Kashmir : A journey through history By Garry Weare

Kashmir: a journey through history will appeal to the armchair traveller and history buff. Neither an academic tome nor a guidebook, it describes how kashmir—ringed by snow-capped peaks—has attracted pilgrims and Sufis, armies and traders, traveller and adventurers, over the centuries, who embraced the crisp mountain air, a world away from the soaring heat of the Indian plains. Weare creates engaging story lines that capture the passage of Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic influences which have shaped Kashmir’s rich cultural history. The book traces the journey of the region from its ancient times to the present, with chapters highlighting periods in history, such as the role of the Mughal emperors who created over 700 resplendent gardens and patronised the fine pashmina shawls that were to grace the palaces of India and Europe. The treaty of Amritsar signed by the British East India Company and Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu, in 1846, created the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir state forged more through political ambition than cultural design. It was a time when Kashmir became part of the great game, where intrepid British explorers kept a watchful eye on the state’s borders. In October 1947 Kashmir’s political future came to a head when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession to India. Since then Kashmir has been subject to decades of instability along with years battling insurgency as it continues on its long walk to normalcy. Featuring over 120 inspiring images and packed with nuggets of information, Kashmir: a journey through history takes the reader on a fascinating voyage through a land that has inspired poets and emperors, writers and explorers, through the ages.