As we learnt in the first part of our The Story of Kashmir series, the Hindu narrative claims that Kashmir has been a part of a long, Hindu tradition and it was due to the Muslim invasions that the valley’s Hindus had to suffer which paved way for the Muslims to take full control of Kashmir.
What about the Muslim narrative? Let’s look at how the Muslims view this issue through their own historical lens.
The Muslim Story:
The Muslim narrative differs slightly, but in a significant way. There is agreement that, initially, only Hindus and then Buddhists were there. But, the arrival of Islam is not as ugly as described by some Hindu historians. For instance, Sultan Sikander, who is claimed to be a tyrant and idol destroyer as per the Hindu narrative, is considered a benevolent and secular ruler of the valley. In fact, not only did he protect the Hindu temples, but he also donated state land for them.
And important difference is regarding how Kalhana’s 12th century book Rajatarangini is received by the two groups. While Hindus consider it to be a sincere attempt at writing the history of Kashmir, Muslims often doubt its claims. There are not too many sources for reference to verify the facts of the book. In the light of modern science, the book seems like a narrow account of the past and cannot be validated until one has the archaeological or ethnographic evidence alongside.
Another objection to the Hindu narrative is that it focuses too much on Muslim rulers and very little on other aspects. It is argued that, for instance, earthquakes were responsible for the destruction of — at least some of the – temples. Similarly, the case for forced religious conversions is also strongly contested. “The narrative on forced conversion,” a scholar says, “doesn’t hold much weight as the privileged (Brahmins) within Hindus continued to be intact in Kashmir in spite of mass conversions of people from lower caste people to Buddhism at one time and to Islam at a later stage.”
When the British Raj handed over Kashmir to the Dogra ruler Gulab Singh, Brahman historians were again empowered. And this is perhaps when the most severe misrepresentations of Kashmir’s history began to take shape. The same continued in the independent India when the Dogra ruler decided to join India instead of Pakistan although the state had a majority Muslim population.
Is there a common ground for the Hindu narrative and the Muslim narrative? The answer to this question might solve the Kashmir problem, so, it has to be difficult. But, we’ll try to do that in the next episode of The Story of Kashmir.
Recommended Books:
Kashmir: Exposing the Myth Behind the Narrative by Khalid Bashir Ahmad
Kalampedia 