As we landed at Srinagar airport, a passenger said to me that this was a kashmir beauty. As if cued by the stunning scenery of alpine vistas, snow-capped mountains, and a vast lake fringed in lotus flowers and terraced Mughal era gardens, my taxi driver said the same thing. It is a common belief among kashmiri women that they want to live in an independent country, without India or Pakistan. It recognizes that Kashmir is culturally different from the rest.
Clinton called Kashmir Beauty a beautiful thing
It was 20 years ago that I last stepped foot here. This was before the 9/11 attacks and subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. A tourist from America was killed and another one injured in Srinagar’s old town. Six European and American tourists were abducted from a mountainous area popular with trekkers the year after I visited. The violence here reached its peak in the 2000s when President Clinton called Kashmir millionaire beauty “the most dangerous place on Earth”. A protracted conflict saw tens of thousands of Kashmiris killed and over half a million Indian troops placed on alert.
A new peace has been established in jammu and kashmir culture beauty recently. Despite the lack of historic treaties or grand political compromises, things are quickly returning to normal. In the last five years, the number of civilians who were killed in terrorist attacks has fallen to 35. This is a significant decrease from the 1,000 that was common during the worst years. These attacks are mostly far away from Kashmir’s tourist trails. Tourists from India and other countries are beginning to flock to this place, which has been described by travelers and blockbusters as an “earthly paradise”. The garden of Vivanta Dal View is a luxury hotel that was built on top of the lake in 2012 to serve this new generation of tourists. I can see the city clearly from here. The city lights flicker as the sun sets above the Himalayas. In the distance is a fort, while songs from many mosques echo in cool night air. Today is Shab-e-Barat. This Muslim holiday is traditionally marked by prayer and song sessions that last throughout the night. Jammu and Kashmir (or kashmir sams beauty, as it is officially known) has been a predominantly Muslim region for many years. It is unlike any other Indian state. The language and culture of the region, which are as much influenced by Iran and Central Asia, are as similar to those of the Indian subcontinent.
As conflicts continue to ravage great Islamic cities around the globe, Kashmir today feels both nostalgic as well as revelatory. The region is far removed from the tourist circuit of India, unlike the deserts of Rajasthan and Varanasi’s profane piety. It has a rich multireligious, multicultural history. beauty bay Many mosques in the region are influenced by Buddhism. Kashmiri carpet-making techniques come from Shiite Persia. The area’s Hindu temples were once home to large numbers of Brahmins.
The fact that Kashmir has been ruled by Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim leaders is what makes it unique. The Islamic rule that left the most lasting impression on Kashmir today began with the Sayyid Dynasty in 1339. It continued with the Mughals in 16th century, and ended with the Durranis in 1819. The British overthrew the Sikhs in 1846, and Kashmir fell under their control. For the next century, the Raj era was a Hindu maharajah who ruled the region while transferring control to the British. Kashmir’s fate was not decided when India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947. Hari Singh, a maharajah at the time, wanted Kashmir to be independent and refused to join Pakistan or India until the conflict broke out. Singh called in Indian troops to help him and accepted Indian rule. This fight caused Kashmir to be haphazardly divided between India and Pakistan. I am visiting the Indian side, which is where the Pakistanis call Azad (or free kashmir beauty ), their territory right now. The 1948 armed conflict was ended by a United Nations resolution. It promised that a referendum on the future of the region would be held in all Kashmir, a vote that has never taken place.
