First Migration Zul Qadir Khan @ Duluch, a Turkish Tartar reigned Kashmir for eight months In 1320 AD and resorted to loot and plunder of Hindus resulting in the death of many. He took 20,000 Kashmiris (then all Hindus), including women and children, for sale as slaves in Turkistan but the whole lot perished in cold snow while crossing the ‘Devsar pass’ _ a place referred to as ‘BATA SAGAN’(Brahmans death oven). Jonaraja, a Kashmiri historian described the period as Pralaya wherein rivers and streams turned red with human blood. Later, RInchen, a Bhuddist fugitive from Ladakh, seized power after deceitfully murdering Ram Chandra, the self proclaimed king. He was trickly converted by Bulbul Shah, another refugee from Turkistan, who was like RINCHEN granted refuge by king Sahdeva. The zealot convert assumed the name of Sadruddin and used brutal vigour and force for mass conversion. His campaign was incited, aided and abetted by Bulbul Shah, who advised the king to persecute and tyrannies the resistant Hindus with all fair and foul means, like compulsion, taxation, unjust laws, use of sword and forcible inter-marriages. Rinchen’s rule lasted for brief period till his death in 1323 AD.

Second Migration During the rule of Sultan Qutub-ud-Din (1373-89 AD), about 700 Sayyids and a large number of Sufi Saints and Islamic scholars, accompanied by Ali Hamdani came to Kashmir from Persia and Central Asia, and successfully drew wedge between the majority Hindus and minority converts to Islam. He prescribed model of hatred, distrust, intolerance and bigotry against Kashmiri Hindus. Under dictates of Sayyids, Qutub-ud-din converted 37,000 Hindus to Islam. Sultan Sikander (1389-1413 AD) notoriously known as SIKANDER BUT SHIKANI spread Barbarim further on and issued an atrocious order, under the influence of Baihaqi Sayyids, led by Mohammad Hamdani son of Ali Hamdani, forbidding Hindus from applying ‘Tilak’ on their forehead and launched relentless campaign for conversion to Islam urged the Hindus to opt for conversion or exile or death. The cleric urged him to wipe out infidelity root and brand. The two reinforced Malik Saif Ud Din; a rabid neo- convert originally named, Suha Bhatta; who was appointed Chief Minister, to unleash a reign of terror against those resisting conversion. He threw into Dal Lake all the sacred books of the Hindus. Seven maunds of sacred thread of the murdered Hindus were also burnt. Many Hindus migrated to various places in India ( after reaching Kishtwar and Bhaderwah via Simthan pass ) through Bhatta Wath ( present day Batote), path of the Bhattas, which Kashmiri Hindus were then popularly referred to as. From this period onwards the predominance of Muslim population in the Kashmir Valley began.
This was, however, followed by a virtual golden period of peace, harmony and dignity during the rule of Sultan Zain-Ul-Abdin @ Badshah (1420-70 AD), who was most tolerant and benevolent. Historian SRIVARA described the period “like the cooling sandal paste after the heat of summer in a desert had departed”. He allowed rebuilding of demolished temples , removed all restrictions against Hindus, banned cow slaughter and killing of fish in ponds considered sacred by Hindus. Above all BADSHAH recalled Hindus who had fled the Valley due to persecution and assigned them responsible positions on merit. He also got Hindu Shastras as also Mahabharta translated into Persian.
Third Migration Chaks, with well built body and wild nature, came to Valley from Dardistan area of Gilgit-Hunza region, and when Shah Mir, a refugee forced to flee from SWAT, founded his Sultanate (1339-42 AD), he recruited Chaks in his army thus affording them a place of prominence. Chaks were Shias by faith and adopted policy of conversion by coercion, loot, plunder and butchering of Kashmiri Hindus. When Sultan Fateh Shah proclaimed himself as Ruler (1506-16 AD), he became a tool in the hands of intriguing SHAMS CHAK and his three friends, namely, Nusrat Raina, Sarhang Raina and Moosa Raina. Later Moosa Raina took over as Chief Minister from Shams Chak , and his Shia mentor named, Shams-ud-din Iraqi, hailing from Talish on the Caspian sea- an Islamic propagator and converter of non-believers- opened floodgates of repression, terror and cruelty with demolition of temples to erect mosques on their foundations. 24,000 Brahamans were converted to Islam during this period. In 1517 AD, Mohammad Shah appointed Ghazi Chak, a Shia, as Chief Minister, who later founded the CHAK dynasty Rule in 1561 AD. He also gave no quarter and no time for recovery to the distressed Kashmiri Hindus. He used to get 900 Hindus beheaded every day for not having accepted Islam. He also ordered slaughter of 1,000 cows, whom Hindus held as sacred, to wreck vengeance and shock them into accepting Islam. Hindus wearing sacred thread had to pay annual tax to Chak Rulers. Yaqub Chak, a rank communalist, even got hindus hauled up in their houses to roast them alive. Innumerable Hindus left their homes and hearths and while fleeing a barrage of spiteful abuse was let loose to prevent their return to the land of their heritage.
This was followed by another spell of respite for Hindus when Kashmir became a province of Mughal Empire. Emperor AKBER (1556-1605 AD) visited Valley thrice in 1589,1598 and1601 AD. He was admittedly highly tolerant and refrained from falling into the net of religious zeal. He never resorted to the policy of persecution and discrimination against Hindus. Many Hindus who had fled to safer places outside to save their lives, honor and dignity found conditions in their home land highly conducive for honourable return, of course shocked, to find their homes looted and plundered during the period of their absence.
Fourth Migration Jahangir’s (1605-27 AD) sectarian predilection and prejudices were clearly pronounced resulting in his shuffling his stances in dealing with Kashmiri hindus, who were forced to marry their daughters to Mughal Officers and Subedars. He disapproved and opposed matrimonial relations between Hindus and Muslims and declared that while a Hindu was debarred by law to marry a Muslim woman, the Muslims had all the license to marry a Hindu woman. Itquad Khan, the Mughal Sardar further sullied Jahangir’s image by forcing the Hindus at gun point to get converted to Islam. He also tortured them by levying taxes. Shah Jehan (1627-58 AD) also contributed his bit by desecrating and demolishing a number of temples. Aurangzeb’S (1658-1707 AD) puritanical disposition did not go well with Kashmir. He visited the Valley once in 1665 AD. He appointed 14 atrocious Subedars who persued policy of Islamization. Notable among them was Iftekhar Khan (1671-75 AD) for his cruelty of all sorts to leave Kashmiri Hindus no alternative but to embrace Islam or quit the homeland. A delegation of 500 Kashmiri Hindus led by Kripa Ram, a learned person, called on Shri Guru Teg Bahadur to narrate the woeful tales of diabolical misrule of Aurangzeb patronized Iftekhar Khan. The great saint from Punjab went to Delhi for redressal of Kashmiri Hindus grievances and got martyred by cunning Aurangzeb in 1675. Hence due to continued persecution including killings and desecration of temples the exodus continued unabated. Justice Jia Lal Kilam records in his ‘History of the Kashmiri Pandits’ (with due reference to the earlier histories written by Muslim historians like Fauq, Hassan and Azim Khan – the latter being reportedly an eye-witness of the episode) that “Muhatta Khan (who appeared on the scene towards the end of Mughal Rule) was credited with a deep knowledge of Islamic laws , somehow or other found fault with the policy followed by the Naib Subedar Mir Ahmed Khan towards the hindus and made it plain that ascendency of the Hindus was intolerable from every point of view. He laid a prayer before the Subedar to the following effect that No Hindu should ride a horse, nor should he wear a shoe; they should not wear Jama ( an article of Mughal dress); they should not bear arms; they should not visit any garden; they should not have Tilak mark on their foreheads; and their children should not receive any education. The Subedar refused to agree to these proposals. But Muhatta Khan who was of a sterner stuff could not take this lying down and he took the law into his own hands and established his seat in a mosque wherefrom he issued orders in furtherance of his proposals. He gained huge following and his fans were deputed to harass and humiliate the Hindus in general. He issued an edict that whenever a Hindu is seen riding a horse, he should be pulled down, Tilak mark should be erased from his forehead and his turban and shoes should be snatched away. Besides, orders were issued that no Hindu should attend any school or visit a garden, nor should he wear decent dress and so on. This was a signal for a general rising and an orgy of loot, plunder and murder was let loose. Muhatta Khan soon over-powered the Subedar and assumed all powers of the State. Having done so, he ordered a systematic attack upon the Hindu areas. Hundreds of them were killed and maimed and most of them were looted and their houses burnt”.
Fifth Migration The Afghan Rule (1753-1820 AD) was ruthless and atrocious. The period under two upstarts, namely, LAL Khan Khattak and Faqir Ullah was extremely tyrannical KHATTAK was given to insane rage and sometimes got the entire family killed on mere suspicion. He got hundreds of Hindus killed because he suspected his father had been killed at the instance of a Kashmiri Hindu noble, Kailash Dhar, who was killed in broad day light in the court of the Shia Governor, Amir Khan Jawansher, at the instane of Fazal Kanth, the diabolical son of Faqir Ullah, who was then Chief Minister. The episode left hindus alarmed, panicked, helpless and desperate resulting in their flight to safe shelters in Poonch and Kabul. The misrule touched lowest ebb under the Governorship of HAJI Karim Dad Khan and Asad Khan. For minor offences were tied in pairs and thrown into river .Women were sexually abused. The despotic Asad Khan got the belly of an outside surgeon cut, for failure to set right his eye, to verify his threat. Asad assumed the title of Nadir Shah II in 1784 AD. Atta Mohd, another Afghan Governor, persecuted Hindus relentlessly and earned notoriety for his insatiable lust for beautiful Kashmiri women. Apprehensive Hindu parents got the good looks of their daughters sullied to evade attention of Governor’s agents. Anand Kaul Bamzie records in his book ‘The Kashmiri Pandit’, Jabbar Khan, the last Afghan Governor who got killed at Shopian on july15, 1819 AD, was once told by some one that it was a common notion among the Pandits that snow falls invariably at the Shivratri night (13th day of the dark fortnight Phagun). To test this, he ordered that the Pandits should not observe this festival in Phagun (February-March) but in Har (June-July). Accordingly, it had to be observed on the corresponding night in the latter months. It so happened that even on that night flakes of snow, preceded by a heavy rainfall which had rendered the atmosphere very cold, fell. The bard then, mocking at him sang : ‘Wuchhton Yi Jabbar Jandah Haras ti Karun vandah’ (Look at Jabbar, the wretch, even Har he turned into winter)”. (To Be Continued )

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