Beyond the Pir Panjal; life among the mountains and valleys of Kashmir . nd balconies, tiers of grassand flower covered roof, and a very graceful central steeple,open below, and with four gables to it, and the spire carryingon its point a glittering crescent and golden ball (Plate 51). Of the mosques, the Shah-i-Hamadan is the mostimportant. It is the memorial of Mir Say id AH of Hama-dan, who, in the days of the Kashmir Sultans, toward theend of the fourteenth century, exerted powerful influence inKashmir. Indeed the forcible conversion of Kashmir toMohammedanism is ascribed to his efforts, a
Beyond the Pir Panjal; life among the mountains and valleys of Kashmir . nd balconies, tiers of grassand flower covered roof, and a very graceful central steeple,open below, and with four gables to it, and the spire carryingon its point a glittering crescent and golden ball (Plate 51). Of the mosques, the Shah-i-Hamadan is the mostimportant. It is the memorial of Mir Say id AH of Hama-dan, who, in the days of the Kashmir Sultans, toward theend of the fourteenth century, exerted powerful influence inKashmir. Indeed the forcible conversion of Kashmir toMohammedanism is ascribed to his efforts, and those of hisfollower and successor, Mohammed Khan Hamadani, whowas associated with Sikander the Iconoclast in the greatpersecution which almost stamped out the Hindus. Andfurther down on the right bank is a fine old grey stonemosque with a domed roof. This was built by the greatQueen, Nur Mahal. It is now partly ruined and whollypicturesque. For many years it has been used as a granary;for the Mohammedans, despising the sex of the foundress,refuse to worship in SRINAGAR 239 The chief streets in Srinagar run parallel with the riveron both sides. In the daytime they are crowded with a densethrong of pedestrians. We notice the number of Hindus withtheir foreheads and ears painted with red and yellow castemarks. Here and there one or two Sikhs may be seen. The ex-istence of the Sikh religion in Kashmir dates back at least tothe time of the Moghuls. And both in the time of the Path anrulers, and also when Ranjit Singhs force invaded Kashmir,it is said that the number of Sikhs was augmented. Butthe community is still quite small. Pursuing our way in thebazaar we notice many groups of school children carryingblack wooden boards instead of slates. Most of them areHindus. When the Mussulman propaganda was being ruthlesslyenforced, all the lower castes embraced Islam. So that theHindus of Kashmir are almost all Brahmans, and they areusually called Pandits. Their intellectual supe
Size: 1205px × 2073px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmountai, bookyear1912
