FOREWORD
 

Man seems to possess an inherent desire to record his presence in this world, to leave some trace of his existence. This desire manifests itself in varied forms, direct as well as abstract, ranging from recording the events of life-his own, and perhaps by extension and projection, of others-on paper and film, to building "immortal" edifices in stone and plaster. Atone crude extreme we have disfiguring graffiti-a name or a date inscribed on a tree or a wall and at the other extreme a magnificent mausoleum, differing at the aesthetic level perhaps but nevertheless originating from a similar basic impulse of keeping the 'name' alive till eternity! Thus prehistoric cave paintings are the earliest chronicles......autobiographical sketches, accounts of adventures, attempts at recording an event, freezing an instant for posterity; in short a fledgling history!

This desire to eternalize himself is complemented by man's inquisitiveness about the past, his quest for the beginning of life an instinctive search for where he came from. Hence, the past has always held a fascination and a romance for human beings. Perhaps both these instincts are a sublimation of man's desire for, and belief in, immortality, for both the past and the future are part of the continuum of infinity.

A common instinct, honed by natural aptitude and scholarship becomes an expertise and an art. Thus we have 'illustrious wielders of the pen' who in the form of autobiography, biography, travelogues, study and observation have recorded events for us events of the past that constitute what we call History! With time the concept of what constitutes history has also changed. Previously history consisted mainly of eulogies of kings commissioned by themselves, .or written by fawning scribes with an eye to obtaining favours, or as a measure of gratitude for favours already received. The present concept of history is a more detailed study of people, their beliefs and practices, customs and culture, and the evolution of societies and civilizations. Thus any account of the times, be it an autobiography, a biography, a travelogue or even a mere eulogy that gives a glimpse of prevailing times, culture and the life of people constitutes history. Kashmir, renowned the world over for its natural beauty and
sweet climes, has another claim to distinction. It has a tradition of recorded history dating back to the times when history as an organized study was unknown in most of the civilized nations of today. We have Kalhana's immortal Sanskrit masterpiece, the Rajatarangini which gives a running account of events from 3000 -B.C to 1149 A.D. And Kalhana himself mentions about the existence of nearly eleven works of antiquity that he consulted among which the Nilamatapurana, which contains myths and legends regarding the origin of the Kashmir valley, is still extant.

Kalhana's great work was continued. by Jonaraja, Srivara, Prajyabhatta and Suka who continued his account of the times and brought it upto date extending well into the 16th century. Thereafter, since Persian overtook Sanskrit as the language patronized by Muslims rulers of Kashmir we have further accounts of the valley and its inhabitants in various Persian treatises, thus we have Haider Malik Chadura's "Tarikh-i-Kashmir "(1617-20 A.D.), Narayan Kaul Aajiz's "Muntakhib-ut-Tawarikh" (1710 A.D.), Muhammad Aazam "Didamari's Waqiat-i-Kashmir"(1746 A.D.) Pandit Birbal Kachru's "Tarikh-i-Kashmir" (1835 A.D.) and in the concluding years of the nineteenth century Peer Hassan Shah Khuihaami's detailed account of the geography, history and the Muslim saints of Kashmir in his voluminous "Tarikh-i-Kashmir" also known as " Tarikh-i-Hassan".

As Urdu and English increasingly gained acceptance locally in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century we have some great contributions to Kashmir's history, culture and folklore in these languages as well. Prominent among these is Mohammadud-Din Fouq's "Mukamal Tarikh-i-Kashmir" and his exhaustive study of the people of Kashmir and the history of the various communities in the " Tarikh-i-Aqwam-i-Kashmir"

 In English we have valuable contributions in the form of works of Pandit Anand Koul on Kashmiri history and geography and the elaborate "Kashir" by G.M.D. Sufi.

Besides these works which had Kashmir as their main focus, useful references to Kashmir are found in many other books of the Indian sub-continent. Kashmir finds a mention in the ancient works of the great Sanskrit grammarian Panini and his expounder Patanjali. The Mahabarata also makes brief but illustrative allusions to this land and mention of this land and of its inhabitants is found in the Puranas as well.

Among later works, descriptions of the topography and people of Kashmir occur in "Zafar-nama" written by Timur's historian. Sharaf-ud-Din  in 1425 A.D. as well as the Malfuzat-i-Timuri credited to Timur himself.
But the credit of recording a detailed account of Kashmir, its inhabitants, religion, architecture, art and crafts goes to Mirza Haider Dughlat, a cousin of Babar who invaded Kashmir in 1533 A.D. and then again in 1540 A.D. and thereafter ruled over Kashmir for ten years. In his 'Tarikh-i-Rashidi' (1545 A.D.), a history of the Mughals of Central Asia, a detailed account of his invasion of Kashmir and a contemporary picture of the. land and its people is given. Detailed accounts of Kashmir occur in Abul Fazal's Akbar Nama and Ain-i-Akbari as well. Jehangir also gives a loving description of Kashmir, a land he adored, in his memories the Tuzki-Jehangiri.

A great contribution to literature on Kashmir, its inhabitants, their culture, religion, the architecture, arts, crafts, living conditions, trails and tribulations has been made in various accounts by foreigners.

The valley of Kashmir owing to its central position in Asia enjoys a strategic importance from military as well as economic viewpoint. Situated as it is on the Central Asian trade route - the famed silk route - the valley of Kashmir has been a stopover for caravans traveling between the expansive plains of India and the great civilizations of China and the Central Asia. Consequently many traders, adventures, warriors and missionaries have passed through this land. Moreover, its striking beauty, lofty mountains, placid lakes and salubrious climate have attracted numerous adventures, travelers and tourists and made it a coveted land for many an invader.

The beautiful country of Kashmir was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It finds a mention in Ptolemy's Geography and the Histories of Herodotus.

Being a seat of Sanskrit scholarship and Buddhist philosophy in ancient times, Kashmir attracted many Chinese pilgrims and scholars who recorded their observations about this valley. Detailed accounts of the Kashmiri people and culture have given by the great Chinese pilgrim traveler Hieun Tsang who reached the valley in 631 A.D. and stayed here for 2 years to study Sanskrit language and Buddhist philosophy. He gave a detailed account of the seminaries of Buddhist learning-the various uiharas and stupas. Another valuable account of Kashmir is by Ou-Kong and Chinese pilgrim, who visited Kashmir in 759 A.D.

 The Arab historians who accompanied, or followed, the various Arab invaders also make allusions to this land. We have a detailed account of the routes, mountains, rivers, lakes, people, dress, agriculture and arts and crafts of Kashmir in Alberuni's monumental treatise on India. Although the famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo (c. 1256-1323 A.D.) also makes a brief reference to Kashmir in his travelogue, the earliest Europeans to visit Kashmir as per historical records were the Portuguese missionaries. Jerome Xavier is supposed to be the first European to have visited Kashmir in the company of Emperor Akbar. He has given a brief account of Kashmir and its people, then in the grip of a severe famine, in his work published in 1605 A.D.

However, a detailed and accurate account of Kashmir and the Kashmiri people was given by the French physician, Francois Bernier who came to Kashmir accompanying Aurangzeb in 1665 A.D. The Italian Jesuit priest, Desideri reached Kashmir in 1714 A.D. and recorded his observations, particularly about the various handicrafts of Kashmir. George Forster and Englishman came to Kashmir in 1783 A.D. and gave an account of social and economic conditions during the Afghan rule in Kashmir. The nineteenth century saw many a European traveler coming to Kashmir and recording his impressions. Thus we have Vigne's (1835 A.D.) description of the valley and the devastating earthquake of 1828 A.D. Moorcroft's(1841 A.D.) account of Kashmir and its shawl trade and the travelogues of Baron Hugel (1845 A.D.), Baron von Schongberg (1853 A.D.) and Wakefield (1879 A.D.)

Frederic Drew gave a detailed picture of the geography and physical features of the state in The Jummoo and Kashmir Territories (1875 A.D.) Walter Lawrence known for his land settlement in the Kashmir valley gave an authentic record of the valley, its flora and fauna, folklore and language, history and customs in the Valley of Kashmir (1875 A.D.) The Neve brothers, Arthur and Ernest, medical missionaries in Kashmir, gave their account of the land and its people. Similarly, Tyndale-Biscoe, the pioneering educationist and reformer, recorded the plight of people in his Kashmir in Shade and Sunlight and his Autobiography. Alexander Cunnigham contributed his monumental work Ladakh on this 'little Tibet' Thomas Moore immortalized the beauty and romance of Kashmir in western literature in his epic poem Lalla Rookh (1846A.D.) Grierson studies the Kashmiri language and compiled a detailed Dictionary of the Kashmiri language and also gave us a grammar of the Kashmiri language.

Reverend Knowles collected Kashmiri folk tales and also gave us a delightful compendium of Kashmiri proverbs
Sir M.A. Stein translated the Sanskrit masterpiece the Rajatarangini and enriched it further by his erudite notes. He also gave us a taste of Kashmir folklore in his Hatim's Tale....

What a heritage! But Alas! . Most of these works (and this monograph is by no means a complex and exhaustive account of literature on Kashmir!) have either gone into oblivion or are gathering dust on shelves of obscurity!
A need has long been felt by the common man as well as the scholar, for these heritage classics to be readily available. A major initiative was needed and it took the contagious enthusiasm and dynamism of Mr. Zahoor Ahmad of the well known publishing house of Kashmir - M/s. Ali Mohammad and Sons to undertake this
momentous task of reclaiming the great heritage of our past! It will be our endeavor to bring out these works and make them available, 'for the common man and scholar alike', in a phased manner as part of Our "Heritage Series".

Dr. Ajaz A. Baba
Heritage Series Editor