comprises such characteristics as a common language, culture, ethnicity, and history. (Encyclopaedia Britannica) By all these definitions Kashmiris constitute a Nation. In fact both India and Pakistan do not constitute Nations as understood in terms of Political Science definitions of both the Nation as well as Nation States. These are modern entities created by artificial binding. European Union similarly does not constitute a Nation but a group of Nations which have come together for economic considerations. Similar can be the case for SAARC countries sometime in future. Whatever may be future dispensation of the State of Jammu & Kashmir or for that matter of the various countries in the Indian sub-continent or the entire South Asian Region, Kashmiris will continue to have their distinct identity which has been moulded over hundreds or rather thousands of years. If we have survived 5,000 years of history, we will definitely continue to do so in future also, notwithstanding the temporary tribulations being faced by us at present

BY M. ASHRAF