According to Hindu mythology, the Kashmir Valley was once a vast lake called Satisar, named after the goddess Sati, Shiva's wife.
A demon named Jalodbhava lived in this lake and terrorised the local Naga people, who were serpent-worshipping tribes depicted in Hindu art as half-human, half-snake. The goddess Parvati, Shiva's consort, killed the demon to protect them. Eventually, the Vedic sage Rishi Kashyapa drained the lake, making the valley suitable for human settlement.
But a counter perspective is that the Valley of Kashmir and its surrounding hill territories came into being as a result of the continental drift. The emergence of the mountains created pressure & temperatures leading to the draining of water towards the downward Indian plains, including Baramulla.
Geological studies and research point out that the Valley was millions of years ago a lake, and its water found an outlet in Baramulla through a narrow gorge due to volcanic activity.
Indigenous population
Some sources claim the first inhabitants of Kashmir Valley descended from Prophet Noah (2900-3900 BCE). According to these accounts, Noah's grandson Kush founded an empire, and his people—the Kush race—migrated widely across Asia.
The location of the Kush empire is disputed. Some place it along the southern Nile River in present-day Sudan and Egypt, while Biblical references point to southern Iraq or Saudi Arabia. Further research suggests the Kush tribe settled in the Middle East, founding a village called Kash near Baghdad and establishing settlements named Kashan, Kashaf, and Kashi in Mesopotamia.
These people named cities, rivers, and mountains after the name of their ancestor, Kush. Kashan River in Mesopotamia and Kashmar in Nishapur, Iran are two examples. In Central Asia, there are settlements like Kashmohra in Merv, Kash village in Bokhara, Kashband and Kashania in Samarkand, and Kashgar in East Turkistan, now Xinjiang China.
As a result of their move towards present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir, the mountain range separating the sub-Continent from Afghanistan is named as Hindu-Kush. In Pushtu, beyond this range is Hind and the settlement South of this mountain range is called Kashmor.
On their arrival in Kashmir, the Kush people first settled in Kishtwar before migrating almost en masse to the main Valley. In Babarnama (Memoir of Babar, the founder of Mughal dynasty in India ), translated into Persian by Ab Rahim Khan-i-Khanna, the Kush people are stated as inhabitants of northern mountains beyond Kashmir.
In the Hindu Kush mountains and the Zabarwan hills east of Srinagar, there are sites historically called "Takht-i-Sulaiman" (Throne of Solomon), linked to Prophet Sulaiman (10th century BCE). This also suggests a possible second wave of migration timeline for Kashmir. The Kush people, who descended from Prophet Noah, may have been the first settlers, followed by later migrations during Prophet Sulaiman's era.
These successive waves of migration, along with cultural, religious, and geographic influences, likely shaped the ancestry of the Kashmiri (Koshur) population.
Kashmir's recorded history spans 5,000 years, with anthropological evidence reaching back 7,000 years. This rich historical record helps us understand the ethnicity of Kashmir's inhabitants, excluding the Gujjar and Pahari tribes, who are more recent settlers. The Gujjars migrated from Georgia and Russia to Gujarat before moving to Kashmir, while the Paharis came from the Pothohar region in Rawalpindi Division, Pakistan.
Dr Abdul Ahad, an acclaimed historian and archaeologist, concludes that “genetic evidence confirms continuity between the Neolithic inhabitants of Burzahom and the Valley’s present population”.
Researchers’ conclusive findings about the Valley’s original inhabitants before 3000 BCE will help determine whether they were exclusively ancestors of the Kashmiri people or represented a mixture of different races and ethnicities. So far, excavations at this Neolithic site have not revealed any idols or anthropomorphic representations of Hindu deities.
Godfrey Thomas Vigne, a 19th-century traveller, who extensively toured the Valley, writes in his travelogue “Kashmir, Ladakh, Iskardo: The Countries adjoining the mountains 1842”, about the proximity between Biblical and historical figure Kush, Koshur and Kashmir.
Maiden habitation in Anantnag
The Nilamata Purana, a Sanskrit text from the 6th-7th century CE, mentions Anantanaga (the serpent of Vishnu Spring). This name is believed to relate to Anantnag, meaning "sacred springs" or "countless springs."
However, only 9 springs actually exist in the foothills overlooking Anantnag. These are: Gurtum Nag, Himali Nag, Gaji Nag, Devi Bal, one Nag (spring) and two sulphur springs in Nagbal, Sonir Prokhur, and Malakh Nag. From Donipawa to Phyroo, no other visible springs exist beyond these nine. The entire stretch along the foothills is now covered by densely populated residential areas and graveyards, making it unlikely that the area was ever water-covered except for these nine springs.
The entire area was uninhabited till the beginning of the 11th century CE but by 12th century, human presence can be spotted. Kalhan Pandit in Rajtarangini has heavily relied on Nilamata Puran, but additional material support is lacking.
The conclusion that the area was once uninhabited is based on population data. Anantnag had 5,656 people in the 1873 census and 11,985 in the 1941 census, roughly doubling over 68 years. By applying this doubling rate backward in thirteen 68-year intervals, the population would reach zero, suggesting the area was uninhabited before that point. Famine, droughts and floods didn’t happen only during the interval of 1873-1941 but have also been a regular phenomenon during medieval times.
Statistical analysis based on principles of progression and recession regarding undisputable data of the two census periods, may not drastically affect the conclusions that the area now known as Anantnag was at some point in time during the medieval periods an uninhabitable area.
In 14th-century chronicles by Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali, the area now called Anantnag is referred to as "Anch-e." This settlement is identified by the landmark "Anch-e-Teep," a hillock north of the city, now known as Fatehgarh.
This lends credence to the origin of the area as Islamabad, which came into existence in 1662 by amalgamation of Sherpur, Malakh Nag, Dangharpur and Kadipur habitations comprising over 500 people by Islam Khan, who was the Governor of Kashmir for two years during Aurangzaib’s reign (1658-1707).
Springs and Syncretism
The largest spring is located at Nagbal. During the Karkota dynasty, King Lalitaditya Muktapida (724-760 CE) reportedly rebuilt at this desolate place a temple Vihar to serve the pilgrims and the workers constructing the Martand Temple, the Nalanda of Kashmir.
Later, a Gurdwara was built nearby where Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru (1469-1539), and Guru Angad, the second Guru (1504-1552), are said to have stayed, despite there being no Sikh population in Anantnag then or now. Across from the Gurdwara, Dara Shikoh (1615-1659) constructed a mosque.
In 1920, Maharaja Pratap Singh (1885-1925) fenced off the area earmarked for the Masjid as no-man's land to prevent communal conflict. This action followed the disputes between the minority community, who claimed exclusive rights to the site as a whole, and the majority community, who wanted to retain at least the mosque site.
The conflict led to the division of land and its downstream shallow ground between the two communities. Under the partition plan handed down by the administration, the upper terraced grounds fell in the share of the minority community and the lower shallow land, named Sher Bagh, went to the majority community.
Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1857-1885) constructed the Ananta Bhagwaan Temple, followed by the Shiva Temple by Maharaja Pratap Singh (1920), within the premises apportioned in favour of the minority community.
The heartening reality is that the Devi Bal temple and Masjid-i-Baba Dawood Khaki (whose ground floor was constructed by Mir Mohammed Syed, the illustrious son of Amier Kabir, and its first floor was constructed by Baba Dawood Khaki) stand side by side, not quite hand in hand, but together for the last over 500 years. Equally captivating is the scene each morning and evening when hymns from all three places of worship resonate almost simultaneously across Nagbal and Sher Bagh.
This is a living testimony of syncretic Kashmir.
Have you liked the news article?