According to Sir Aurel Stein who translated Rajatarangini the celebrated book of history of Kashmir from Sanskrit into English ,”Kashmir has distinction of being the only region of India which possesses an uninterrupted series of written record of its history”. The archaeological excavations of Bourzahama 15 kms from Srinagar establish its antiquity to beyond 3000 BC. It has been established as mentioned earlier that Nagas were the original inhabitants of Kashmir and Kashmiris built their cultural traditions on the habits and customs of Nagas. The traditions and customs of Nagas are prevalent in modified forms in various regions of the State even now. Abhinav Gupta the eminent Kashmiri philosopher, claims the primacy of agamas-religious texts of ancient Kashmir dating between 1st and 5th century AD-over the Vedas both in point of time and performance of rituals.
The interaction between vedic and Kashmiri traditions did develop in course of time but in Kashmir’s religious literature the supremacy of Shiva over Vedic supreme God Indra has often been asserted. According to V.N.Drabu, the pre vedic people of Kashmir were admitted to vedic society with distinctive characteristics of their own life at different periods.Buddhists and Jews have left tremendous influence on Kashmir history and culture. The transition from Nagas to Buddhism has been smooth. Influenced by Shaivite –tantric thought of Kashmir, Buddhism got transformed into its Kashmiri version. The local religious beliefs, vedic concepts and Buddhism were synthesized by great Kashmiri philosophers, Vasugupta and Abhinavgupta into Kashmiri version of Shaivism called Trikha philosophy. After that Kashmir has experienced situations of strife and Kashmiris had to struggle hard under alien rulers ilke Mughals, Pathans, Sikhs and Dogras. Muslim rule followed the conversion of a local ruler into Islam, which resulted into many conversions thereafter. The last native rulers of Kashmir were the Chaks. Islamic beliefs and practices enjoyed as much autonomy within wider Islamic tradition as pre-Islamic Kashmir did during vedic and post Vedic tradition of India.
The amalgamation of Shaivism and Islamic thoughts resulted in yet another school of thought called as Sufism, which flourished for hundreds of years. Both Shaivism and Sufism are the prominent schools of thought which developed in Kashmir and left indelible mark on the psyche of Kashmiris.
Proclaiming himself to be spiritual son of Lal Ded, Nundrishi carried further her spiritual message in the form of Rishi order( as Sufism in Kashmir valley was called). Lal Ded and Nundarishi translated religion into Kashmir’s spiritual and cultural idiom and converted it into massive emotional upsurge. The faith and tradition of preaching and worshipping of each others’ religions and pilgrimage centres has been a very unique and glorious tradition of the people of the State. The famous Hindu shrines and the equally famous Muslim pilgrimage centres are held in highest esteem by the people of every faith. The offerings made and the obeisance paid at such places by people of all faiths has baffled and even bothered the conservative elements across the globe.
The entire valley is full of such shrines and pilgrimage centres which are respected and adored by both the communities. Some places house the shrines of both the faiths at close proximity to each/one another. The pilgrimage centre like one at Hari Parbat where monuments of all three religions with a temple, mosque and gurdwara co-exist,are the living symbols of communal harmony for people of the State.
The valley has seen many eminent saints and sages apparently from both the religious faiths ameliorating the social, economic and spiritual conditions of Kashmirs since ancient times. People bow in front of them irrespective of cast creed and religion and seek redressal of their worries and anxieties.
According to Dr. Arthur Neve, “Kashmiri Muslim has transferred reverence from Hindu stones to Muslim relics. Similarly, Muslim saints are worshipped like Hindu Gods and Godlings. A unique feature of Kashmiri Muslim is that he has remained a Kashmiri as well as a Muslim.”
Kashmir has been melting pot of ideas and races. G.M.D. Sufi observes “the cult of Buddha, the teachings of Vedanta, the mysticism of Islam have one after another found a congenial home in Kashmir. It has imbibed the best of Hinduism, the best of Buddhism and best of Islam.”
Kashmir has remained a clearing house of several civilizations, it has made monumental contribution to Indian culture. There is hardly any branch of human knowledge to which ancient Kashmir did not make a pioneering and substantial contribution. According to Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, “Kashmir dominated the intellectual scene of India for almost 2000 years.” Kashmir has a distinction of being a place where people from all walks of life and from all across the world have been coming to seek peace, knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. It has received the travelers of great significance to human history like Heun sangue. Traditionally called a place of saints, it has remained a seat of learning known as Sharda Peetha for years together. The contribution of the scholars of Kashmir to Sanskrit language and literature has been remarkable. Names like Kalhanna, Bilhann, Mammat, Abhinav Gupt, Anadwardhan, Shamindra and many others have gone down as legends in the history of scholarship.
Maharajah Lalitaditiya, Avantiverman and Zainulabdin –the Budshah, are some of the most remarkable and glorious rulers of Kashmir whose contribution to human civilization has been outstanding. They not only conquered a major territory of the region but had carved a deep niche in the hearts of people of all religions. In Budshah the State had a great savior of the mankind in general who besides accelerating the developmental activities, initiated and patronized many forms of arts and crafts in Kashmir. History is witness that rulers who singled out a particular community or wanted to patronize one single faith have not been able to lost longer. They not only invited wrath of people but of destiny too.
However, the recent past quarter of the century has not only shattered the years old faith but has posed a great challenge before all Kashmiris irrespective of religion whether to collectively defeat the divisive forces and maintain the ancestral heritage or get swayed away by the storm and loose the age old cultural moorings. I Hope Kashmiris would choose the first option.