Kashmiris

Kashmiris(Kashmiri pronunciation:[kəːʃirʲ]) are anIndo-Aryanethnolinguistic groupspeaking theKashmiri languageand originating from theKashmir Valley, which is today located in Indian-administeredJammu and Kashmir.
The earliest knownNeolithicsites in theKashmir valleyare from around 3000 BCE. The most important sites are atBurzahom.During the laterVedic period, theUttara–Kurussettled in Kashmir.
During the reign ofAshoka(304–232 BCE), Kashmir became part of theMaurya Empireand the city of Srinagari (Srinagar) was built.Kanishka(127–151 CE), an emperor of theKushan dynasty, conquered Kashmir.In the eighth century, during theKarkota Empire, Kashmir grew as an imperial power.Lalitaditya MuktapidadefeatedYashovarmanofKanyakubjaand conquered the eastern kingdoms of Magadha,Kamarupa,Gauda, andKalinga. He defeated theArabsatSindh.TheUtpala dynasty, founded byAvantivarman, followed the Karkotas.Queen Didda, who descended from theHindu ShahisofUdabhandapuraon her mother's side, took over as ruler in the second half of the 10th century.After her death in 1003 CE, theLohara dynastyruled the region.
In 1339,Shah Mirbecame the ruler of Kashmir, establishing theShah Mir dynasty. During the rule of the Shah Mir dynasty, Islam spread in Kashmir. From 1586 to 1751, theMughal Empireruled Kashmir. The AfghanDurrani Empireruled from 1747 until 1819. TheSikhs, underRanjit Singh, annexed Kashmir in 1819. In 1846, after theFirst Anglo-Sikh War, theTreaty of Lahorewas signed and upon the purchase of the region from theBritishunder theTreaty of Amritsar, the Raja ofJammu,Gulab Singh, became ruler of Kashmir. The rule of theDogra dynastyunder the British Crown lasted until 1947, when the princely state ofJammu and Kashmirbecame part of India. It is now a disputed territory, administered by three countries: India, Pakistan, and the People's Republic of China.
There are about 6.8 million speakers of Kashmiri and related dialects in Jammu and Kashmir and amongst theKashmiri diasporain other states of India.Most Kashmiris are located in theKashmir Valleyand other areas of Jammu and Kashmir.In the Kashmir valley, they form a majority.
Kashmiriis spoken by roughly five per cent ofAzad Kashmir's population.According to the1998 Pakistan Census, there were 132,450 Kashmiri speakers in Azad Kashmir.Native speakers of the language were dispersed in "pockets" throughout Azad Kashmir,particularly in the districts ofMuzaffarabad(15%),Neelam(20%) andHattian(15%), with very small minorities inHaveli(5%) andBagh(2%).The Kashmiri spoken in Muzaffarabad is distinct from, although stillintelligiblewith, the Kashmiri of the Neelam Valley to the north.In Neelam Valley, Kashmiri is the second most widely spoken language and the majority language in at least a dozen or so villages, where in about half of these, it is the sole mother tongue.The Kashmiri dialect of Neelum is closer to the variety spoken in northern Kashmir Valley, particularlyKupwara.At the2017 Census of Pakistan, as many as 350,000 people declared their first language to be Kashmiri.
A process oflanguage shiftis observable among Kashmiri-speakers in Azad Kashmir according to linguistTariq Rahman, as they gradually adopt local dialects such asPahari-Pothwari,Hindkoor move towards thelingua francaUrdu.This has resulted in these languages gaining ground at the expense of Kashmiri.There have been calls for the promotion of Kashmiri at an official level; in 1983, a Kashmiri Language Committee was set up by the government to patronise Kashmiri and impart it in school-level education. However, the limited attempts at introducing the language have not been successful, and it is Urdu, rather than Kashmiri, that Kashmiri Muslims have seen as their identity symbol.Rahman notes that efforts to organise a Kashmiri language movement have been challenged by the scattered nature of the Kashmiri-speaking community in Azad Kashmir.
TheKashmiri languageis one of the22 scheduled languagesofIndia.It was a part of theeighth Schedulein the former Constitution of the Jammu and Kashmir. Along with other regional languages mentioned in theSixth Schedule, as well as Hindi and Urdu, the Kashmiri language was to be developed in the state.
Persian began to be used as the court language in Kashmir during the 14th century, under the influence of Islam. It was replaced by Urdu in 1889 during theDogra rule.In 2020, Kashmiri became an official language in the Union Territory ofJammu and Kashmirfor the first time.
Kashmiri is closely related toPoguliandKishtwari, which are spoken in the mountains to the south of the Kashmir Valley and have sometimes been counted as dialects of Kashmiri.
Kashmiri HindusareSaraswat Brahminsand are known by the exonymPandit.The Muslims living inKashmirare of the same stock as theKashmiri Panditcommunity and are designated asKashmiri Muslims.Kashmiri Muslims are descended fromKashmiri HinduswhoconvertedtoIslam, and Kashmiri Pandits are the predecessors of the Kashmiri Muslims,who now form the majority population in the Kashmir ValleyBoth the Kashmiri Hindus and Muslim society reckons descent patrilineally. Certain property and titles may be inherited through the male line, but certain inheritances may accrue through the female line. AfterKashmiri Hindusconverted to Islam they largely retained their family names (kram) which indicated their original profession, locality or community.These include:
The traditional types of music of Kashmir areSufi Kalam,Wanvun,Chakri,Henzae, andLadishah.
Some of the musical instruments used in Kashmir areRubab,Tumbaknaer(which is of Iranian origin) andSantoor.
A traditional dance form usually performed by women on occasions like marriages and similar social functions isRouf.
Meatandriceare popular food items among Kashmiris, rice being considered astaple food.
Noon ChaiorSheer ChaiandKahwehare beverages of Kashmir.
Wazwanis a  multi-course meal in Kashmir prepared by skilled chefs calledWazas.
Kashmir is also known for its baking traditions.Sheermal,Bakarkhani(puff pastry),Lavas(unleavened bread),Tsochwor(hard, bagel-shaped bread) andKulcheare popular baked goods.
Media related toKashmiri peopleat Wikimedia Commons