Kashmir (Balti: ; Dogri: , Gojri: ; Poonchi/Chibhali: ; Kashmiri:

the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographi
cally denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mou
ntain range. Today Kashmir denotes a larger area that includes the Indian-admini
stered state of Jammu and Kashmir (the Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh), the Pa
kistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan and the Azad Kashmir provinces, and the Ch
inese-administered regions of Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract.
In the first half of the first millennium, the Kashmir region became an importan
t center of Hinduism and later of Buddhism; later still, in the ninth century, K
ashmir Shaivism arose.[1] In 1349, Shah Mir became the first Muslim ruler of Kas
hmir and inaugurated the Salatin-i-Kashmir or Swati dynasty.[2] For the next fiv
e centuries, Muslim monarchs ruled Kashmir, including the Mughals, who ruled fro
m 1526 until 1751, then the Afghan Durrani Empire that ruled from 1747 until 182
0.[2] That year, the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh, annexed Kashmir.[2] In 1846, upon
the purchase of the region from the British under the Treaty of Amritsar, the D
ogras—under Gulab Singh—became the new rulers. Dogra Rule, under the paramountcy (or
tutelage) of the British Crown, lasted until 1947, when the former princely sta
te became a disputed territory, now administered by three countries: India, Paki
stan, and the People's Republic of China.
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Buddhism and Hinduism in Kashmir
2.2 Muslim rule
2.3 First Muslim Ruler, Shah Mir Swati
2.4 Sikh rule and Princely State
2.5 Year 1947 and 1948
3 Current status and political divisions
4 Demographics
5 Culture and cuisine
6 Economy
7 History of Tourism in Kashmir
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
Etymology

General view of Temple and Enclosure of Marttand (the Sun), at Bhawan, ca. 490–555
; the colonnade ca. 693–729. Surya Mandir at Martand, Jammu & Kashmir, India, phot
ographed by John Burke, 1868.
According to the "Nilmat Puran," the oldest book on Kashmir, in the Satisar, a f
ormer lake in the Kashmir Valley meaning "lake of the Goddess Sati,"[3] lived a
demon called Jalodbhava (meaning "born of water"), who tortured and devoured the
people, who lived near mountain slopes.[4] Hearing the suffering of the people,
Kashyap, an Indian rishi, came to the rescue of the people that lived there.[4]
After performing penance for a long time, the saint was blessed, and therefore
Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a boar and struck the mountain at Varahamula, bo
ring an opening in it for the water to flow out into the plains below.[5] The la
ke was drained, the land appeared, and the demon was killed.[4] The saint encour
aged people from India to settle in the valley.[4] As a result of the hero's act
ions, the people named the valley as "Kashyap-Mar", meaning abode of Kashyap, an
d "Kashyap-Pura", meaning city of Kashyap, in Sanskrit.[4] The name "Kashmir," i
n Sanskrit, implies land desiccated from water: "ka" (the water) and shimeera (t
o desiccate).[4] The ancient Greeks began referring to the region as "Kasperia"
and the Chinese pilgrim Hien-Tsang who visited the valley around 631 AD. called
it "KaShi-Mi-Lo".[4] In modern times the people of Kashmir have shortened the fu
ll Sanskrit name into "Kasheer," which is the colloquial Koshur name of the vall
ey, as noted in Aurel Stein's introduction to the Rajatarangini metrical chronic
le.[4]
The "Rajatarangini," a history of Kashmir written by Kalhana in the 12th century
, concurs with Nilmat Puran, stating that the valley of Kashmir was formerly a l
ake. This lake was drained by the great rishi or sage, Kashyapa, son of Marichi,
son of Brahma, by cutting the gap in the hills at Baramulla (Varaha-mula). Cash
mere is a variant spelling of Kashmir, especially within the English language.[6
]