The present day state of Jammu and Kashmir consists of the valley of Kashmir, the northern hilly regions of ladakh, Baltistan, Hunza, Nagar, Gilgit, Puniyal, Ishkoman, and the western hill regions of Karnah, Muzaffarabad and the southern regions of Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu, Kathua, Doda and Kishtwar. Besides these regions, the state exercised suzerainty over Chitral and some territorial pockets in Tibet. Out of all these regions, the valley of Kashmir has retained superior position throughout various phases of history. In the glorious reign of Lalitaditya, some time in the7th 8th century, the capital of the North India existed at Parihaspur in Kashmir. During the reigns of the Hindu rulers, the valley of Kashmir did establish its supermacy over various principalities around it. The Raja of Kashmir was accepted as an overlord by Poonch, Rajouri, Basohali, Chamba and Jammu. During the Sultanate period, the boundaries of the kingdom of Kashmir extended right upto Sindh on one side and Sarhand towards Delhi on the other side. In historic terms, this phenominen is termed as the Greater Kashmir.
The present work is a collection of historical essays, written from time to time, by the author on the history and culture of Greater Kashmir. These historical essays, pertain to over a very long period, starting from ancient time to the modern period of history. Most of the topics are dealt with in this volume, constitute subjects for researches on Doctorate level. It is hoped that the students of Kashmir history and culture would take up these topics for conducting higher researches. Nothing is final in the domain of research. As such, the ideas expressed by the author are of his own and these can be interpreted in other ways by future researchers. |
