Written on page 88 of Diwan-e-Ashna & attributed to Hazrat Amir Khusrau, the nazm describes the pristine beauty of Heaven on Earth which has intoxicated minds of emperors, visitors & the common masses since ages. Eulogised for its beauty, Kashmir is also hailed for celebrating religious pluralism identified with Kashmiriyat since ages. As we delve deeper into the history of the region, Kashmir has been home to multiple faiths to include Hinduism, Budhism, Kashmir Shaivism & Islam. For years Sufism & Shaivism coexisted & flourished together in this land.
Etymologically, Kashmir means desiccated land from Sanskrit words ka = water & shimra = desiccate. The name gives credence to religious beliefs & writings of Kalhan in Rajtarangani & Nilmat Purana according to which on request of great sage Kashyapa, the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesha drained the water from a lake called Satisar (present day Kashmir). The land which emerged when Goddess Sharika dropped a pebble on desiccated land is now known as Kashmir. The region was used by Sage Kashyapa to settle Brahmins. In 250 BC, the region was conquered by Ashoka, under whose patronage Budhism was introduced in Kashmir. In the reign of Mauryan & Kushan dynasty, Kashmir became a seat of Hinduism & Budhism. As per Budhist Tradition, the Fourth Budhist Council was held in Kashmir in which celebrated scholars Ashvagosha, Nagrajuna & Vasumitra took part. In tenth & eleventh century, Kashmir Shaivism gained prominence with its humanistic philosophy.
Islam was introduced to the region in 14th century with conversion of ruler Renchen (later known as Sultan Sadr-ud-Din) & subsequent coup by Shah Mir. Due to efforts of Persian Sufi Saints such as Sayyid Ali Hamdani, Islam became religion of the majority in the region. The region came under direct control of Mughals during reign of Akbar & Mughals ruled it till 1750s when it became part of Durrani Empire. In 1820, Maharaja Ranjit Singh annexed the region on invitation of Mirza Pandit Dhar & his son Birbal Dhar owing to atrocities of Durrani Empire. In 1846 at the end of First Sikh War & treaties of Amritsar & Lahore, the region was gifted to Maharaja Gulab Singh & Dogra rule lasted from 1846 to 1947.
As one looks through pages of history of Kashmir, religious pluralism & peaceful co-existence of various faiths form tenets of Kashmiriyat. Though there are examples of religious intolerance & proselytization by rulers wherein masses practicing one faith suffered in the hands of rulers practicing a different faith. However such examples are far & few in the long history of this region. Kashmiriyat has been synonymous with religious tolerance, inclusivity & respect for each other’s traditions & religious festivals. As per visitors & historians, it was difficult to distinguish a Hindu from a Muslim in Kashmir who identified only with their region & were united in their struggles against oppressive rulers commencing from Lohara to Mughal/ Durrani/ Sikh/ Dogra dynasties.
Britannica defines multiculturalism as a political philosophy with a view that cultures, races, and ethnicities, particularly those of minority groups, deserve special acknowledgement of their differences within a dominant political culture. Kashmir exemplifies multiculturalism as the region has always been a melting pot of multiple faiths & ethnicities with Kashmiri culture affected by Indian, Persian & Central Asian cultural ethos. Kashmir has witnessed confluence & co-existence of Hinduism, Budhism, Kasmiri Shaivism & Sufism. It is land of Laalleshuri or Lal Ded & her disciple Nund Rishi (also referred as Sheikh Nur-ud-Din). Nund Rishi was revered by both Hindus & Muslims alike & addressed by different names by people practicing faiths. His teachings have been followed by all faiths & led to confluence of Shaivism & Sufism. Religious harmony in Kashmir has withstood rigours/ atrocities & religious intolerance of various rulers and peaceful co-existence was witnessed even during partition. As the country burned in fires of communal fire, Mahatma Gandhi remarked on prevalent religious harmony in Kashmir:-
“…It is really difficult for me to distinguish a Hindu Kashmiri & a Muslim Kashmiri. You people speak one language and have one culture. While the rest of the country burns in communal fire, I see a hope in Kashmir only….”
Decades later in 1989, Pakistan sponsored terrorism under Operation TOPAC, Pakistan assisted infiltration of Mujahadeens at the end of Soviet- Afghan War & religious indoctrination of gullible youth led to large scale communal violence. Mass rapes & violence forced Kashmiri Pandits to flee their homeland which they had cohabited with their Sikh & Muslim brothers since ages. Since 1990s, Pakistan has used one faith against another to further its nefarious designs in Kashmir. Consequently, the idea of Kashmiriyat stands broken, battered, shattered & drenched in the bloods of Hindus & Muslims alike.
Fast forward in year 2011-12, I was an eyewitness to communal rioting in Jammu. As the truth dawned upon me, I found no Hindu or Muslim victims of violence. The poor have no religion & fall prey to machinations of religious hatred. I heard accounts of a Muslim protecting the property of a Hindu owner burnt along with the property by fellow Muslims. It was reported that a Hindu worker of a shop owned by a Muslim was hacked to death by fellow Hindus. It was also reported that a Hindu killed by his relatives owing to family feud was dumped near a Masjid & a fellow Muslim killed another Muslim owing to property dispute and threw his body near a temple. The marauding masses could only target innocents and poor who have no religion for hunger clouds the vision of any God. Never in history the powerful & rich fall victim of violence.
As the knowledge of religion sets us on the path of religious tolerance, inclusivity & peaceful co-existence & weans us away from radicalism, one is reminded of our rich legacy of Kashmiriyat for we are not Hindus or Muslims, Sikhs or Christians but Kashmiris fighting to reclaim our legacy. Our forefathers have fought to preserve the idea of Kashmiriyat & now the responsibility falls on our shoulders to carry forward the idea in the land of celebrated saints such as Nund Rishi known by sobriquet Sheikh Nur-ud-Din. Let’s endevaour to reclaim our age old idea of Kashmiriyat & join the prayers of Rabindranath Tagore for a better tomorrow:-
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free. Where the world has not been broken into fragments by narrow domestic walls. Where words come out from the depth of truth, where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection. Where the clear stream of logic has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit. Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action. In to that heaven of freedom, my father, LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!”
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