Kashmir – The Saga of Hindu Struggle Against Jihad History

First of all, let me tell you that this article is not meant to disrespect any religion or caste. For us, all religions are one and India is above all of this. Yes, our nation. I am just writing the favor of India from the point of view of a Hindu.

Kashmir in the last decade of the twentieth century. Toxic war cries echoing from mosques, dead bodies pierced by bullets from Kalashnikov rifles, temples vandalized, and the forced exodus of Arya Saraswat Brahmins (Hindus)!!!

Was it just the exodus of Hindus?

Or

• Did it symbolize the departure of ancient Kashmiri?
• Hindu culture, which is known as an inseparable part of the Indic civilization?
• Was it a historically isolated event?

Or

was it the final phase of the main Kashmiri-Indian civilization and the fight of the radical Islamist monotheism, which has been in continuance since the arrival of Islam in India?

Kashmir – The Saga of Hindu Struggle Against Jihad

The territorial integration of Kashmir within the borders of India has already been accomplished seventy years ago.

If politicians are to be believed, they are ready to sacrifice their lives for reclaiming Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

But it is also crystal clear that the territorial integration of Indian Kashmir is possible only due to the heavy deployment of Indian security forces, whose removal will leave this so-called integration in tatters.

Thus, the much-anticipated victory doesn’t appear to be going in favor of the Indian State. The land of Kashmir is acclaimed as the abode of Devi Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, as per the Shastras.

!!Namaste Shaarada Devii Kaashmiira-Pura-Vaasini Tvaam-Aham Praarthaye Nityam Vidyaa-Daanam Ca Dehi Me!!

Kashmir – The Saga of Hindu Struggle Against Jihad

True to its civilizational significance, Kashmir has given birth to such sages as Abhinava Gupta, Panini, and other scholars, who enlightened the whole of the subcontinent and beyond with their intellect, knowledge, and wisdom.

Circled by the snow-capped mountain ranges, the Kashmir valley was the cradle of much of the architecture, knowledge-sciences, and philosophical traditions of India and it would not be an exaggeration to call it the fountainhead of Indic civilization.

The minority Arya Saraswat Brahmins were the last remaining traces of the ancient Indian tradition in Kashmir valley.

Their violent eviction was the direct result of the cowardice of the Indian State, which could not differentiate between Kashmir’s territorial and cultural-civilizational integration as opposed to the newly popular view that coward Pandits left the valley without giving any resistance.

The truth is that Hindus, for centuries, made great sacrifices to fight back against the Islamisation of Kashmir and protected the Dharmic civilization.

Let’s dive deeper into the history of this resistance.

In the eleventh century, when the notorious Mahmud of Ghazni, notorious for his repeated attacks on the Somnath Temple, dared to enter Kashmir via Tosha Maidan pass, Emperor Sangramraj, attacked Ghazni’s army at Pirpanjal’s Loharkot Fort, and forced them to retreat, not once but twice.

Raja Sangramraj – the founder of the Lohar dynasty, who ruled Kashmir from 1003 to 1028 AD, whose kingdom extended all the way up to the Pir Panjal mountain range.

Islamic rule in Kashmir was established not due to a courageous military expedition, but was rather the consequence of the conspiracy and the brutal murders in the royal court, leading to the ascension of Shah Mir to the throne in 1339 AD.

 

 

Kashmir – The Saga of Hindu Struggle Against Jihad

The diverse, pluralistic and culturally enlightened society of Kashmir had no clue of the calamity that was about to strike them.

As time elapsed, the lineage of Shah Mir established itself and Muslim tyrants began to show their true colors.

Several humiliating restrictions were imposed on Hindus, which included the denial of performing the last rites for the deceased.

Temples were destroyed, and mosques built over their ruins. Temples were also converted into rest-houses for Muslim travelers.

Hindu-resistance was suppressed through all sorts of unspeakable atrocities for which Muslim tyrants have earned a reputation.

In those hostile times, Pandit Nirmal Kanth led the drive for reinduction of forcibly converted Muslims back to the Hindu fold.

The unprecedented success of the movement made him the center of the new Hindu resurgence.

Newly converted Muslims not only converted back to Hinduism but did Murti-Puja (worship of idols) while sitting on the top of the Quran.

Muslim Ulemas were both angry and astonished witnessing such impunity of the Kafirs. Shiya ruler Qazi Chak carried out a horrific massacre in the valley with the horrendous genocide of Pandit Nirmal Kanth, along with 800 Kashmiri Hindus, in the approaching days of Ashura.

 

 

Kashmir – The Saga of Hindu Struggle Against Jihad

At the beginning of the 19th century, Afghan Subedar Azim Khan was ruling Kashmir with a demonic spirit.

Swaraj (self-rule) was the only way forward for the liberation from cruel Islamic tyrants, and Swaraj was already established in Punjab.

Pandit Birbal Dhar, dodging the impregnable surveillance of Azim Khan, escaped Kashmir and appeared in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The Maharaja was hesitant and uncertain about conducting a military operation in the Kashmir valley owing to the challenging terrain.

But Pandit Birbal convinced the Maharaja with his clarity and strategic insights.

Birbal Dhar had to pay the price for this courage with the brutal murder of his wife and companions by the Pathans.

Meanwhile, Sikh-Dogras drove out Afghan Pathans, and this victory was celebrated for three days by Kashmiri Hindus.

After a painfully long time, Jaziya, insult of Upanayana, conversions, and cow slaughter came to a halt in Kashmir.

In 1846, the power and governance were reclaimed by the Dogra kings, who gave a concrete identity to the State of Jammu & Kashmir with the consolidation of scattered territory and revived the Hindu ethos with the construction of Mathas, temples, and Sanskrit Gurukuls.

These are the last civilizational efforts carried out in the valley.

Nothing of this sort was ever attempted by the democratic Republic of India.

Indian politics were extremely turbulent in the decade of 1940.

While Sharia-inspired Sheikh Abdullah was busy planting his political ambitions, Kashmiri Hindu leader, Shiv Narain Fotedar, was devoted to the democratic process and the full integration of Kashmir into India.

But Jawaharlal Nehru’s cultural vision was myopic and he enacted Article 370 to appease Sheikh Abdullah.

Hindu nationalism exists in independent India only because of the numerical strength of Hindus.

Article 370 crippled the potential advantage of the Hindu demographics.

In contrast, back in 1754, Pandit Mahanand Dhar struggled for restoring the demographic balance in favor of Hindus with the goal of preserving the ancient Hindu culture of the valley.

Kashmir – The Saga of Hindu Struggle Against Jihad

Yes, it was to his credit that Pandit Mahanand Dhar arranged for Punjabi Hindus to settle in the valley.

Sheikh Abdullah was well aware of the significance of demography, he negotiated for such provisions in Article 370

that made it impossible for people from the rest of India to become residents of Kashmir.

Thus the demographic composition of the valley was irretrievably tilted in favour of Muslims.

It didn’t take long for the dire consequences of the skewed demographic composition to manifest.

To borrow a contemporary phrase, the first case of Love Jihad emerged in Kashmir in 1967, when a Pandit girl named Parameshwari was abducted by Gulam Rasool.

The local police and the government turned a deaf ear to the girl’s helpless widowed mother.

The Hindu community took to the streets in large numbers moved by the concern for the safety of their women.

Meanwhile, the maulvis instigated the Muslim mobs against Hindus with provocative slogans and evil propaganda.

The cops enforced a violent crackdown on the peaceful Hindu protesters.

Hindu women were humiliated and Hindu shops were marked for looting.

Numerous murders were carried out, and many Hindu corpses were recovered from drains much later.

Prompted by the deteriorating law and order situation, some Union Ministers also reached the valley.

Finally, a few Hindu leaders were silenced behind the scenes, and the movement was quelled.

As it turned out, what happened with Parameshwari was just a precursor to the upcoming disaster in 1990.

The Indian State’s apathy towards Kashmiri Hindus is apparent from their policy of dealing with stone-pelters and its soft stance with respect to the violent mass gatherings on the deaths of terrorists.

Unfortunately, the Indian State continues to be in a state of slumber, dreaming of a rosy picture of territorial nationalism and territorial integration.

• Is the rejuvenation of Martand Sun Temple possible with just the policy implementation of territorial nationalism?
• Will Hindus ever be able to perform Surya Arghya (the water-offering ritual to the Sun) on the Dal Lake?
• Will the sky of Kashmir ever echo with the sounds of the divine Mantras?

In the never-ending clash between violent monotheism and Hindu Dharmic civilization, Kashmiri Hindus struggled since the medieval era to keep the Hindu civilization alive in Kashmir.

In this modern epoch, the Indian State needs to relinquish its myopic obsession with territorial nationalism and adopt Hindu cultural nationalism to achieve a decisive civilizational victory in Kashmir.