KASHMIRI PANDITS, A 11000 YEARS HISTORY...

                                                                                                           

History  of the Kashmiri Pandits is the history of Kashmir since last more than  11,000 years. They are associated with its society, culture,  civilization, customs, traditions, myths and realities and Kashmir was  then the fountainhead of all civilisation, divine spirituality on this  planet. However only a couple of millennia ago the impact of Buddhism  and reactions by Brahmans gave rise to a long struggle between the two  rival ideologies. Buddhism did flourish though in the north of the  Valley during the reign of Durnadeo, Simhadeo, Sundersen, Ashoka and  Kanishka. The great Buddhist council was held at Kanishpur in Kashmir  during the rule of Kanishka and it was presided over by two eminent  scholars --- Asvaghosha and Vasumitra. About 500 monks from different  parts of the subcontinent attended the same. Nagarjuna , a Bodhisattva  and the greatest philosopher of Buddhism, lived in Kashmir. During the  reign of Abhimanu, a number of people were converted to Buddhism. It was  first struggle of the Kashmiri Brahmans for their survival. A number of  Kashmiri scholars – Kumarajiva (AD 384-417), Shakyashri Badhra (AD  405), Ratnavera, Shama Bhatta (5th Cen AD) and others went to China and  Tibet to preach Buddhism. However, the Brahmans regained their supremacy  during the reign of Nara I . The struggle between Buddhism and  Brahmanism came to an end with the emergence of modern Hinduism. A  period of comparative historical validity began with the establishment  of the Karkuta rule in AD 627. Avantivarman (AD 855-833) is believed to  be the first Vaishnavite ruler of Kashmir. During his rule there was a  tremendous cultural development in the Valley. The great Shaiva  philosophers of this period were Kayyatacharya, Somananda, Muktakantha  Swamin, Shiva Swamin, Ananda Vardhana and Kallata. 

 

            The  struggle between the Brahmans and other castes, such as Kayasthas,  began during the reign of Shankara Varman. The authority of the Brahmans  was broken and the sacred character of their citadels was violated.  However, the Shaivite thought and philosophy flourished. Pradyumana  Bhatta, Utpalacharya, Rama Kantha, Prajnarjuna, Lachaman Gupta and  Mahadeva Bhatta have made a tremendous contribution to this philosophy.  During the regime of Lohara dynasty, Kashmir came into contact with the  Muslim invaders who attacked India. When Mahmud Ghazni annexed the  Punjab, most of the tribes on the borders of Kashmir embraced Islam. At  that time, the Valley was ruled by Sangram Raja (AD 1003-1028). Even  after their conversion to Islam, these people continued to visit Kashmir  – as traders, wanderers and even missionaries. There are historical  evidences that some of these tribals settled in the Valley and made some  venture into propagating their new religion.

Harsha  (AD 1089-1101), was a man of extravagant habits and a jumble of  contraries. He robbed the temple treasures and melt idols of gold and  silver to tide over his financial crisis. Before him two other kings,  Jalauka and Kalasa, employed the same approach of plundering the temples  and melting the images of gold and silver to augment their depleted  treasuries. Harsha also employed Muslim generals, who are called  Turushkas by Kalhana, for the first time in the history of Kashmir. Now  Muslims as a class appeared in the political field and began to  consolidate its roots. Bhikshachara, a descendant of Harsha, organized a  cavalry force mainly consisting of the Muslims. During the reign of  Gopadeva (AD 1171-1180), the Brahmans consolidated their position. But  the Lavanya tribe shattered their roots once again. The Damaras,  Lavanyas and other tribes never allowed the Brahmans to monopolize. In  the reign of Jassaka (AD 1180-1198), two Brahmans – Kshuksa and Bhima,  endeavored to capture the throne. But it was the fear of Damaras or  feudal lords that prevented them. Ramadeva (AD 1252-1273) humiliated  those Brahmans who had helped him in his coronation. They conspired  against him but could not succeed. A reign of terror, loot and plunder  was let loose against them. Many Brahmans were killed and others crushed  barbarously. This was the first direct assault against them in the  history of Kashmir. To save themselves they cried “ Na Batoham” (I am  not a Bhatta). The Kashmiri Pandits are even now taunted as Bhattas and  Dalli Bhattas.

 

            To  counter the supremacy of the Brahmans, the rulers of Kashmir encouraged  the influx of Muslims into the Valley. During the reign of Suhadeva (AD  1301-1320) many Muslim adventurers came to Kashmir. The chief among  them was a Muslim missionary- Bulbul Shah. Two others were Shahmir from  Swat and Rinchana from Tibet. Shahmir came in AD 1313 along with his  numerous relations. Suhadeva granted him a jagir in a village near  Baramulla. Ramachandra, the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of  Kashmir, employed Rinchana and granted him jagir in a village in the Lar  Valley. These two adventurers were instrumental in the establishment of  the Muslim rule in Kashmir. Another adventurer who received Suhadeva’s  patronage was Lankar Chak. 

 

            Dulucha,  a Tartar chief from Central Asia, invaded Kashmir with 60,000 strong  horsemen. Suhadeva tried to induce him to retreat by paying him off a  large sum of money. For this purpose he imposed heavy taxes even upon  the Brahmans who had never before been taxed. But Dulucha refused to  retreat and struck terror. He ravaged the Valley with fire and sword.  Monstrous miseries were inflicted upon the people including the  Brahmans. According to Baharistan – i -Shahi, “Dulucha and his soldiers  killed everyone they could find . People who had fled to the hills and  forests were pursued and captured. Men were killed, women and children  were reduced to slavery and sold to the merchants of Khita (Turkistan),  whom the invaders had brought with them. All the houses in the cities  and the villages were burnt. The invaders ate as much of the corn and  rice as they could . Whatever was left, they burnt and destroyed. In  this way the whole of the Kashmir Valley was trampled under foot”.  Suhadeva fled to Kishtwar, leaving the Kingdom to the cruel aggressors.  Dulucha stayed here for eight months and took about 50,000 Brahmans with  him as slaves. But all the troops and slaves perished while crossing  the Devsar pass. It was a terrible experience for the legendary Kashmiri  Pandits.

 

            Dulucha  went away from the Valley but left it haunted. The cursed people had  lost all faith in their ruler- Suhadeva. Taking the advantage of the  chaos and confusion, Rinchana- the refugee from Tibet, occupied the  throne with the help of some chiefs . He killed his benefactor,  Ramachandra, in the fort of Lar by treacherous means and married his  daughter, Kota Rani.

 

            Rinchana,  a pseudo- Buddhist, wanted to get initiated into the Brahmanical fold  to strengthen his political position. At that time, Shaivism was the  most extensively practised religion in the Valley. So he called Sri  Devaswami, the religious head of the Shaivas, to indoctrinate himself  into the Hindu religion. Devaswami called a secret meeting of the  prominent Pandits, who refused to accept Rinchana into Hinduism because  of his low birth. Jonaraja says,” The King asked Devaswami to initiate  him in the mantras of Shiva, but as he was Bhautta (Tibetian), Devaswami  feared that the King was unworthy of such initiation and did not favour  him”. This was a monstrous blunder on the part of Pandits, which turned  the course of history. In fact, the Brahmans were not ready to share  their privileges with an outsider. Thus deflected, Rinchana wanted to  establish a uniform faith of warring sects and creeds in Kashmir with  himself as its head. But Shahmir and Bulbul Shah manipulated his  conversion to Islam. Ramachandra’s son, Ravanachandra, and many others  also embraced Islam. A Muslim ruling class came into existence. In this  way the Kashmiri Pandits were responsible for the destruction of their  own ascendency and the ruin of their very existence. They are  tremendously paying for it till today.

 

            People  of poorer families and subordinate castes were subdued into Islam by  gradual methods. This newly established Muslim class slowly consolidated  its position and employed various methods to propagate the new faith.  However, the Brahmans put a brave front and resisted the tide. After the  death of Rinchana (AD 1326), Udyanadeva, the brother of Suhadeva, was  installed on the throne of Kashmir and Shahmir was appointed as  Commander-in-Chief.

 

            Achala,  a Turkish chief, invaded Kashmir during the reign of Udyanadeva, laying  waste the territories he passed through. The king fled to Tibet. Kota  Rani - the queen, faced the invader, procured his death and saved the  kingdom. In this operation , Shahmir played the dominant role. Jonaraja  says, “Strange that this believer in Allah became the saviour of the  people. As a dried up river allows men to cross it and gives them  shelter on its banks, even so this believer in Allah, calm and active,  protected the terrified subjects.” Shahmir’s influence increased  tremendously and he further strengthened his position by entering into  matrimonial relations with the powerful nobles in Kashmir. A subversive  struggle was born between the tolerant Hinduism and the militant Islam.

            

 

            In  AD 1339, after defeating Kota Rain by a foul strategem and procuring  her death, Shahmir ascended the throne of Kashmir under the name of  Sultan Shamas-ud-Din (The Light of the Religion - Islam). He got khutaba  read and the coins struck to his name. Islam became the court religion.  Shahmir became the legitimate author and architect of Muslim rule in  Kashmir. With the establishment of the new regime Muslim missionaries,  preachers, sayyids and saints penetrated into the Valley. Sayyid  Jalal-ud-Din, Sayyid Taj-ud-Din, Sayyid Hussain Simnani, Sayyid Masud  and Sayyid Yusuf came to Kashmir to avoid the intended massacre by  Timur. Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (Shah Hamadan) entered Kashmir with 700  sayyids; and, his son, Mir Muhammad Hamadani, with 300 more. They  endured in the Valley under royal protection and disseminated the  message of Islam. This naturally caused animosity among the Brahmans and  resulted in frail rebellion during the reign of Shihab-ud-Din (AD  1354-1373). In order to break the upheaval among the Hindus and to make  them prostrate, the Sultan turned his attention towards their temples.  All the temples in Srinagar, including the one at Bijbehara, were  wrecked to terrorize the poor Kashmiri Pandits. It seems that by this  time, the sultans of Kashmir were perfectly islamized as a result of  their contacts, interactions and intercourses with the sayyids. These  sayyids came here as absconders in search of safe harbours, but  manoeuvered the events for their own cause and fanatic iconoclastic  zeal. The Hindus began to feel deserted and alienated in their own land.  To consolidate their rule, sultans institutionalized the “policy of  extermination” to eradicate all traces of Hinduism in any form. However,  the Kashmiri Pandits stuck to their own religion and traditions,  ignoring the atrocities, barbarism and cruelties of the privileged  ruling class. But there were many from other castes who, either by  conviction or in order to gain royal favour, embraced Islam. These new  converts were looked down upon by the Kashmiri Pandits as traitorous and  treacherous, with no loyalty for time-honored values. This gave rise to  a new class rivalry. Suha Bhatt, who after embracing Islam took the  name of Saif-ud-Din, became the leader of the fresh converts during the  reign of Sikandar (AD 1389-1413). 

            

Sikandar-  the Butshikan, was bigoted with fanatic religious zeal to spread Islam  in the entire Valley. This fanaticism was stimulated by Mir Muhammad  Hamadani. Suha Bhatt - the convert, was appointed Prime Minister by  Sikandar and both hatched a deadly conspiracy to persecute the Hindus  and enforce upon the Nizam-i-Mustaffa. Jonaraja says, “ The Sultan  forgot his kingly duties and took delight day and night in breaking  images … He broke images of Martanda, Vishaya, Ishana, Chakrabrit and  Tripureshvara …… There was no city, no town, no village, no wood where  Turushka left the temples of the gods unbroken.” According to Hassan  (History of Kashmir), “ This country possessed from the times of Hindu  rajas many temples which were like the wonders of the world. Their  workmanship was so fine and delicate that one found himself bewildered  at their sight. Sikandar, goaded by feelings of bigotry, destroyed them  and levelled them with the earth and with the material built many  mosques and khanqahs. In the first instance he turned his attention  towards the great Martand temple built by Ramdev (the temple was rebuilt  by King Lalitaditya, AD 724-760) on Mattan Kareva. For one year he  tried to demolish it, but failed. At last in sheer dismay, he dug out  stones from its base and having stored enough wood in their place, set  fire to it. The gold gilt paintings on its walls were totally destroyed  and the walls surrounding its premises were demolished. Its ruins even  now strike wonder in men’s minds. At Bijbehara, three hundred temples  including the famous Vijiveshwara temple, which was partly damaged by  Shihab-ud-Din, were destroyed. With the material of Vijiveshwara temple,  a mosque was built and on its site a khanqah, which is even now known  as Vijiveshwara Khanqah.” The stones and bricks which once configurated a  marvelous and splendid temple or monastery, now hold up mosques. Hassan  further adds, “ Sikandar meted out greatest oppression to the Hindus.  It was notified in the Valley that if a Hindu does not become a Muslim,  he must leave the country or be killed. As a result some of the Hindus  fled away, some accepted Islam and many Brahmans consented to be killed  and gave their lives. It is said that Sikandar collected, by these  methods, six maunds of sacred thread form Hindu converts and burnt them.  Mir Muhammad Hamadani, who was a witness of all this vicious brutality,  barbarism and vandalism, at last advised him to desist from the  slaughter of Brahmans and told him to impose jazia (religious tax)  instead of death upon them. All the Hindu books of learning were  collected and thrown into Dal Lake and were buried beneath stones and  earth.” Sikandar issued orders that no man should wear the tilak mark on  his forehead and no woman be allowed to perform sati. He also insisted  on breaking and melting of all the gold and silver idols of gods and  coin the metal into money. An attempt was made to destroy the caste of  the Aryan Saraswat Brahmans by force and those who resisted were subject  to heavy fines. Farishta says, “ Many of the Brahmans, rather than  abandon their religion or their county, poisoned themselves; some  emigrated from their native homes, while a few escaped the evil of  banishment by becoming Muhammedans”. To strictly enforce the  Nizam-i-Mustaffa, Sikandar established the office of Shaikh-ul-Islam.

 

            According  to W.R. Lawrence, the Aryan Saraswat Brahmans of Kashmir were given  three choices-death, conversion or exile. “Many fled, some were  converted and many were killed, and it is said that this thorough  monarch (Sikandar) burnt seven maunds of sacred threads of the murdered  Brahmans”. As for the statements of Hassan and Lawrence, six maunds of  sacred threads of converts and seven maunds of murdered Pandits were  burnt. The number of people, to whom these thirteen maunds of sacred  threads belonged, might have been tremendously colossal. A mammoth  number of the Saraswat Pandits also went into exile, causing the first  disastrous mass exodus of the community. When Suha Bhatt- the convert,  came to know that many Brahmans were leaving Kashmir, he tried to check  their exodus and ordered the frontier guards not to allow any one to  cross the borders. The unfortunate Pandits caught while crossing the  border were awarded severe punishments. Even the converts were required  to pay jazia as they were suspected of secretly clinging to their old  religion.

 

            Not  only Sikandar- the Butshikan, but Suha Bhatta – the convert, also was  responsible for this barbarous, murderous and cruel approach towards the  mythical Kashmiri Pandits. Jonaraja says, “ Suha Bhatta- the convert,  after demolishing the temples felt the satisfaction, and with the help  of sayyids, ulema and newly converts tried to destroy the caste of the  people… the illustrious Brahmans declared that they would die rather  than lose their caste and religion, and Suha Bhatta - the convert,  subjected them to a heavy fine, jazia, because they held to their caste  and religion.” There is no parallel of this religious persecution in the  history of the subcontinent.

 

            Ali  Shah - (AD 1413-1430), son of Sikandar- the Butshikan, during his short  rule of six years, carried on his father’s 24-year tyrant reign with  homicides, conversions, tyranny and enforced jazia. Suha Bhatta – the  convert, who retained the prime ministership continued his earlier  crimes and atrocities against the Kashmiri Pandits. Jonaraja gives a  graphic account of the plight of the illustrious Kashmiri Pandits in the  draconian reign of Ali Shah. He says,” Suha Bhatta- the convert, passed  the limit by levying fine, jazia, on the twice - born. This evil-minded  man forbade ceremonies and processions on the new moon. He became  envious that the Brahmans who had become fearless would keep up their  caste by going over to foreign countries, he therefore ordered posting  of squads on the roads, not to allow passage to any one without a  passport. Then as the fisherman torments fish, so this low born man  tormented the twice-born in this country. The legendary Brahmans burnt  themselves in the flaming fire through fear of conversion. Some Brahmans  killed themselves by taking poison, some by the rope and others by  drowning themselves. Others again by falling from a precipice. The  country was contaminated by hatred and the king’s favourites could not  prevent one in a thousand from committing suicide …. A multitude of  celebrated Brahmans, who prided in their caste, fled from the country  through bye-roads as the main roads were closed. Even as men depart from  this world, so did the Aryan Saraswat Brahmans of Kashmir flee to  foreign countries. The difficult countries through which they passed,  the scanty food, painful illness and the torments of hell during life  time removed from the minds of the Kashmiri Pandits the fears of hell.  Oppressed by various calamities such as encounter with the enemy, fear  of snakes, fierce heat and scanty food; many Brahmans perished on the  way and thus obtained salvation.” This was the second miserable mass  exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits. Jonaraja calls it “ Chandh-Dandh” -  violent, cruel, brutal and horrible punishment, for the abandoned and  vulnerable Saraswat Brahmans of Kashmir. History repeated itself again  in AD 1989-1990.

 

            The  brutal religious persecution of the Kashmiri Pandits has been borne  testimony to by almost all the Muslim historians. Hassan, Fauq and Nizam  – ud – Din have condemned these excesses in unscathing terms. It was  the reign of terror and homicide. The majority of the Hindus were  converted forcibly and a large number had left the Valley. Yet many more  were passing their days in the most deplorable conditions only on  payment of jazia. The allowances of the Brahman academicians were  stopped to destroy the ancient learning, literature, education, art and  culture. These enlightened intellectuals had to move from door to door  for food, like dogs. One can’t imagine a higher level of mental torture!

 

            The  Brahmans, even after paying jazia, could not openly declare themselves  as Hindus nor could they apply tilak on their foreheads. Neither could  they pray in their temples or perform any religious ceremony. Even then  they did not forget their past and rich tradition. As the custodians of  their extraordinary cultural heritage, they wrote the illuminating  treatises on the stupendous Kashmir Shaivism, colossal literature,  splendid art, marvelous music, grammar and medicine.

 

            Sultan  Zainul Abidin-the Budshah (Great Monarch), ruled Kashmir from AD 1420  to 1460. The son of Sultan Sikandar – the Butshikan, and the brother of  Sultan Ali Shah- the tyrant, Zainul Abidin followed the policy of  tolerance, endurance, patience, sympathy and broad mindedness. He  recalled the Kashmiri Pandits who had left the Valley during the rule of  Sikandar and Ali Shah. Jazia was abolished and the Brahmans were given  their earlier positions in administration. Demolished temples were  rebuilt and new ones constructed. Two temples were built by Zainul  Abidin at Ishbar, Srinagar. The Sultan also participated in the Hindu  festivals. A large number of houses were built for the widows of the  Brahmans who had suffered during the reign of terror. Zainul Abidin  stopped the killing of cows, restricted the eating of beef and catching  of fish in the sacred springs of the Hindus. Even the personal law as  laid down in the Shastras was adopted for the Hindus. The legenday  Kashmiri Pandits were resurrected and resuscitated. Ferguson observes  that indeed history has very few examples where the policy of a father  was so completely reversed by the son. Even the Mughal monarch, Akbar -  the great , capitalized on the religious policy of Zainul Abidin. But  the conservative and dogmatic Muslims reacted very sharply to this  policy of toleration and mutual coexistence . According to Mulla  Bahauddin, “ The Sultan reimported practices of infidels which had once  become extinct”.

 

            But  the honey-moon of the Kashmiri Pandits proved very brief. During the  reign of Haider Shah (AD 1470-1472) - the prodigal son of the great  Zainul Abidin, Kashmiri Pandits once again suffered tremendously. Under  the evil influence of Purni- the Hindu barber, Haider Shah adopted  various corrupt and cruel practices against the Saraswat Brahmans. The  repression was so terrible that the tolerant Pandits lost their cool.  Hassan says, “ the patience of the Pandits having reached the breaking  point, they rose in a body and set fire to some mosques which were built  with the material of the Hindu temples once demolished by Sikandar. The  rising was quelled by the sword; many more Pandits were drowned in  rivers; and, loot and plunder was practiced with unbridled licence.”  Srivara also illustrates the cruel and inhuman treatment given to the  mythical Kashmiri Saraswat Brahmans, “ many Pandits struggled and threw  themselves in river Vitasta to be drowned there. The arms and noses of  many people were cut off, even of those Brahmans who were king’s  servants.” Ravage and arson of the sacred places continued during the  indifferent rule of Hassan Khan (AD 1476-1487), when the real authority  was with the gang of three persons- Shams Chak, Shringhar Raina and Musa  Raina. The pressure exerted on the illustrious Kashmiri Pandits was so  barbarous that, in order to save themselves from merciless brutality,  some of them gave up their caste and screamed – “ I am not a Bhatta, I  am not a Bhatta” ( I am not a Hindu). They went in strict seclusion to  avoid any argument or controversy.

 

            Mir  Shams-ud-Din Iraqi, who visited the Saffron Valley twice in AD 1477 and  1496, was the founder of Nurbakhshiya order (Shia sect) in Kashmir. His  mission was the vigorous propagation of his faith. So, not contented  with peaceful preachings, violent methods were employed. In this  adventure , Iraqi was helped by the homicidal creature and most dreaded  tyrant- Malik Musa Raina, a convertee, whose original name was Soma  Chandra. Not only the poor vulnerable Brahmans, but the Sunni Muslims  were also violently converted to Shia sect by murderous techniques. This  dogmatic fanaticism even crippled the Sunni ruler of Kashmir, Fateh  Shah (AD 1510-1517). A khanqah was built at Zadibal (Srinagar) by Iraqi,  which became the nucleus of Shia concentration.

 

            Kashmiri  Pandits suffered ferociously under the instructions of Shams-ud-Din  Iraqi and Musa Raina. About 24,000 of them were forcibly converted to  Shia sect of Islam. Iraqi had even issued orders that everyday about  1500 to 2000 Brahmans be brought to his doorsteps, remove their sacred  threads, administer Kalima to them, circumcise them and make them eat  beef. These decrees were ferociously and brutally carried out. The Hindu  religious scriptures from 7th century AD onwards and about 18  magnificent temples were destroyed, property confiscated and ladies  abused. Thousands of Brahmans killed themselves to evade this horrific  barbarism and thousands migrated to other places, resulting in their  third tragic mass exodus from the Saffron Valley of Kashmir. Those who  stayed behind were not only forced to pay jazia, but their noses and  ears were chopped off. To escape the tremendous pain and agony, they  cried. “I am not a Hindu.” After Kashmir , the next destination of Iraqi  for war against so-called infidelity was Kargil. It is now a Shia  –dominated area and there are frequent sectarian clashes between them  and the Buddhists.

 

            In  AD 1519, about ten thousand Kashmiri Pandits died during pilgrimage to  Harmukh Ganga, where they had gone to immerse the ashes of those eight  hundred Hindus who had been massacred during Ashura a year before.  Poet-historian Suka says about this cataclysm, “ Ganga was oppressed  with hunger, as it was after a long time that she had devoured bones;  she surely devoured the men also who carried the bones.” It was after a  gap of many years that the people were allowed to go on a pilgrimage to  Harmukh lake, which ended in the most devastating tragedy.

 

            Qazi  Chak, the founder of Chak rule in Kashmir (AD 1553-1586), carried on  ferocious religious policy and made conversion of many Hindus to Shia  sect of Islam. According to Suka, one thousand cows were used to be  killed everyday without any opposition under the orders of the Chak  rulers, who were Shias, just to injure the religious sentiments of the  Kashmiri Pandits. These celebrated and highly educated Aryan Saraswat  Brahmans were made the objects of laughter and reproach. They were  publically taunted, abused and humiliated. The last Chak ruler, Yaqub  Chak, had a bigoted zeal for the propagation of Shia sect and planned  mass conversion of the Hindus. However, he could not administer his  criminal designs because of the Mughal annexation.

 

            Akbar  was tremendously influenced by the amazing moral supremacy of the  Kashmiri Pandits. Abul Fazl records in Ain-i-Akbari, “ the most  respectable class in this country (Kashmir) is that of the Pandits, who,  notwithstanding their need for freedom from the bonds of tradition and  custom, are the true worshippers of God. They do not loosen their tongue  of calumny against those not of their faith, nor beg, nor importune.  They employ themselves in planting fruit trees and are generally a  source of inspiration for others”. The great Mughal Emperor abolished  jazia and other unjust taxes imposed upon the Hindus. He also evinced  great interest in the rehabilitation of the Pandits. Suka says, “ The  Emperor announced that he would without delay reward those who would  respect the Brahmans in Kashmir and that he would instantly pull down  the houses of those who would demand the annual tribute from them.” The  greatness of Akbar lies in his magnificent and fascinating policy of  religious tolerance. Jahangir and Shah Jahan were not so tolerant. But  their religious enthusiasm cannot be termed as fanatic. During this  period, the Brahmans could perform their religious ceremonies after  paying some tribute. But the whole scenario changed with the accession  of Aurangzeb to the throne. With his bigoted fanatic and dogmatic  approach, the Kashmiri Pandits were once again made vulnerable. Iftkar  Khan, the Mughal governor of Kashmir during the reign of Aurangzeb,  brutally tyrannized over the Brahmans to such an extent that they  approached Guru Teg Bhahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, at Anandpur in Punjab  and solicited his personal intervention with the Emperor. This  ultimately led to the Guru’s martyrdom and made Guru Gobid Singh to  create the Khalsa to fight the oppressors . Muzaffer Khan, Nassar Khan  and Ibrahim Khan were other governors of Aurangzeb who ferociously  terrorized the Kashmiri Pandits. These celebrated scapegoats were once  again forced to migrate from the land of their origin. It was the fourth  disastrous mass exodus of the Aryan Saraswat Brahmans from Kashmir.

 

            During  the rule of later Mughals, Kashmir witnessed the outbreak of the worst  kind of religious intolerance. In AD 1720, Mullah Abdul Nabi, also  called Muhat Khan, a non-resident Kashmiri Muslim, was appointed as  Shaikhul Islam . In order to assert his religious authority, he asked  the Deputy Governor, Mir Ahmed Khan , to start a campaign of persecution  of the Kafirs (infidels) - as the Kashmiri Pandits were called. In  order to satisfy his satanic ego, the Mulla issued six commandments:

 

           

No Hindu should ride a horse, nor should a Hindu wear a shoe;

That they should not wear Jama (Mughal costume);

That they should move bare arms;

That they should not visit any garden;

That they should not have tilak mark on their foreheads;

That their children should not receive any education.

            But  Ahmed Khan refused to execute the mischievous decree. The Mullah then  excited his followers against the Kashmiri Pandits. He established his  seat in a mosque, assumed the duties of the administrator under the  title of Dindar Khan and let loose the reign of terror. The Hindus were  wickedly tormented, their houses burnt and property looted. Hundreds of  Brahmans were killed, prostrated, maimed and humiliated. They began to  run away in large numbers and hide themselves in mountainous terrain.  This was the fifth dreadful mass exodus of the legendary Kashmiri  Pandits from their mystic motherland. Those who remained behind lived in  the most horrific and terrible conditions generated by the Mullah and  his gang. But soon he was assassinated by his rivals and his son,  Sharif-ud-Din, become the new Shaikhul-Islam. The son improved upon the  brutal methods of his father and inflicted most barbaric, cruel and  inhuman tortures upon the vulnerable Brahmans. The plight of the  Kashmiri Pandits during this period became tremendously miserable and  tragic.

 

            The  Afghan rule in Kashmir (AD 1753-1819) was a period of cruelty, homicide  and anarchy. W.R. Lawrence calls it the “reign of brutal tyranny.” The  barbarous Afghans employed every wild, inhuman, primitive, ferocious,  cruel and brutal method to suppress the Kashmiri Brahmans. A pitcher  filled with ordure was placed on the head of a Pandit and stones were  pelt on it, till it broke and the unfortunate Brahman become wet with  filth. Their brutality and atrocity crossed the extreme limits when  Hindus were tied up in grass sacks, two and two, and drowned in the Dal  Lake. The victimized Hindu were forced to flee the country or were  killed or converted to Islam. There was horrible mass exodus of the  Kashmiri Pandits, sixth one, to far away places like Delhi, Allahabad,  etc. Many covered the long distances on foot.

 

            Hindu  parents destroyed the beauty of their daughters by shaving their heads  or cutting their noses and ears to save them from degradation. Any  Muslim could jump on the back of a Pandit and take a ride. Mir Hazar -  an Afghan governor, used leather bags instead of grass sacks for the  drowning of Brahmans. Turbans and shoes were forbidden for them. The  Saraswat Brahmans of Kashmir were also forced to grow beards and tilak  was interdicted. The Afghans are now only remembered for their  barbarity, brutality, ferocity, tyranny and cruelty. They thought no  more of cutting of heads than of plucking a flower. 

 

            The  Shahmirs, Chaks, Mughals and homicidal Afghans tore the fabric of  society in Kashmir and left deep scars on it. When the Afghan oppression  became intolerable, the Pandits turned with hope to the rising power of  Maharaja Ranjit Singh. But they were suspected. The Afghan governor,  Azim Khan, confiscated their jagirs and imposed jazia on them. Eminent  Pandits were brutally killed, humiliated and their authority was  snatched. Nur Shah Diwani - a cruel Muslim official who was in charge of  revenue collection, hatched a conspiracy in league with Azim Khan to  eliminate the distinguished Kashmiri Brahmans. But this evil manoeuvre  was exposed and a galaxy of Pandits saved. Pandit Sahajram, the Diwan,  played a prominent role in the rescue operation.

 

            Azim  Khan had appointed Sukhram Safaya, Mirza Pandit and Birbal Dhar as  revenue collectors. Birbal Dhar could not collect the required amount  due to failure of crops. The atrocious Afghan governor browbeated Pandit  Birbal to make the payment of one lac rupees. Rowdy and boisterous  soldiers were send to threaten him and other Pandits. Sensing the Afghan  tsunami, distinguished Kashmiri Pandits called a backstairs meeting in  which it was resolved to invite Ranjit Singh for the conquest of Kashmir  and salvation of the Aryan Saraswat Brahmans. Accordingly Birbal Dhar  and his minor son, Raja Kak Dhar, secretly left for Lahore with a  petition signed by the prominent Kashmiri Pandits through which as  invitation was extended to Ranjit Singh to take over the Valley. When  Azim Khan came to know about these developments, he sent his soldiers to  nab Birbal Dhar and teach him a lesson. But when these bandits met with  no success, the cruel governor turned his guns towards the wife and  daughter-in-law of Birbal Dhar . Both the ladies had taken shelter in  the house of a trustworthy Muslim, Qadus Gojwari. Azim Khan asked Pandit  Basa Kak to hunt down the innocent ladies. Basa Kak knew about the  retreat of ladies but did not disclose it even after monstrous tortures  and oppressive penalties. At last his abdomen was ripped open in the  most barbarous manner and the dead body discredited - the most  unfortunate and brutal crime against humanity in the civilized world.  The poor ladies were also captured . Birbal Dhar’s wife committed  suicide by swallowing a piece of diamond. The younger lady was violently  converted to Islam and handed over to an Afghan noble, who carried her  to Kabul. 

 

            Nervous  to the marrow of his bones and crazy with rage, Azim Khan tormented all  those Kashmiri Brahmans whom he suspected to be in league with Birbal  Dhar. Prominent Pandits were detained in a concentration camp at Nishat  Garden and ferociously tortured. But on learning about the Sikh advances  towards Kashmir, he lost all nerve and solicited instruction from  Pandit Sahajram Dhar. The illustrious Pandit advised him to sent off his  ladies folk to Kabul. It was the only way to save them from the  ignominious treatment. Sahajram himself escorted the ladies to Kabul and  saved them from disastrous shame. Azim Khan himself ran away from the  Valley, leaving the administration into the hands of his brother, Jabbar  Khan. However, atrocious Afghans were crushed and the Sikhs annexed  Kashmir. Some extremist Sikhs, including Phul Singh, endeavoured to  knock down the mosque of Shah Hamadan. But celebrated Birbal Dhar, at a  considerable risk to his own life, made them desist from this action.  According to GMD Sufi, “ It is to the lasting credit of Birbal Dhar that  when a deputation of Muslims headed by Sayyid Hasan Shah Qadiri  Khanyari approached him to dissuade the Sikhs from the destruction of  the Khanqah, he moved in the matter, used his influence and saved this  historical structure from vandalism.” It reveals the true personality  and character of a distinguished Kashmiri Pandit.

 

            During  the Sikh rule in Kashmir, AD 1819-1846, the celebrated Pandits  reclaimed their past glory and magnificence. They claimed back the  prominent places of trust and honour. Cow slaughter was banned, temples  renovated and the earlier wrongs rectified. The legendary Kashmiri  Pandits received a healing touch after centuries of barbarity, ferocity  and tyranny. But by the time, the Sikhs conquered Kashmir in AD 1819,  about nine-tenths of the population had become the followers of Islam.  Out of the 10% Hindu population, a large number had migrated to the  Punjab and other provinces. The Pandits in general belonged to the  middle class while the upper and lower classes were dominated by the  Muslims.

 

            With  the formation of Jammu and Kashmir State; and, establishment of the  Dogra rule in 1846, Kashmiri Pandits were imperceptibly elbowed to the  background. Administrators and officials were deputed from Jammu region.  Though they enjoyed comprehensive religious freedom and social  emancipation, political rights of the Kashmiri Brahmans were confined.  On certain occasions, they even became victims of intrigue and  suspicions. The vicious communal forces also turned their wrath against  them. During the communal disturbances of July 1931, shops and houses  belonging to the Kashmiri Brahmans were not only looted but also burnt.  Three innocent Hindus lost their lives. This communalism in the state  politics aggravated and magnified with the passage of time . It was fed  for years with vicious communal propaganda and brainwashing.

 

            After  independence and accession of Jammu & Kashmir state to India,  Kashmiri Pandits were pushed back to the uncultured Afghan era. They  were given the sugarcoated dozes of poisonous toxics. Article 370 of  Indian constitution just reduced them to cipher and liquidated their  population. Under the pretext of economic reforms, their jagirs  (properties) were confiscated and distributed among the Muslim peasants.  The administration of Shaikh Abdullah adopted malicious and pernicious  approach towards the Saraswat Brahmans of Kashmir. They were taunted on  one excuse or the other. Hindu temples were desecrated, looted and  plundered. Minor girls of the community were forced to embrace Islam and  marry the Muslim youth.

 

            Shaikh  Abdullah tried to create “ Shaikhdom” for his dynastic rule in Kashmir.  But his dreams were shattered when he was arrested in 1953 for  anti-national activities. In 1958, he was released but detained again  after three months under the Kashmir conspiracy case. However, the case  was withdrawn in 1964 because of political reasons. But he was arrested  again in May 1965 for his subversive activities and released in January  1968. Again, in January 1971, a ban was imposed forbidding him to enter  the Jammu Kashmir state. This restriction was lifted in 1972.

 

            During  1953-1974 Shaikh Abdullah characterized India as an imperialist power  endeavouring to subjugate the people of Kashmir. He asserted that the  accession of Kashmir with India was his greatest blunder for which  history will never forgive him. He also demanded the right of self  determination for the people of Muslim – dominated Kashmir, but ignored  the Hindu- dominated Jammu and Buddhist- dominated Ladakh regions. The  sophist Shaikh advocated plebiscite and unconditional withdrawal of  Indian army from the Saffron Valley. He also campaigned against the  import of food grains from India and asked people to eat potatoes grown  in Kashmir. For such arguments, Shaikh Abdullah was nick named as “Aaloo  Bab” --- Feeder of Potatoes. He made emotional solicitations that after  death his body should not be buried in the subjugated Valley, but  immersed into the sacred waters of Arabian sea. However, today his  magnificent tomb stands on the banks of beautiful Dal Lake in Srinagar  and is guarded by the Indian security personnel. By such gratuitous and  conflicting statement, his secular credentials evaporated into thin air.  The prospect of disloyalty and sedition began to haunt the Saffron  Valley. Kashmiriyat switched over to political vandalism and bigoted  fundamentalism. Shaikh Abdullah desperately held Indian Prime Minister,  Jawaharlal Nehru, a Kashmiri Pandit, responsible for the shattering of  his malevolent dreams in 1953. The mortified Shaikh ambiguously decided  to retaliate against the whole Pandit community in Kashmir. In  vindictiveness, he instigated his associated that while making a choice  between a Kashmiri Pandit and dreaded cobra, kill the Pandit first. A  vicious campaign of terror was launched against the Aryan Saraswat  Brahmans of Kashmir. They were refused entry to government jobs and  institutions of higher learning. Besides hurling strong statement  against the Government of India and Kashmiri Pandits, the Shaikh derided  that the whole lot of Indian army cannot save the Hindus in Kashmir  against the malevolence of Muslims. Farooq Abdullah also employed the  same approach towards the crumbled Pandits when his brother-in-law,  Gulshah, seized the chief ministership in 1984.The reactionary leaders-  Afzal Beg, Maulvi Farooq, Mohi-ud-Din Kara and Maulana Masoodi; ignored  the very existence of Kashmiri Pandits during their political  adventurism. The Kashmiri Pandits were made to pay for every move on the  political chessboard in Kashmir because they represented the  pseudo-secularism, incognito- socialism and flowering- democracy of  India. They were scolded and emotionally hurt in the Afghan fashion.

 

            But  then the whole political scenario in Kashmir took a dramatic turn in  1974, when Indira-Shaikh accord was signed by virtue of which the Shaikh  became the Chief Minister of the State after the lapse of 22 years.  Ignoring the great expectations he had created among the people in  Kashmir and his vigorous campaign for plebiscite, the sophist Shaikh  began to speak the language of Indian nationalism, democracy, socialism  and secularism. The slogans of plebiscite, self-determination and  independent Kashmir melted away. But the Hate- India virus, infused by  him into the blood of the Muslim youth in Kashmir, was exploited by  other corrupt self-styled politicians for their own interests from time  to time. A vacuum was created because the people were betrayed  disillusioned, politically raped and left in wilderness by their own  leaders.

 

            Omkarnath  Ganjoo, who established the Index Branch of the Jammu & Kashmir  Criminal Investigation Department under the directions of Union Home  Ministry in early 1960 and managed the same upto 1986, established a  powerful network in the State. He collected detailed information about  the seditious, subversive and treasonous persons and sent the detailed  dispatches to the government from time to time . He also excavated the  nefarious designs of ISI- the Pak Intelligence Agency, and informed the  concerned authorities. But the state as well as the central  administration lacked the determination and resolution to act.

 

            The  programmes and policies of Bakshi, Sadiq, Qasim, Farooq and Gulshah  were also damaging for the Kashmiri Pandits. They were continuously  haunted by antagonistic, hostile and rebellious elements. Mufti Syed is  even believed to be responsible for the anti-Hindu communal riots of  1986, when cows were slaughtered and temples destroyed in Anantnag  district. From 1947-1986 about four lac Kashmiri Pandits silently  migrated from Kashmir. Hypocritical atrocities and criminal ignorances  of political leaders were responsible for these development. Pakistan,  to avenge the defeat of Bangladesh, blatantly sponsored the violence and  terrorism in the Valley, resulting in the turmoil of 1989-90. The then  celebrated governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Jagmohan, wrote a detailed  letter to the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi , on April 21,1990,  endorsing the alarming signals earliest transmitted by discerning  Omkarnath Ganjoo. But Indian leadership was still unconcerned.

 

“Aay Zalimu, Aay Kafiroo,

            Kashmir Hamara Choudh Dou;

 

            Bharat Kay Aiwanu Ko 

            Aag Lagado, Aag Lagado”

 

            The  final assault on the Kashmiri Pandits started with these slogans.  Terrorists from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Sudan and even Saudi  Arabia penetrated into the Saffron Valley. Brutal, wild and barbarous  techniques were employed to hound and kill the Aryan Saraswat Brahmans  of Kashmir. Even the helpless ladies were not spared. Sarla Bhat, a  nurse in Soura Medical Institute, was abducted on 19th April, 1990, by  JKLF militants who repeatedly gang-raped her and eventually killed her  on 25th April. Girja Tikoo, a teacher from Bandipur, was kidnapped,  raped and eventually shred to pieces by a saw mill on 4th June, 1990.  Bimla Braroo from the Nai Sarak, Srinagar, who along with her daughter,  Archana, was raped in the presence of her husband, Sohanlal, before all  the three were killed on 31st March, 1992. There are dozens of such  brutal instances. Even the Afghans will be feeling sorry in their graves  for the sanatic holocaust of the legendary Kashmiri Pandits.

 

The  barbarous murder of hundreds of innocent Brahmans of Kashmir caused  their seventh and final agonizing mass exodus from the Valley. This was  the final knock down of ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Kashmiri  Pandits. The mass massacres at Sangrampora (1997), Udhampore (1997),  Prankot (1998), Wandhama (1998) and Nadimarg (2003) were the follow up  cleansing operations. Pandits in Kashmir dwindled from 10% in 1947 to  fewer than 5% in 1989 and to less than 1% today. The pretended world  bodies, contaminated human rights organizations, pseudo-secularists,  self-styled leaders, so-called policy makers, tainted political parties  and slack bureaucracy have failed to express serious concern at this  great human tragedy. Danse macabre is going on. During 1990-2005, the  security forces seized around 30,000 assault rifles, over 15,000  pistols, more than 20,000 kg explosives, about 2000 UMGs and RPGs , from  terrorists. In the barbarous turmoil about 45,000 persons including the  Kashmiri Pandits, nationalistic Muslims and Sikhs have been killed.  However the government is keen to provide a healing touch to militants. 

But the legendary Kashmiri Pandits, who were virtually exterminated from  the Valley, have not even received the displaced status since the few  remaining live like refugees in their motherland India.