Why was Kashmir’s Kashyap Rishi, who ‘slapped’ Mahmud Ghaznavi, called Kashif? Who asked for help from China?

New Delhi: Khwaja Mohammad Azam Didamri, a Muslim Sufi saint and historian, was born in Kashmir. he/she wrote a fictitious book in Persian named ‘Waqyat-e-Kashmir’ in 1747. he/she deliberately called Kashyap Rishi of Kashmir as Kashif Sir. Tampering with history, he/she wrote that a demon submerged the entire Kashmir in water, but Kashif saved it. For this, Kashif performed penance to Lord Shankar, after which Vishnu killed the demon and flooded the area with water.
Recently, during the launch of a book, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Kashmir might have been named after Kashyap Rishi. Now the time has come to liberate the history which was written to please the rulers. Know the untold story of the real history of Kashmir.

What did Shah say on Kashmir that raised questions?

In an address at the launch of the book ‘Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh through the Ages’ in Delhi, Amit Shah said that Kashmir might have been named after Rishi Kashyap. Shah said that today is the time to get rid of history written to please the rulers. he/she further said that if we want to understand India then we have to understand the facts that connect this country. The history of India is thousands of years old. A lie was spread that this country could never be united and people accepted it.

How Kashmir got its name, know the real story

According to Dr. Danpal Singh, the word Kashmir is basically a Sanskrit word, which means the land of sage Kashyap. Mythological belief is that Kashmir was named after sage Kashyap. Sage Kashyap of the Saraswat Brahmin clan was one of the seven sages. his/her descendants are considered today’s Kashmiri Pandits. According to ‘Neelmat Purana’, there was a demon named Jalodbhava in the lake of Goddess Sati. he/she had created terror. Then sage Kashyap did penance. After which Lord Vishnu took the form of a pig and attacked the mountain in Varahmool, in which the demon lived. Due to the attack of Varaha, there was a flood and the demon was killed. Since then this area came to be known as Kashyap Mar i.e. Kashmir.

Kashmiri ruler seeks help from China against Arabs

According to Danpal Singh, when Kashmir was ruled by the Karkot dynasty (625 to 885 AD), the world was under attack from Arabs. When the kings Chandrapid and Lalitaditya of this dynasty launched their military campaigns till Central Asia and Afghanistan, they were introduced to the newly emerged religion of Islam. Emperor Lalitaditya was so afraid of the Arab terrorists that he/she sought help from the Chinese emperor against them. An ambassador from Kashmir sent to the Emperor of China said that Emperor Lalitaditya Muktapid wants to form a military alliance against the Arabs and wants your help in this.

Muhammad bin Qasim had to return without conquering Kashmir.

During the reign of Lalitaditya, the Arabs attacked Sindh in 712 under the leadership of Muhammad bin Qasim. But, he/she could not go to Kashmir. Shortly thereafter, around 1000 AD, a Muslim invader Mahmud Ghaznavi or Ghazni came from the city of Ghazni in Afghanistan after hearing about the immense wealth of India. he/she attacked India 17 times, won many cities, but he/she could never conquer Kashmir.

Alberuni said- Kashmiris do not allow anyone to enter

Along with Mohammad Ghazni, an Arab historian Alberuni also came to India. Alberuni (973-1048) was a Persian scholar, writer, scientist and thinker. Alberuni also traveled to India as well as Sri Lanka. he/she is said to be the first Muslim scholar in Indian history. Alberuni’s book ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’ has been written in detail about India. When Alberuni came to India in 1017, he/she complained about Kashmir and said that it was very difficult to do any kind of trade with them. They do not allow any Hindu whom they do not know personally to enter their kingdom.

Ghaznavi faced repeated challenges from Kashmir

Danpal Singh tells that 100 years before Ghaznavi, a Brahmin minister named Lalliya had established his/her monarchy in Kabul, which historians call ‘Hindu Shahi’. he/she established deep political and cultural ties with the Hindu kings of Kashmir. When Ghaznavi decided to attack North India, this empire became his/her first target. Jaipal was the king of Kabul at that time. Jaipal sought help from the king of Kashmir. he/she got help, but he/she was defeated by Ghaznavi. Even after being defeated, Jaipal’s son Anandpal and grandson Trilochanpal continued the fight against Ghaznavi.

Hindushahi king of Kabul defeated, Kashmir could not be touched

Kalhan, who wrote the history of Kashmir under the name of Rajtarangini, expressed grief over the decline of the Hindu Shahi empire of Kabul. Trilochanpal also got help from the then Kashmir king Sangramaraja (1003-1028), but he/she could not save his/her empire. After this, Ghaznavi also conquered Kangra, a part of today’s Himachal, but could not conquer the independent Hindu kingdom of Kashmir till the end.

Ghaznavi returned from Kashmir after a sip of insult

Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked Kashmir for the first time in 1015 through the Tosa-Maidan pass. But here the mountains and ditches did not support him/her. At the same time, Kashmiris fought fiercely against the forces of Ghazni and forced them to flee. Ghazni had to return from Kashmir with great humiliation. While returning, his/her army lost its way and lost its life after getting trapped in the flood. Alberuni has described in detail the nature and lifestyle of the people of Kashmir.

Returned again after 6 years, but returned from Lohakot only.

Mahmud Ghazni again attacked Kashmir from the same pass after 6 years i.e. in 1021 to restore his/her honour. he/she camped there for a month, but could not move even a single brick of the tremendous fortification of Lohakot. Winter had started and snowfall started in the valley. Ghazni understood that this time his/her army’s death was certain. he/she immediately slipped away from there.

Hindu king of Kashmir was called a Turk

According to historians, King Harshdev of Utpal dynasty of Kashmir was so deeply influenced by Islam that he/she gave up idol worship. The statues, temples and Buddhist monasteries of Kashmir were destroyed. he/she even appointed Turushk (Turk) generals in his/her army. Kalhan was a contemporary of this Harshadev. Kalhan has derogatorily called the iconoclast Harsh as ‘Turushka’ i.e. ‘Turk’.

When conversion started happening on a large scale in Kashmir

Marco Polo, a traveler from Venice city of Italy also came to India. he/she visited Vijayanagara Empire. According to Marco Polo, a large number of Muslims were present in Kashmir in 1277. During that time, a large number of people of the Darad tribes settled in the outer parts of Kashmir and around the Indus River were converting to Islam. They were being forcibly converted.

Turkistan’s Sufi Bulbul Shah spread Islam in Kashmir

Danpal Singh says that the years 1301 to 1320 were the reign of King Sahadev in Kashmir. During this period, a large number of people of Kashmir had accepted Islam under the influence and compulsion of Sufi preachers. In fact, Bulbul Shah, a Sufi preacher who came from Turkistan, spread Islam extensively in Kashmir, who is also known as Syed Sharfuuddin, Syed Abdurrahman and Bilal Shah. Bulbul Shah was a disciple of Sufi Caliph Shah Niyamatullah Wali Farsi of the Suhrawardy sect. During this period, Rinchan, who had fled from Tibet, reached Kashmir, to whom the Kashmiri king gave shelter.

When the Tibetan king adopted Islam

Rinchan is believed to have married the daughter of Hindu king Ramachandra. he/she wanted to convert to Hinduism, but he/she was not included. The Kashmiri Shaivite guru Brahmin Devaswami of that time refused to accept him/her into Hinduism. In such a situation, Rinchan lost and accepted Islam. Then Bulbul Shah named Rinchan as Sadruddin. In this way he/she became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir.

The first Muslim ruler of Kashmir was a Ladakhi Buddhist.

Kashmir got its first Muslim ruler when Rinchan, a Ladakhi Buddhist, converted to Islam. he/she was then named Sadruddin Shah. his/her reign was from 1320 to 1323. At the same time, Shah Mir is completely considered to be the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir. he/she established his/her dynasty in 1339. Before him/her, the twenty years between 1318 and 1338 were dominated by war, conspiracy, rebellion and massacre in Kashmir.