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The
Kashmiri
Pandits,
the original inhabitants of the Valley of Kashmir, have a rich culture
and peaceful traditions that they have managed to maintain over five thousand
years of recorded history. Kashmir is known amongst the Kashmiri Pandits
and other Saraswats (who fled Kashmir during periods of Islamic
persecution) as Sharadapeeth or the Abode of the Goddess of Learning
and Fine Arts. During their five thousand years of history, they have made
great contributions to world civilization in such diverse fields as religion,
philosophy, Sanskrit literature, medicine, history, music and aesthetics.
Kashmir's greatest historian, Kalhan, writes about his native land
: "It is a country where the sun shines mildly, being the place created
by Rishi Kashyap, for his glory - big and lofty houses, learning, saffron,
icy cool water and grapes rare in Heaven are plentiful here - Kailash is
the best place in the three worlds (Tri-lok), Himalayas the best place
in Kailash, and Kashmir the best place in Himalayas".
Shankracharya Temple,
Srinagar
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Chakrishwar, Hari
Parbat
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Kashmir, the land of
rishis and saints, was however, ill-prepared for the Islamic onslaught
that it has had to suffer over the last 500 years. During the Islamic period
of rule, the Kashmiri Pandit population dwindled steadily and there
were numerous times when the persecution was so severe that a large number
of them had to flee to the hot plains of India. This process has been recently
repeated (from 1990 onwards), but on a much vaster scale. The Kashmiri
Pandits have been driven from their homeland after a campaign of intimidation
and harassment was launched against them by the military-wing of the Islamic
secessionists. Kashmiri Pandits were forced from their hearths and
homes at the point of gun. The objective of this ethnic cleansing was to
create a minority free Kashmir valley where the goal of Islamization could
be easily forced on the ordinary people.
It is, indeed, a very
sad fact that the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits has literally
gone unnoticed by the World community. It is the aim of this website to
point out the rich and wonderful contributions made by the Kashmiri
Pandit population, not only to enriching the Indian civilization, but
to enriching the World at large. The loss of this tradition, if allowed,
will be a tremendous loss for the World.
Kheer Bhawani Temple,
Tula Mula, Kashmir
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KOA
2001 Camp Photographs
