Kashmir: The History and Pandit Women's Struggle for Identity

Kashmir The History & Pandit Womens Struggle for Identity attempts to trace the history of the Kashmiri Pandit community from their claimed origins in the region of the Caspian Sea through the millennia to the present times.

This book is unique as it brings a perspective about the women of the community which has witnessed the worst of exoduses.

It tracks the origin and history of the people of the Valley, starting from the Aryans and the Saraswat Brahmins to what was considered the foreign rule of Mughals, Afghans, Chaks and Dogras, and the deep impact that these dynasties left on the social, political and religious milieu of the Kashmiri Pandits, particularly their women.

From Kota Rani, the Hindu queen lost in the pages of history, who married a Sultan just to restore peace in her land; to Lalleshwari, who sang praises for the land she was born in; all these women tried to restore the lost glory of the Valley.

From being a wellresearched historical document, the book also serves the purpose of a cultural guide, elucidating the various festivals, customs and rites of passages practised by the women of the Pandit community.

The author has described the trials and tribulations, and triumphs of the women through all these centuries.

At this point in time, following the events of 198990 which forced the most recent of their transitions out of the Valley, there is a serious felt need to record their history for the younger generations who are ignorant of who they are, their roots, heritage and culture.

And this is what the author has endeavoured to do through this book.