THE VEDIC ANCESTRY OF KASHMIR PART IV
RECLAIM - RESTORE
NewsBharati 13-Jul-2026 17:24:38 PM
Total Views |
RECLAIM THE TRUTH
“जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी॥
Janani janmabhoomischa swargadapi gariyasi.
Mother and motherland are greater than heaven itself." (Ref. 48A)
Fig.1. INDIA visualized from space (GETTY iStock image licensed to Dr. Usha K. Sharma)
HOW KASHMIR’S GREATNESS WAS ATTACKED AND DESTROYED
THE BETRAYAL OF ANCIENT KASHMIR – HER PHILOSOPHY OF PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE
“THE BLOODIEST STORY IN HISTORY” - ISLAMIC INVASION
“The Mohammedan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. The Islamic historians and scholars have recorded with great glee and pride the slaughters of Hindus, forced conversions, abduction of Hindu women and children to slave markets and the destruction of temples carried out by the warriors of Islam during 800 AD to 1700 AD. Millions of Hindus were converted to Islam by sword during this period.”(Ref. 49)
“Francois Gautier in his book ‘Rewriting Indian History’ (1996) wrote:
“The massacres perpetuated by Muslims in India are unparalleled in history, bigger than the Holocaust of the Jews by the Nazis; or the massacre of the Armenians by the Turks; more extensive even than the slaughter of the South American native populations by theinvading Spanish and Portuguese.”
“Indeed, India was not only a distinguished civilization in its achievements in
science, literature, philosophy, arts, and architecture but also had distinguished
itself from the invading Muslims in terms of its humanity, chivalry and ethical behavior”(Ref. 49)
“Hinduism is the one religion that accepts all pursuits, possibilities and characteristics of the Truth, be it with Jesus or Allah or Ahura Mazda or any of the other supreme deities
around the world.”(Ref. 50)
“ …. Scottish historian, John Mackenzie, had pointed out in his creation ‘Hindu Ethics’, that “Kashmir (Bharat) has enriched the global code of conduct with its conviction of Dharma, virtue of peaceful co-existence, and belief in the theory of Karma.”(Ref. 8)
“Islamic invasions on India shattered the ethical values of India and spread
darkness all over Indian Hinduism and spread terror by their want to quench their thrust with Hindu’s blood ….. “ (Ref. 49)
DESTRUCTION and DECiMATION of a CIVILISATION
“Kashmir was once dotted with thousands of Hindu temples, many of which now lie in ruins due to centuries of Islamic invasions and iconoclasm. These temples were not just places of worship but centers of learning, art, and culture.”
“The Martand Sun Temple, commissioned by Lalitaditya Muktapida, is one of the most majestic architectural achievements of ancient India. Dedicated to the Sun God (Surya), ……. Its massive stone structures and intricate designs hint at the grandeur of a civilization deeply rooted in Vedic traditions.”
Fig.3. HINDU DEITIES, MARTAND SUN TEMPLE, KASHMIR.
(GETTY iStock image licensed to Dr. Usha K. Sharma)
“Sharada Peeth, located near today's Line of Control, was one of the foremost temples and universities of Hindu India. Revered especially by Kashmiri Pandits, it was considered the abode of the goddess of learning, Sharada, and was a magnet for scholars from across the Indian subcontinent .………. witnesses to Kashmir's Hindu past, bearing testimony to the region's role as a bastion of Dharma, knowledge, and civilization”.“Remembering Kashmir's Hindu past is not an exercise in nostalgia — it is an act of justice. It is a reaffirmation that the sacred land of Kashyapa, Lalitaditya, Vasugupta, Patanjali, Bharata Muni, and Abhinavagupta was, is, and will always remain an integral part of India's eternal Dharma.”(Ref. 6)
THE DESTRUCTION OF VEDIC CULTURE AND THOUGHT
“The cost of the Muslim invasions is massive in lives, wealth and culture.”(Ref. 49)
“Mahabhasya of Patanjali from second century BCE extensively describes temples of Dhanapati (deity of wealth and finance, Kubera)”(Ref. 50)
“Takshashila University declined with the decline of Takshashila itself. The city was
destroyed by the Huns in 455 C.E.”.
“Toramana, the Hun invader, attacked and destroyed the university. …….. along with almost all the original ancient transcripts ……. ”(Ref. 11)
Tragic but not unexpected of uneducated barbarians.
In the first millenium BC, Sharada Peeth located in Kashmir, (now in COMPLETE ruins since Pakistani occupation of this portion of Kashmir) was a well-known centre of learning, on par with Takshila. The enormous tragedy of the wiping out, by plunderers, marauders, and ideological fanatics, of aeons of Vedic Bharat’s development, progress and cumulated knowledge both in Kashmir, in Nalanda and in Takshila is well known.
The true extent of this loss has not been estimated till date, and even at Nalanda barely a tenth of the vast University’s ruins have been explored archaeologically, (Ref. 51)
“In ancient India, this temple cum monastery (Peetha) was famed as a great center of learning and it attracted students from all over India.”
“The temple was first destroyed by Sikandar Butshikan ……. rebuilt and again destroyed. The cycle continued until it was finally bombed by Pakistani army for good in 1948.”(Ref. 52)
THE FIRST GENOCIDE OF KASHMIRI HINDUS
THE GRAVEYARD OF THE BRAHMINS EVIDENT EVEN TODAY
“Hindu temples were felled to the ground (by Butsikhan), and for one year a large establishment was maintained for the demolition of the grand Martand temples ….. “
“For a full one year he (Butsikhan) tried to demolish the Martanda Temple but failed. At last he dug out stones from its base and stored enough wood there to set fire to it.”(Ref. 53)
Fig. 4. MARTAND SUNTEMPLE, RUINS.
(GETTY iStock image licensed to Dr. Usha K. Sharma)
“He summoned Brahmins of Kashmir, by giving them choice either to discard Janeu oraccept Death. No brahmins discarded the Sacred thread. They were all kiIIed. He burnt 7 maunds of Yagnopaveetam (Sacred Thread of Hindus) 1 Maund is equal to 37 Kg, While 7 maund weights equal to 259 Kg.”
Fig. 5. JANEU, or sacred thread worn by Hindu Brahmin men; note the delicate, twisted cord of 3 threads. (GETTY iStock image licensed to Dr. Usha K. Sharma)
(This Author’s note: 259 Kgs of janeus were burnt by Butsikhan. Therefore, 259000 gms of janeus contained how many janeus? From sellers’ descriptions of janeus and their weights, I have estimated a weight of 4.5 gms for a regular janeu of 3 threads. 259000 / 4.5 = 57,556 rounded off. Thus, from the janeu count, Butsikhan slaughtered a MINIMUM of 58 thousand Kashmiri Brahmins, each accounting for ONE janeu, probably THE FIRST LARGE SCALE KASHMIRI HINDU GENOCIDE BY ISLAMISTS IN HISTORY, see below)“All the Sacred books were thrown into the Dal Lake. Over 1,00,000 Pandits were
drowned in the lake …….. ”(Ref. 53)
“The excessive oppression, torture and killings of Kashmiri Hindus, and their forcible conversion to Islam through the centuries finally reduced them to a microscopic minority, hardly five to seven percent of the population in the Valley where they were the only religion at one time. The 'Killing Fields of Kashmir'- Batta Mazar-- where hundreds of murdered Hindus were buried en mass, is still in existence in Srinagar, a reminder to the Kashmiri Hindus of today of the atrocities they have survived.” (Ref. 53A)
HOW ISLAMIC AUTHORS GLORIFIED THEIR DANCE OF DEATH- 400 MILLION DEAD
“We have elaborate literary evidence of the World’s biggest holocaust from existing historical contemporary eyewitness accounts. The historians and biographers of the invading armies and subsequent rulers of India have left quite detailed records of the atrocities they committed in their day-to-day encounters with India’s Hindus. These contemporary records boasted about and glorified the crimes that were committed –
and the genocide of tens of millions of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhist and Jainist, mass rapes of women and the destruction of thousands of ancient Hindu / Buddhist temples and libraries have been well documented and provide solid proof of the World’s biggest holocaust”
“The Indian historian Professor K.S. Lal estimates that the Hindu population in India
decreased by 80 million between 1000 AD and 1525 AD, an extermination unparalleled
in World history.”
“The actual number of Hindus brutally slaughtered by Muslims were around 400 million, not 60-80 million, according to Firishta [1560-1620], the author of the Tarikh-i Firishta and the Gulshan-I-Ibrahim.”
“Impossible you think? In the war of Independence of Bangladesh,1971, the Muslim Pakistani army killed 1.5-3 million people (mainly Muslims …) in just 9 MONTHS.
(Khan p 216).” (Ref. 49)
“HINDUS BECAME LIKE ATOMS OF DUST SCATTERED IN ALL DIRECTIONS” – GHAZNI’S CHRONICLER
“Alberuni, a historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni, described the conquests …….. “
‘Mahmud utterly ruined the prosperity of the country, and performed there wonderful exploits, by which the Hindus became like atoms of dust scattered in all directions, and like a tale of old in the mouth of the people.’ ”
“Up north, in Kashmir …….. Sikandar Butshikan ………. destroyed ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, desecrated their premises, demolished statues, damaged Hindu and Buddhist books and banned followers of Dharmic religions from prayers, performing arts and observation of their religious festivals [65-69].”(Ref. 50)
“The classic arts and the sciences of Kashmir came to an abrupt end when Islam became the dominant force in Kashmir in the fourteenth century. Sculpture, painting, dance, music could no longer be practiced.”(Ref. 5)
“Seventh Exodus: Jihad”
(Khan p 216).” (Ref. 49)
“HINDUS BECAME LIKE ATOMS OF DUST SCATTERED IN ALL DIRECTIONS” – GHAZNI’S CHRONICLER
“Alberuni, a historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni, described the conquests …….. “
‘Mahmud utterly ruined the prosperity of the country, and performed there wonderful exploits, by which the Hindus became like atoms of dust scattered in all directions, and like a tale of old in the mouth of the people.’ ”
“Up north, in Kashmir …….. Sikandar Butshikan ………. destroyed ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, desecrated their premises, demolished statues, damaged Hindu and Buddhist books and banned followers of Dharmic religions from prayers, performing arts and observation of their religious festivals [65-69].”(Ref. 50)
“The classic arts and the sciences of Kashmir came to an abrupt end when Islam became the dominant force in Kashmir in the fourteenth century. Sculpture, painting, dance, music could no longer be practiced.”(Ref. 5)
“Seventh Exodus: Jihad”
“The most recent and perhaps most well documented exodus occurred in 1989–90, with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism in Kashmir, fueled by Pakistani support.”
“….. slogans like "Raliv, Galiv, ya Chaliv" ("Convert, Die, or Flee"), and targeted assassinations of prominent Hindus created an atmosphere of terror.”
“In early 1990, nearly 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits—the last remnant of Hindu civilization in the valley—were forced to flee overnight, leaving behind their homes, temples, and ancestral lands. Most ended up in refugee camps in Jammu, Delhi, and elsewhere, living in dire conditions. This exodus remains one of independent India's most glaring and least
acknowledged humanitarian tragedies.”( Ref. 6)
To this day, the Kashmiri Pandits observe 19th January 1990 as Holocaust Day as a remembrance of the day when the slogans were broadcast from mosques in Kashmir.
It is noteworthy that the word exodus is a euphemism for forced migration.
(Author’s note: The cry for the blood of the minority population of Kashmiri Hindus, in 1990, driven by a lust for a permanent demographic change, is starkly reminiscent of the proclamations of the Nazi regime [which too was driven by such a fanatical lust to change the demography of Germany by elimination of a minority population of Jews] which stated
– “It is necessary that our civilisation builds its temples on mountains of corpses, on an ocean of tears, and on the death cries of men without number.”
Extracted from Ref. 50A, the autobiographical account by US Army psychiatrist, Dr. Douglas McGlashan Kelley, deputed to Nuremberg Jail ahead of The Nuremberg Trial )
Fig. 6. View from above of the judges' bench at the Fig. 5. JANEU, or sacred thread worn by Hindu Brahmin men; note the delicate, twisted cord of 3 threads. (GETTY iStock image licensed to Dr. Usha K. Sharma)
AND NOW THE EIGHTH EXODUS
“Kashmir's "freedom struggle" is not a movement for liberty. It is a religiously driven campaign for Islamist supremacy”
“ ….. today, an eighth exodus is silently unfolding—not a physical displacement, but an
exodus of memory and identity…. This is a forced removal of Kashmiri Hindus from political narratives, historical discourse, and cultural consciousness. Their suffering is often minimized, their culture sidelined, and their very existence overshadowed by narratives that seek to validate their oppressors. “
“This erasure is perhaps the most insidious exile of alL.”(Ref. 6)
LOOTING, DESTRUCTION, ERADICATION OF LEARNING, AND A CULTURAL ANNIHILATION
“The real story of Kashmir …. is a saga of the brutal erasure of Hindus from a land where they have lived since time immemorial”.
“The Islamic Conquest of Kashmir
Kashmir's transition to an Islamic-majority region was not a peaceful diffusion of faith. It was achieved through centuries of brutality, coercion, and terror.”.
“The reign of Sikandar Butshikan (literally,"the breaker of idols") marked one of the darkest periods in Kashmiri history ….. Sanskrit, the language of the learned, disappeared from public life, replaced by Persian and Arabic.”.
“What happened in Kashmir was not a "spiritual awakening" — it was cultural genocide.”
“Temples that had stood for centuries, including the monumental Martand Sun Temple and the Avantipur temples, were razed to the ground. Entire temple complexes were looted, desecrated, and demolished. Sacred texts were burned, Sanskrit learning was outlawed and Vedic rituals were banned. The entire intellectual and cultural edifice of Kashmir, which had flourished for centuries, was systematically erased in a few short decades.
“ ….. today, an eighth exodus is silently unfolding—not a physical displacement, but an
exodus of memory and identity…. This is a forced removal of Kashmiri Hindus from political narratives, historical discourse, and cultural consciousness. Their suffering is often minimized, their culture sidelined, and their very existence overshadowed by narratives that seek to validate their oppressors. “
“This erasure is perhaps the most insidious exile of alL.”(Ref. 6)
LOOTING, DESTRUCTION, ERADICATION OF LEARNING, AND A CULTURAL ANNIHILATION
“The real story of Kashmir …. is a saga of the brutal erasure of Hindus from a land where they have lived since time immemorial”.
“The Islamic Conquest of Kashmir
Kashmir's transition to an Islamic-majority region was not a peaceful diffusion of faith. It was achieved through centuries of brutality, coercion, and terror.”.
“The reign of Sikandar Butshikan (literally,"the breaker of idols") marked one of the darkest periods in Kashmiri history ….. Sanskrit, the language of the learned, disappeared from public life, replaced by Persian and Arabic.”.
“What happened in Kashmir was not a "spiritual awakening" — it was cultural genocide.”
“Temples that had stood for centuries, including the monumental Martand Sun Temple and the Avantipur temples, were razed to the ground. Entire temple complexes were looted, desecrated, and demolished. Sacred texts were burned, Sanskrit learning was outlawed and Vedic rituals were banned. The entire intellectual and cultural edifice of Kashmir, which had flourished for centuries, was systematically erased in a few short decades.
“The Islamic conquest of Kashmir is not just a tale of political domination but a story of cultural annihilation and civilizational loss. It is a story of a proud and prosperous community being decimated under the weight of religious intolerance and fanaticism.”(Ref. 6)
HOW HER GLOBAL CONTRIBUTIONS LIVE ON
THE SURVIVAL OF OUR VEDIC CIVILISATION TILL TODAY ENSURES A CONTINUITY
In Part II of this article, I had elaborated on evidence that our brilliant and Ancient Vedic culture survived unlike the civilisations of Persia, Egypt, and many others.
https://www.newsbharati.com//Encyc/2025/7/14/Kashmir-Vedic-Ancestry-II.html
Cultural practices, religious rituals, styles of clothing, dress, ornaments, continue unchanged till today from an era at least 5000 years ago.
Genetic continuity has also been recently proven and described in detail by a team of young Kashmiri scientists, in a highly technical article appearing in the prestigious periodical NATURE. It established that maternal genetic lineage in the Kashmir region of India showed continuity over time, with little if any remote genetic influence, and greater proportion of local genetic influence, meaning that there is continuity of genetic lineage traceable through the mother in Kashmiri population and other nearby populations, with no admixture from external sources of DNA.
MATERNAL DNA CONTINUITY - MITOCHONDRIAL DNA STUDIES CONFIRM LOCAL ORIGINS OF KASHMIRI INHABITANTS
“The Neolithic site of Burzahom is of high cultural value and archaeological importance and is one of the earliest human settlements in the Kashmir Valley with numerous evidence of migration and cultural assimilation”
“ …. reconstructed for the first time the complete mitogenomes of Neolithic, megalithic and medieval individuals from the Burzahom archaeological site in Kashmir.”.
‘Neolithic and Megalithic periods were characterized by predominantly local genetic influence on the maternal gene pool,…”
“The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) mature phase flourished in India from around 2600 to 1900 BCE… similarity between the Neolithic periods of Kashmir and the Harappans indicating cultural exchange in the fourth millennium BCE.”(Ref. 54)
THE ORIGINAL STATUS of Kashmir as the CENTRE OF HINDU DHARMA and DHARMIC EDUCATION should be rapidly revived.
As with NALANDA, the SHARADA UNIVERSITY should be re-established and reopened to students.
The use of religious violence against peaceful Hindus, evidenced in SEVEN GENOCIDES till date should be weighed carefully to assess future implications. Every effort at a repetition should be quashed.
Robert George Collingwood, eminent English historian, expert on Roman History, archaeologist and philosopher has said, “The only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done …”
“ …. the Roman Empire ……. died of disease, not of violence, and the disease was a long-growing and deep-seated conviction that its own way of life was not worth preserving.”
― (Ref. 55)
“Today, amidst political turbulence and religious violence, it becomes all the more necessary to recall, preserve, and honour Kashmir's deep-rooted Hindu heritage — a heritage that has been systematically erased, forgotten, and misrepresented. The very name "Kashmir" is derived from Sanskrit……. underlines that the origins of Kashmir are steeped in Vedic and Puranic traditions.”
“Sharada Peeth ….. was one of the foremost temples and universities of Hindu India. Revered especially by Kashmiri Pandits, it was considered the abode of the goddess of learning, Sharada …….. witnesses to Kashmir's Hindu past, bearing testimony to the region's role as a bastion of Dharma, knowledge, and civilization ………. one of India's foremost intellectual crucibles, birthing traditions and texts that would shape Indian civilization itself.”(Ref. 6)
CONCLUDING REMARKS
What then does history tell us about Vedic Kashmir?
What are the lessons to be drawn from this knowledge?
History establishes that Kashmir was a highly developed region of Bharat, with erudite grammarians, writers, philosophers, scientists, astronomers, physicians, mathematicians, statesmen, and a highly developed system of education in the region. Students came from far and wide to learn a host of disciplines.
KASHMIRI ACHIEVEMENTS in literature, art, science, medicine and philosophy LED TO GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT at the time, and continue till today to ENRICH MANKIND.
Many practices of VEDIC RITUALS PERFORMED EVEN TODAY, ORIGINATED IN KASHMIR.
Kashmir was the shrine where Hindu devotees at Sharada Peeth, worshipped an embodiment of Shakti, a combination of Sharada, Goddess of Learning, Saraswati, Goddess of knowledge, And Vagdevi, Goddess of speech.
There were thousands of Hindu temples in Ancient Kashmir, and it is very apparent they no longer exist even as ruins.
Kashmir therefore, is to Hindus in Bharat, and around the world, as precious and holy as their own Holy sites are to the Muslims and to the Christians. She is the BIRTHPLACE of Hindu Faith.
AND YET, the only relic of this religious seat of Hinduism that exists today, is a graveyard called Batta Mazar, an ARROGANT REMINDER of the first genocides of Kashmiri Pandits by Islamists marauder determined to enforce forcible conversions on pain of death. (Ref. 53A)
NOTHING MUCH HAS CHANGED.
What remains is evidence of further genocides through the years, with the single minded intention of usurpation of territory and an advantageous alteration of demography.
THE SEVENTH GENOCIDE HAPPENED AS RECENTLY AS 19 JANUARY 1990 as described above, and continues as a CULTURAL GENOCIDE even TODAY.
What remains is a pathetic attempt to erase history by changing our original Sanskrit names for rivers and regions – Jhelum for the river Vitasta, which gave the original name of Vaitastika to Kashmir, Baramulla for the area called Varahmoola, Pahelgam for Paharagrama, Gulmarg for Gaurimarga, Ganderbal for Gandharapura and so on. The suffix -pura means city ot town in Sanskrit, and the suffix -marg means path or meadow.
It may be said that dwelling on such heart breaking history achieves little.
To those who believe in this, let me explain why knowing history is important to mankind.
As R.G.Collingwood has so aptly expressed, it is important because it warns us of the EXTREME EVIL THAT A SECTION OF HUMANITY IS CAPABLE OF, ONCE THEY HAVE EXHIBITED THEIR ZEAL AND CAPACITY TO DO SO IN THE PAST.
We have seen that Islamic invaders slaughtered 400 million Hindus from 1000 – 1525 A.D. Did this happen again?
YES, as we saw above, in 1971 the Pakistani Army slaughtered an estimated 1.5 to 3.0 million East Pakistanis (now Bangladeshis) in just 9 months.(Ref. 49)
YES, as we saw above, in 1990, it happened to Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, when an estimated 140,000 to 160,000 fled for their lives in just one night. Yet, their non violent nature prevented them from even a single act of retaliation or retribution.( Ref. 56)
Collingwood also warns us that as a people descended from a noble and peaceful faith which harmed none, and which accepted all other faiths unquestioningly as their innate right, we should REMAIN PROUD of our heritage. If we lose our pride we are in danger of dying out as did the Roman Empire when it stopped believing in its own culture and way of Life.
This article seeks to revive in the heart of every Sanatani, respect and reverence for ALL OUR PREDECESSORS who died FIGHTING TO SAVE THEIR FAITH at the hands of an intolerant bigoted invader who only sought to DESTROY a perceived enemy who showed no ill will and bore no arms, in order to force his theology on them..
And in respect and reverence, to resolve that their deaths were not in vain. That what they built, disseminated, and spread FREELY through love and harmony to the entire world will live on in their memory and bear fruit again as it did in their lifetimes.
That what they created, preserved and died attempting to save, should rise from the ashes once again, to tower with grace and pride as an eternal beacon of an undaunted civilisation which taught the world how to think, how to dream, how to heal, how to sing, dance, perform, which gave her a global language on which every communication today is based.
The continuity of our resilient civilisation, possibly THE OLDEST in the world, with its cultural traditions kept alive, by Her faithful followers over millennia till today, establishes our RIGHT TO FLOURISH and to PROPOGATE THIS LEGACY for times to come.
Reclaim and raise Kashmir from the ruins of Her heritage and culture to the pinnacle of Hindu Pilgrimage destination, where every Hindu will reach at least once in his/her lifetime for solace and absolution.
Rename all Her rivers, landmarks and regions back to their original Vedic names.
Restablish Kashmiri Pandits safely, peacefully to their original LEGITIMATE homes, farms, and orchards, occupied and usurped by displacing them forcibly in 1990.
Defeat the evil forces of geopolitical compulsions, and encourage peaceful co-existence, albeit with vigilance, in accordance with the true ethical principles of Kashmiri Sanatanis.
ABIDE BY OUR SACROSANCT SANATANI PRINCIPLE :
The author emphatically states that NO generative artificial intelligence tool was used for researching, compiling, collating or writing this article.
The author EXPRESSLY FORBIDS the use of this article to train AI technologies in data search, compilation, collation, publication and dissemination and/or the generation of similar publications using this article.
HOW HER GLOBAL CONTRIBUTIONS LIVE ON
THE SURVIVAL OF OUR VEDIC CIVILISATION TILL TODAY ENSURES A CONTINUITY
In Part II of this article, I had elaborated on evidence that our brilliant and Ancient Vedic culture survived unlike the civilisations of Persia, Egypt, and many others.
https://www.newsbharati.com//Encyc/2025/7/14/Kashmir-Vedic-Ancestry-II.html
Cultural practices, religious rituals, styles of clothing, dress, ornaments, continue unchanged till today from an era at least 5000 years ago.
Genetic continuity has also been recently proven and described in detail by a team of young Kashmiri scientists, in a highly technical article appearing in the prestigious periodical NATURE. It established that maternal genetic lineage in the Kashmir region of India showed continuity over time, with little if any remote genetic influence, and greater proportion of local genetic influence, meaning that there is continuity of genetic lineage traceable through the mother in Kashmiri population and other nearby populations, with no admixture from external sources of DNA.
MATERNAL DNA CONTINUITY - MITOCHONDRIAL DNA STUDIES CONFIRM LOCAL ORIGINS OF KASHMIRI INHABITANTS
“The Neolithic site of Burzahom is of high cultural value and archaeological importance and is one of the earliest human settlements in the Kashmir Valley with numerous evidence of migration and cultural assimilation”
“ …. reconstructed for the first time the complete mitogenomes of Neolithic, megalithic and medieval individuals from the Burzahom archaeological site in Kashmir.”.
‘Neolithic and Megalithic periods were characterized by predominantly local genetic influence on the maternal gene pool,…”
“The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) mature phase flourished in India from around 2600 to 1900 BCE… similarity between the Neolithic periods of Kashmir and the Harappans indicating cultural exchange in the fourth millennium BCE.”(Ref. 54)
RESTORE THE HINDU ETHOS OF KASHMIR
WHY HISTORY MATTERS
ESTABLISH HISTORICAL TRUTH – IGNORE COSMETIC PROMISES
Kashmir was the Fountainhead of the Hindu faith. Geopolitical compulsions led to the distortion of Her demography. The compulsions need to be re-examined in light of current resurgence of Hindu thought. It is only fair and just that peaceful co-existence as originally envisaged by Hindus, is re-established WITHOUT EXCEPTION or COMPROMISE. THE ORIGINAL STATUS of Kashmir as the CENTRE OF HINDU DHARMA and DHARMIC EDUCATION should be rapidly revived.
As with NALANDA, the SHARADA UNIVERSITY should be re-established and reopened to students.
The use of religious violence against peaceful Hindus, evidenced in SEVEN GENOCIDES till date should be weighed carefully to assess future implications. Every effort at a repetition should be quashed.
Robert George Collingwood, eminent English historian, expert on Roman History, archaeologist and philosopher has said, “The only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done …”
“ …. the Roman Empire ……. died of disease, not of violence, and the disease was a long-growing and deep-seated conviction that its own way of life was not worth preserving.”
― (Ref. 55)
Fig. 7. Robin George Collingwood OPEN DOMAIN (Ref 70)
“In celebrating Kashmir's Hindu history, we do not merely honor a forgotten past; we lay claim to a future where truth triumphs over erasure, and where the spirit of Sharada once again illumines the world.”(Ref. 6)“Today, amidst political turbulence and religious violence, it becomes all the more necessary to recall, preserve, and honour Kashmir's deep-rooted Hindu heritage — a heritage that has been systematically erased, forgotten, and misrepresented. The very name "Kashmir" is derived from Sanskrit……. underlines that the origins of Kashmir are steeped in Vedic and Puranic traditions.”
“Sharada Peeth ….. was one of the foremost temples and universities of Hindu India. Revered especially by Kashmiri Pandits, it was considered the abode of the goddess of learning, Sharada …….. witnesses to Kashmir's Hindu past, bearing testimony to the region's role as a bastion of Dharma, knowledge, and civilization ………. one of India's foremost intellectual crucibles, birthing traditions and texts that would shape Indian civilization itself.”(Ref. 6)
CONCLUDING REMARKS
What then does history tell us about Vedic Kashmir?
What are the lessons to be drawn from this knowledge?
History establishes that Kashmir was a highly developed region of Bharat, with erudite grammarians, writers, philosophers, scientists, astronomers, physicians, mathematicians, statesmen, and a highly developed system of education in the region. Students came from far and wide to learn a host of disciplines.
KASHMIRI ACHIEVEMENTS in literature, art, science, medicine and philosophy LED TO GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT at the time, and continue till today to ENRICH MANKIND.
Many practices of VEDIC RITUALS PERFORMED EVEN TODAY, ORIGINATED IN KASHMIR.
Kashmir was the shrine where Hindu devotees at Sharada Peeth, worshipped an embodiment of Shakti, a combination of Sharada, Goddess of Learning, Saraswati, Goddess of knowledge, And Vagdevi, Goddess of speech.
There were thousands of Hindu temples in Ancient Kashmir, and it is very apparent they no longer exist even as ruins.
Kashmir therefore, is to Hindus in Bharat, and around the world, as precious and holy as their own Holy sites are to the Muslims and to the Christians. She is the BIRTHPLACE of Hindu Faith.
AND YET, the only relic of this religious seat of Hinduism that exists today, is a graveyard called Batta Mazar, an ARROGANT REMINDER of the first genocides of Kashmiri Pandits by Islamists marauder determined to enforce forcible conversions on pain of death. (Ref. 53A)
NOTHING MUCH HAS CHANGED.
What remains is evidence of further genocides through the years, with the single minded intention of usurpation of territory and an advantageous alteration of demography.
THE SEVENTH GENOCIDE HAPPENED AS RECENTLY AS 19 JANUARY 1990 as described above, and continues as a CULTURAL GENOCIDE even TODAY.
What remains is a pathetic attempt to erase history by changing our original Sanskrit names for rivers and regions – Jhelum for the river Vitasta, which gave the original name of Vaitastika to Kashmir, Baramulla for the area called Varahmoola, Pahelgam for Paharagrama, Gulmarg for Gaurimarga, Ganderbal for Gandharapura and so on. The suffix -pura means city ot town in Sanskrit, and the suffix -marg means path or meadow.
It may be said that dwelling on such heart breaking history achieves little.
To those who believe in this, let me explain why knowing history is important to mankind.
As R.G.Collingwood has so aptly expressed, it is important because it warns us of the EXTREME EVIL THAT A SECTION OF HUMANITY IS CAPABLE OF, ONCE THEY HAVE EXHIBITED THEIR ZEAL AND CAPACITY TO DO SO IN THE PAST.
We have seen that Islamic invaders slaughtered 400 million Hindus from 1000 – 1525 A.D. Did this happen again?
YES, as we saw above, in 1971 the Pakistani Army slaughtered an estimated 1.5 to 3.0 million East Pakistanis (now Bangladeshis) in just 9 months.(Ref. 49)
YES, as we saw above, in 1990, it happened to Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, when an estimated 140,000 to 160,000 fled for their lives in just one night. Yet, their non violent nature prevented them from even a single act of retaliation or retribution.( Ref. 56)
Collingwood also warns us that as a people descended from a noble and peaceful faith which harmed none, and which accepted all other faiths unquestioningly as their innate right, we should REMAIN PROUD of our heritage. If we lose our pride we are in danger of dying out as did the Roman Empire when it stopped believing in its own culture and way of Life.
This article seeks to revive in the heart of every Sanatani, respect and reverence for ALL OUR PREDECESSORS who died FIGHTING TO SAVE THEIR FAITH at the hands of an intolerant bigoted invader who only sought to DESTROY a perceived enemy who showed no ill will and bore no arms, in order to force his theology on them..
And in respect and reverence, to resolve that their deaths were not in vain. That what they built, disseminated, and spread FREELY through love and harmony to the entire world will live on in their memory and bear fruit again as it did in their lifetimes.
That what they created, preserved and died attempting to save, should rise from the ashes once again, to tower with grace and pride as an eternal beacon of an undaunted civilisation which taught the world how to think, how to dream, how to heal, how to sing, dance, perform, which gave her a global language on which every communication today is based.
The continuity of our resilient civilisation, possibly THE OLDEST in the world, with its cultural traditions kept alive, by Her faithful followers over millennia till today, establishes our RIGHT TO FLOURISH and to PROPOGATE THIS LEGACY for times to come.
Reclaim and raise Kashmir from the ruins of Her heritage and culture to the pinnacle of Hindu Pilgrimage destination, where every Hindu will reach at least once in his/her lifetime for solace and absolution.
Rename all Her rivers, landmarks and regions back to their original Vedic names.
Restablish Kashmiri Pandits safely, peacefully to their original LEGITIMATE homes, farms, and orchards, occupied and usurped by displacing them forcibly in 1990.
Defeat the evil forces of geopolitical compulsions, and encourage peaceful co-existence, albeit with vigilance, in accordance with the true ethical principles of Kashmiri Sanatanis.
ABIDE BY OUR SACROSANCT SANATANI PRINCIPLE :
“Yatra Dharmas Tatra Jayah (यत्र धर्मस्तत्र जयः):”
“Where there is righteousness (Dharma), there is victory”
(from multiple mentions in the Mahabharata) (Ref. 56A)
DEDICATION:
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ALL 400 MILLION HINDUS OF BHARAT KILLED FOR THEIR FAITH
OM SHANTI
WITH A PRAYER FOR JUSTICE FOR THE SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST OF 19 JANUARY 1990
LET US TOGETHER REVIVE KASHMIR – THE BIRTHPLACE OF HINDUISM
LET US TOGETHER CONSECRATE HER AGAIN AS THE PRECIOUS HOLY LAND OF HINDUS
AI NON-USE DISCLAIMERThe author emphatically states that NO generative artificial intelligence tool was used for researching, compiling, collating or writing this article.
The author EXPRESSLY FORBIDS the use of this article to train AI technologies in data search, compilation, collation, publication and dissemination and/or the generation of similar publications using this article.
FIND REFERENCES OF THE ARTICLES HERE;
Dr. Usha Kamat Sharma
I am Dr. Mrs. Usha Kamat Sharma M.D., D.Cl.Pharm., Ph.D., who began my professional career as a lecturer in Pharmacology at the Seth G S Medical College affiliated to the KEM Hospital in Mumbai. I had the opportunity to conduct original research projects, graduate lectures and post graduate seminars in this period.
After earning my MD in the subject, I became a Pharmaceutical Physician, and retired after an innings of over 20 years in the Corporate Pharmaceutical world in India.
Thereafter I free lanced as a Pharmaceutical Medical and quality Consultant for a further 25 years or so. I indulged my love for writing by contributing invited articles to journals, and also contributed as a consultant editor for a few years on a couple of medical journals.
I turned once again to teaching, and accepted invitations as Visiting Faculty for various courses in Clinical Research for working professionals in the Pharmaceutical industry.
I designed and delivered a highly specialized course for several years at the Haffkine Institute for Training, Research and Testing, Government of Maharashtra, MUMBAI.
I soon turned to the pursuit of a new passion, the Ancient Civilisation and Culture of our beloved Motherland Bharat.
By this time I had written and published a Prescribed Textbook for Post-Graduates in Pharmacology, a Chapter in a Monograph on Tuberculosis, over 100+ Invited Reviews for a prestigious Pharmaceutical Bulletin, and assumed the Editorship of 2 Medical Journals for a few terms.
I have authored over 15 Original Medical Research Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals.
With this writing background I felt confident to venture into writing in what is essentially a new field for me. My love of teaching impels me to share what I learn with anyone who cares to listen and learn.
I look forward to writing this blog, and to incite curiosity and passion to learn about the riches of our heritage- verily treasures which our Vedic ancestors gifted to the World.
I am committed to providing the same thorough background research to this field as I had to Clinical Research.
I am excited to bring my fresh individual perspective to the subject, and hope I am able to stimulate thinking about this neglected topic.
It is revealing to come across so much national ownership and pride in the explorations carried out in other countries, while such rich treasures of knowledge and wisdom lie unfathomed, unseen, and untouched in the depths of a vast Ocean of the History of our Motherland.
The Time is now ripe for future generations to seek, even demand to know more about Her vast contributions to the World as they know it today.
Read on, and accompany me on this exhilarating journey of discovery into our past, the surest way to catapult meaningfully into the future.