History of Kashmir

Part of a series on the
History of Kashmir
Mythological timeline Nilamata Purana Mythological dynasties Legend of Kashap
Ancient period Pre-Mahabharat period Pre (3500 BCE) Mahabharat period Pre (3200–2000 BCE) Early dynasties Pre (2000–500 BCE)
Middle Republican period Middle Republic (326 BCE) Late Middle Republic (34–17 BCE) Karkota Empire (625–855 CE) Utpala dynasty (855-1003 CE) Lohara dynasty (1003-1320 CE)
Medieval period Shah Mir dynasty (1339–1535) Chaks (1535–1589) Mughal rule (1589–1738) Afghan rule (1738–1819) Maratha invasion (1758–1760) Sikh rule (1819-1846)
Early modern period Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) (1846–1947)
Late modern period Kashmir conflict (1947–present)
Related articles Rajatarangini Religious history Kalhana Nilamata Purana Military history
History of Azad Kashmir History of Gilgit-Baltistan History of Ladakh History of Poonch District
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The history of Kashmir is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent in South Asia with influences from the surrounding regions of Central, and East Asia. Historically, Kashmir referred to only the Kashmir Valley of the western Himalayas.^[1] Today, it denotes a larger area that includes the Indian-administered union territories of Jammu and Kashmir (which consists of Jammu and the Kashmir Valley), Ladakh, the Pakistan-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Chinese-administered regions of Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract.

In the first half of the 1st millennium, the Kashmir region became an important centre of Hinduism and later—under the Mauryas and Kushanas—of Buddhism. Later in the ninth century, during the rule of the Karkota Dynasty, a native tradition of Shaivism arose. It flourished in the seven centuries of Hindu rule, continuing under the Utpala and the Lohara dynasties, ending in mid-14th century.

The spread of Islam in Kashmir began during the 13th century, accelerated under Muslim rule during the 14th and 15th centuries, and led to the eventual decline of Kashmiri Shaivism in the region.

In 1339, Shah Mir became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir, inaugurating the Shah Mir dynasty. For the next five centuries, Muslim monarchs ruled Kashmir, including the Mughal Empire, who ruled from 1586 until 1751, and the Afghan Durrani Empire, which ruled from 1747 until 1819. That year, the Sikhs, under Ranjit Singh, annexed Kashmir. In 1846, after the Sikh defeat in 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 Raja of Jammu, Gulab Singh, became the new ruler of Kashmir. The rule of his descendants, under the paramountcy (or tutelage) of the British Crown, lasted until 1947, when the former princely state became a disputed territory, now administered by three countries: India, Pakistan, and the People's Republic of China.