Kashmir Places to Visit

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains.Jammu and Kashmir shares aborder with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and PoK andGilgit–Baltistan, to the west and northwest respectively.

Formerly a part of the erstwhile Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu, which governed the larger historic region of Kashmir, this territory is disputed among China, India and Pakistan. Pakistan, which claims the territory as disputed,[1] refers to it alternatively as Indian-occupied Kashmir or Indian-held Kashmir, while some international agencies such as the United Nations[2] call it Indian-administered Kashmir. The regions under the control of Pakistan is referred to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK within India and Pakistanadministered Kashmir generally. Jammu and Kashmir consists of three regions: Jammu, the Kashmir valley and Ladakh. Srinagar is the summer capital, and Jammu is the winter capital. While the Kashmir valley is famous for its beautiful mountainous landscape, Jammu's numerous shrines attract tens of thousands
of Hindu pilgrims every year. Ladakh, also known as "Little Tibet", is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture.

1 Kashmir Valley - Historical Background

Geologists believe that about ten crore years have passed when Kashmir Valley which was once a lake called Satisar, the lake of goddess Sati, came into its present form.

For hundreds of million years Kashmir Valley remained under Tethya sea andthe high sedimentary-rock

hills seen in the valley now were once under water. Geologists have come to believe that Kashmir Valley

was earlier affected by earthquakes. Once there was such a devastating earthquake that it broke open the

mountain wall at Baramulla. and the water of the Satisar lake flowed out leaving behind lacustrine mud

on the margins of the mountains known as karewas. Thus came into existance the oval but irregular

Valley of Kashmir. The karewas being in fact the remanants of this lake confirm this view. The karewas

are found mostly to the west of the river Jhelum where these table-lands attain a height of about 380

meters above the level of the Valley. These karewas protrude towards the east and look like tongueshaped

spurs with deep ravines.

Ancient legends and popular traditions say that Samdimat Nagar, capital of the kingdom of Sundra Sena,

was submerged as a result of an earthquake, and the water that filled the area formed the Wular Lake, the

largest fresh water lake in India. The oldest igneous rocks are still found at Shankaracharya hill. When the

whole Valley of Kashmir was under waterthis hillock was the first piece of dry land lying in the form of

an igneous island.

1.1 Significance of its name

Historians say that Kashmir Valley was originally known as Kashyapmar or the abode of Kashyap

Rishi.It is said that the Rishi once went on a pilgrimage to Kashmir. When he reached Naukabandan near

Kaunsarnag via Rajouri, he killed Bahudev, the Giant of Satisar, at the request of the people and let the

water of the lake flow out near Baramulla. The land, therefore, came to be known as Kashyampar, which

afterwards changed into Kashmar and from Kashmar to Kashmir. But some historians are of the opinion

that when the people of Kash caste settled here permanently the valley came to be known as Kashmir.

Kashmir is known by many other names also. The Greeks called it Kaspeiria, while thechinese named it

Shie-in or Kia-Shi-Lo. The Tibetans called its Kanapal and Dards named it Kashart.

2 Situation, Location, Area and Extent

The territories of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Gilgit form the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The state of

Jammu and Kashmir, which had earlier been under Hindu rulers and Muslim sultans, became part of the

Mughal Empire under Akbar from 1586. After a period of Afgan rule from l756, it was annexed to the

Sikh Kingdom of Punjab in 1819. In 1820 Maharaja Ranjit Singh made over the territory of Jammu to

Gulab Singh. In 1846 Kashmir was also made over to Gulab Singh under the Treaty of Amritsar. Ladakh

was annexed by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1830. Thus this northernmost state was founded by Maharaja

Gulab Singh in 1846 and was the biggest princely state in India before the partition of the country in

August 1947. At that time the total area of the state was 2,22,236 sq. km. Pakistan invaded the State in

October 1947. Indian forces pushed Pakistan back but in 1949 when a cease fire line was drawn about one

third of the area i.e. 78932 sq. km. i.e. the whole of Gilgit, Mirpur, Kotli and a part of Poonch came into

the possession of Pakistan, leaving behind only 143,30 sq. km. on the Indian side. Jammu, Udhampur,

Kathua and Anantnag districts remained unaffected. Again in 1962 China occupied about 64000 sq.kms.

in Ladakh known as Aksai Chin. Pakistan again made an unlawful possession over Chhamb, Deva,

Chakla and Manawar gaining an area of3999 sq. kms. Thus total area left on the Indian side is about

12850 sq. kms.

There are many low lying valleys in the state like Tawi Valley, Chenab Valley, Poonch Valley, Sind

Valley and Liddar Valley, but the main Valley is the valley of Kashmir, which is 100 kms. wide and

15520.3 sq. kms. in area. Through this velley flows the river Jhelum with its tributaries. The height of the

valley above sea level is about 1700 metres.

On the map of India, the State of Jammu and Kashmir looks like a crown. The state is 640 kms. in length

from north to south and 480 kms. form east to west. To its north lie Chinese and Russian Turkistan. On its

east is Chinese Tibet. On the South and South-West lie the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. On the

west is the North West Frontier Provinces ofPakistan, China and Russia. Afghanistan and Pakistan now

have come close to the boundaries of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, The nearness to the boundaries of

foreign countries has made the position of the State most important from military point of view.

The entire State lies between 32.17" and 36.58" North altitude and East to West, the State lies between

73.26" and 80.30" longitude. The standared time is 5.30 hours ahead of Greenwitch time as in the rest of

India and has a difference of half an hour with the local time. In lalitude, the State of Jammu and Kashmir

corresponds with South Carolina (North America), Fez (Morracco), Damascus, Baghdad and Peshawar (Pakistan).