Lably
Skip to content

Kashmiris

Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group

  • 5 min read
  • 5 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Neolithic, Vedic period and Ashoka

Lab · Class 7–12Ashoka & the Mauryan EmpireLab · Class 7Maurya EmpireLab · Class 7–9Ancient Indian Empires

Ruling history

The earliest known Neolithic sites in the Kashmir Valley are from around 3000 BCE, of which Burzahom is the most significant. These sites provide evidence of early human settlement, including dwellings, tools and domesticated animals. During the later Vedic period, the Uttara–Kurus tribe settled in Kashmir.

During the Ashoka reign (304–232 BCE), Kashmir became part of the Maurya Empire and the city of Srinagari (Srinagar) was built. Kashmir was later conquered by Kanishka, an emperor from the Kushan dynasty. In the eighth century, during the Karkota Empire, Kashmir grew as an imperial power. Lalitaditya Muktapida defeated Yashovarman of Kanyakubja and conquered the eastern kingdoms of Magadha, Kamarupa, Gauda, and Kalinga, he also defeated the Arabs in Sindh. Later came the Utpala dynasty, founded by Avantivarman, which was followed by the Karkotas dynasty. In the latter half of the 10th century, Queen Didda, a descendant of the Hindu Shahis of Udabhandapura on her mother's side, took over as ruler. After her death in 1003 CE, the Lohara dynasty ruled the region.

In 1339, Shah Mir became the ruler of Kashmir, establishing the Shah Mir dynasty, which brought Islam to the Kashmir region. From 1586 to 1751, the Mughal Empire ruled Kashmir, followed by the Afghan Durrani Empire which ruled from 1747 until 1819. The Sikhs, under Ranjit Singh, annexed Kashmir in 1819. In 1846, after the First Anglo-Sikh War, the Treaty of Lahore was signed and upon the purchase of the region from the British under the Treaty of Amritsar, the King of Jammu, Gulab Singh, became ruler of Kashmir. Thereafter, the Dogra dynasty ruled under the British Crown until 1947, when the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir joined India. The region became a disputed territory the same year, administered by three countries, India, Pakistan, and China. The Kashmir Valley, from where Kashmiris originate, lies in the Indian-administered portion of the region.

Sign in to keep reading

4 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in India

MuslimsAdherents of IslamPresidencies and provinces of British India1612–1947 British directly-ruled administrative divisions in IndiaStates and union territories of IndiaIndia is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 sSikhsReligious groupInternational Alphabet of Sanskrit TransliterationTransliteration scheme for Indic scriptsPrime Minister of IndiaHead of government