History of Kashmir

1947 to-date (Puppet Regimes)
In August 1947 a decision had to be made regarding what happens to the states (including J & K) which had become independent due to the end of the contractual relationship these states had with the British government in India. The states were advised (by the Indian Independence Act 1947) to choose whether they wanted to remain independent or accede to Pakistan or India according to the will of the people. The Muslim majority states acceded to Pakistan and the Hindu majority states acceded to India.

This was the case for most of the states except two, Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir. These two states were denied the right to choose whether they wanted to remain independent or join India or Pakistan. India ended up occupying Hyderabad even though it had opted for independence. India also reversed its principals where     J & K (a Muslim majority state) was concerned and wanted it to accede to India. Sensing this, people in certain parts of Kashmir stood against the Maharaja and inflicted defeat on the state forces. This is how Azad Kashmir came to be. 
In the beginning of 1990, massive human rights violations began to take place in Indian occupied Kashmir. Since then, daily violence is routine for the people of Kashmir.

1846 to 1947 AD (The Dogra monarchs)
Gulab Singh and his descendents ruled over Kashmir for a whole century. During this time the Dogras of Jammu and the small Hindu minority in Kashmir became the privileged classes whilst the Kashmiri Muslims received a rough deal e.g. justification of discrimination against them, poor employment opportunities, banning of freedom of speech etc.

In 1946 Kashmir was in turmoil like the rest of the subcontinent. In May 1946, Shaikh Abdullah gave the call of 'Quit Kashmir' to the Dogra ruler. The government replied with mass arrest of the National Conference workers. Bakhshi Ghulam Muhammad and G. M. Sadiq then escaped to Lahore where they gathered with others to try and solve the Kashmir problem. This is how matters were until the partition and the creation of independent India and Pakistan.

1819 to 1846 AD (The Sikh Rulers)
Both the Afghan and Sikh rules of Kashmir were a period of relentless tyranny and terror where no one could breathe freely.  It was during the Sikh rule in 1831 when heavy and untimely snowfall caused a terrible famine in Kashmir.

In 1845 whilst the Sikhs were still in control of Kashmir, war broke out between the Sikhs and the British.  By the end of the year 1846, Gulab Singh from Jammu was firmly in control of Kashmir.

1752 to 1819 AD (The Afghan Rulers)
In 1752, Kashmir was passed in to the hands of Ahmad Shah Abdali. In 1809, Muhammed Azim Khan threw off the Afghan yoke and declared his independence.  During 1819, when Jabbar Khan was the governor of Kashmir, a large Sikh army invaded Kashmir and defeated Jabbar Khan.  Kashmir then became a part of the Sikh kingdom for several years.

1587 to 1752 AD (The Moghal Emperors)

In 1587, Kashmir became a part of the Moghul Empire and lost its independence.  A measure of peace and stability returned to Kashmir during this time.  The Moghuls contributed greatly to the beauty of Kashmir by building the famous Moghul gardens, the baths at Achchabal and Manasbal and various pleasure houses.

Many of the Moghal emperors paid long visits to Kashmir, one of them was Aurangzeb, his son Bahadur Shah ascended the throne.  Bahadur Shah later on married a Kashmiri girl and their son Farrukh Siyar ascended the throne after his father.

1339 to 1587 AD (Period of Muslim Sultans)
In 1339 Sultan Shams-ud-Din Shahmiri (1339 to 1342) took over Kashmir and brought into it independence, freedom, peace and prosperity.  His sons Jamshid and Ala-ud-Din ruled Kashmir after him for 12 years. After that Sultan Shihab-ud-Din (Shams-ud-Din's grandson) took over and expanded the borders of Kashmir. His reign was characterized by peace, prosperity and rule of law and justice.

His younger brother Qutb-ud-Din also ruled Kashmir during 1373 to 1389. Zain-ud-Abidin was the last great ruler of the Shahmir dynasty, he ruled for the longest period, which was 1420 to 1470. He was known for his great achievements and for the Kashmiris he was the great king (Badshah). Several places in Kashmir have memorials for him.

His descendents lost their kingdom to the Chaks, who ruled the area from 1536 to 1587.

Up-to 1339 AD (The Hindu Rajas)
Very little information is available about the ancient Hindu Rajas that ruled Kashmir.   According to Kalhana's Rajtarangi, Gonanda I ascended the throne and established the monarchial system of government.  Throughout this period Kashmir was free (apart from two brief intervals) and it's kings also ruled over parts of Afghanistan and India.

The Hindu period ended with Sahdeva who was the last king of the Lohar dynasty.   Zulchu's invasion of Kashmir ended Sahdeva's reign.  Zulchu was a descendent of Halaku.  He caused devastation during his invasion of Kashmir, which was left in a state of chaos after him. Then a West-Tibetan prince named Renchan conquered the whole territory and became its monarch. Renchan later on took on the Islamic name Sadc-ud-Din and became the first Muslim ruler of the state. He ruled Kashmir for a brief period (1320 to 1322) and after his death chaos returned to Kashmir.