My lectures on Kashmir

‘For gaining some understanding about Kashmir and the psyche of Kashmiris, it is essential that one first gains some knowledge about the history of Kashmir. People’s ignorance about the history of Kashmir makes it not only a little enigmatic, but also a region taken for granted for its natural beauty and a continual political strife. But Kashmir is much more than that! Perhaps the solution to her strife, as seen in the past three decades or so, lies in her history. Interestingly, despite not being a historian or an expert on Kashmir, I happened to deliver two lectures on Kashmir last week, to two different forums, both in Perth, on two different days.

• The first group, Sanskriti, comprised Australians of Indian background, mostly professionals and above 50. About 25 people attended the lecture.
• The second group, the U3A (‘The University of the Third Age’), affiliated to the University of Western Australia, comprised mostly white Australians, coming from a range of background. The audience comprised about 50 people.

Why me? The answer is simple: I am known to be a proud ethnic Kashmiri. About five months ago, Kesi, a member of the U3A, was introduced to me in an Indian social gathering. Thereafter, we discussed Kashmir and my first book, 22 Years – a Kashmir Story. Kesi, albeit with Indian background, showed a keen interest in knowing more about Kashmir and thereafter organised an invitation from the U3A to deliver a 45-min lecture. The earliest slot for delivering this monthly lecture was available on Friday, 19 October 2018.

Earlier this month, after I received a reminder from the U3A about my lecture, I urgently set myself to prepare a Power Point Presentation, for which I needed to undertake a quick research about the earlier history of my homeland. Soon I discovered how little I knew about her complex history! Same was the case with many Kashmiris with whom I interacted during my research.

A few days later, Sharad, an active member of Sanskriti, and I decided that I deliver the Kashmir lecture first to the Sanskriti group on Sunday, 14 October 2018, to see how it is received. After spending numerous hours over the past week or so, I barely managed to complete the first draft of my presentation just an hour before the scheduled start of the lecture. My lecture lasted for more than 1.5 hours, followed by an interesting Q & A session. There was so much to speak and share about more than 5,000 years of Kashmir history! It was evident that most of the audience had quite scanty information about the valley except to the extent it is naturally beautiful but strife-torn during the past three decades.

During my research, I learnt about:

• A Neolithic settlement at Buzahom in Kashmiri as far back as 2920 BCE;
• Interaction between Alexander the Great and Abisares, the king of Kashmir in 326 BCE and the battle of Hydaspes (the Greek name for River Jhelum);
• Kashmir becoming a part of the great Mauryan Empire around 300 BCE;
• How Ashoka the Great brought Buddhism to Kashmir and founded the city of Srinagari (the present day Srinagar) around 250 BCE;
• The connection between Jesus Christ and Kashmir;
• The 4^th World Conference of Buddhists held in Kashmir during the Kushan dynasty’s rule around 150 AD;
• How Buddhism reached Tibet and China through a great Kashmiri Buddhist scholar, Kumārajīva (343 – 413 AD), who travelled to China, influenced the Chinese emperor, Yao Xing, and spearheaded translation of many Sanskrit works into Chinese at the Chang’an monastery;
• Kashmir being a seat of learning for both Hinduism and Buddhism by 4^th Century AD;
• The Karkota Empire from Kashmir lasting for 230 years (625 to 855 AD);
• Chandrapida, the Karkota king – brave, courageous, generous and humble – recognised by the Chinese emperor as the king of Kashmir;
• Lalitaditya Muktapida (719 to 760 AD) – Chandrapida’s youngest brother, recognised as Alexander of India and arguably the mightiest warrior in the Indian history – who ruled Kashmir for 41 years, stopped the Arab invasion and extended his empire as far as Tibet to the east, Iran to the west, Turkestan to the north, Orrisa to the southeast and Gujarat to the southwest of Kashmir – built Parihaspora (now Paraspora) as his capital, constructed the grand Martand Sun Temple, one of three sun temples in India and perhaps the largest one;
• Contributions of Nilmat Purana (6^th to 8^th Century AD) – the epic of Kashmir – and Rajatarangni (12^th Century AD) by Kalhan India’s first historian, in capturing the earlier history of Kashmir;
• Avantivarman (855 to 883 AD), another great king of Kashmir, and his Prime Minister, Suyya, who desilted River Jhelum (Hydaspes in Greek and Vitasta in Sanskrit)and diverted its course;
• Adi Sankara’s visit to Kashmir in the 10^th Century and interaction with Abhinavgupta, the great Kashmiri scholar of Kashmir Shaivism;
• Instability in Kashmir, after the death of Queen Didda, for 317 years (1003 to 1320 AD) during the oppressive rule of kings from the Lohara dynasty, which gave birth to widespread corruption and the rise of feudal lords in Kashmir, finally leading to foreign invasions;
• How Zulju (Dulacha), a Turkic-Mongol chief, led a savage raid on Kashmir and the last Lohara king, Suhudeva, fled the valley;
• How Rinchan (a Ladakhi refugee) dramatically came into power, followed briefly by Kota Rani, and how Shah Mir played a devious role in changing the course of history of Kashmir in 1339 AD, when Kashmir saw its first ever Muslim ruler and the start of Shah Mir dynasty;
• The oppressive 24-year rule (1389 to 1413 AD) by Sultan Sikander, who plundered Hindu temples and forced mass conversion of Pandits to Islam, forcing the first wave of exodus of Pandits from the valley;
• The 50-year reign of a benevolent Muslim king, Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (1420 to 1470 AD), and the crucial part played in the history of Kashmir by a wise Pandit doctor, Shri Bhat;
• How the last Kashmiri king of Kashmir, Yousuf Shah Chak (1579 to 1586 AD), who beat Moghul Emperor Akbar’s army twice – was tricked, under a conspiracy, to visit Delhi and encouraged to meet Akbar for a peace treaty – but instead was arrested and imprisoned in Bengal till his death, and finally buried in Bihar;
• The supreme sacrifice made by the 9^th Sikh Guru, Teg Bahadur ji, on 24 November 1675, for saving Kashmiri Pandits from religious persecution and forced conversion during the oppressive rule of Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb;
• The oppressive 70-year rule (1751 to 1820 AD) by Afghan Durranis, who repressed Kashmiris of all faiths, till Ahmad Shah Durrani was defeated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1820; and
• The 24 years of the Sikh rule (1820 to 1846 AD) followed by 101-year rule (1846 to 1947) by several Dogra kings.

[Note that this blog does not cover the recent – post Partition – history, which has been documented to some extent in my latest book, Does India need a dictator (2018).]

After my lecture to Sanskriti on 14 October 2017, I made some necessary edits and amendments to the presentation. On Friday, 19 October, once again, my lecture to the U3A lasted more than 1.5 hours as against the scheduled duration of 45 minutes. I could not help going much overboard the scheduled time period. The audience too was spellbound, with great interest in the subject matter. After the lecture, James Campbell, the lecture coordinator of the U3A, sent me a detailed email, with his valuable feedback and suggestions for future lectures on the subject matter. Some excerpts of his email are reproduced below:

“Bill, your lecture was such a success … Not only did we have a near record attendance … this morning, I’ve had a number of emails from members who took my advice and read your blog that I had sent out …

The history is so complex for an audience who have been brought up with an education system emphasizing European history to the detriment of the region around Australia …

As you pointed out, there were an extraordinary number of regime changes.  I wondered if you might select the most important and try to find pictorial imagery of their style of clothing or architecture etc. that had a major effect on Kashmir. 

The subject was obviously one that held great interest. On reflection, I think that it is too big a subject to cram into one lecture and, in my opinion …”

The bottom line is that not many people know much about the earlier history of Kashmir, not even Kashmiris themselves. It is prudent that Kashmiris and all those people who deal and interact with Kashmiris must learn about the earlier history of Kashmir before preaching solutions, if any, to the so-called Kashmir issue!

No one, except the Kashmiris themselves, can help Kashmir to achieve everlasting peace, good health and progress. For doing so, all Kashmiris must come together peacefully and bury the hatchet  in order to turn a new leaf in the history of Maej Kasheer. May wisdom, mutual trust and peace prevail!’ … Bill K Koul