The book throws light on different facets of Kashmir history. Prof. Yasin's contention that Jesus Christ's last remains lie buried in Khaniyar, Srinagar, is not to rake up any religious controversy, but his approach is purely historical. It is not a new discovery, but what has been already said by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian and others, has been analysed critically in historical apparatus without any religious bias.
Similarly his surmise that Kongvatan in Kashmir is Kundalvana, the venue of the 4th Buddhist Council, was the result of physical varification of the location given by Hieun Tsang. The other papers explain 'the riddle of the cultural synthesis and essential unity and oneness of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.'
Madhavi Yasin's papers are important from the point of view of sources, socio-cultural and political history. They would be useful alike to research scholars and general readers. She has focussed attention on the position and status of women, and their gradual but steady march towards emancipation. She has highlighted the fact that in the Ladakh division of Jammu and Kashmir, the women are more liberated than their counterparts. |
