An Overview of Works on the History of Kashmir: From Traditional Sanskrit to New English Sources

This article provides an overview of key sources on the history of Kashmir, covering the period from ancient Sanskrit chronicles to more recent historical works in Persian and English. The paper analyses texts such as Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, which is considered to be one of the most important sources on the history of Kashmir, the works of Narayan Kaul, Muhammad ‘Azam Didamari, and others. The study of these historical works allows us not only to reconstruct the events of the past but also to understand whether the perception of the history and culture of Kashmir has changed in the minds of people over time. Comparison of various sources helps to identify common themes and differences in the interpretation of historical events, which contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex and multifaceted history of the region, and sheds light on the role of Kashmir as a cultural and political hub, its relationships with neighboring regions, and its influence on the development of the Indian subcontinent as a whole. This makes it possible to consider the history of Kashmir not in isolation, but in the context of broader historical processes taking place in South Asia.