Save Vedic Kashmir

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Nature has lavishly endowed Kashmir with certain distinctive favours

which hardly find a parallel in any alpine land of the world. Set in

the womb of the Himalayas and gifted with beautiful and inspiring

natural scenery, it emerged as a highly advanced seat of learning

from very early times, taking its place along with the famous

Universities of Taksasila and Nalanda. Ramparts of high mountains and

seclusion of the land helped her top reserve the life and conditions

of early times which it is rather difficult to resuscitate in regard

to other such mountainous regions. To the poets like Bilhana and

others it was Sardadesh, the land of goddess Sarda; and it was even

believed that goddess Saraswati actually lived here and hence the

Sardapitha was also known as Sripeetha for conferring sarvajna

degrees. The cultural heritage of Kashmir is, therefore, very rich

and derives its inspiration and strength both from her natural

environs and the rich literature and literary traditions alike.

 

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The Kashmiri Pandits, the original inhabitants of the Valley of

Kashmir, have a rich culture and peaceful traditions that they have

managed to maintain over five thousand years of recorded history.

Kashmir is known amongst the Kashmiri Pandits and other Saraswats

(who fled Kashmir during periods of Islamic persecution) as

Sharadapeeth or the Abode of the Goddess of Learning and Fine Arts.

During their five thousand years of history, they have made great

contributions to world civilization in such diverse fields as

religion, philosophy, Sanskrit literature, medicine, history, music

and aesthetics. Kashmir's greatest historian, Kalhan, writes about

his native land : "It is a country where the sun shines mildly, being

the place created by Rishi Kashyap, for his glory - big and lofty

houses, learning, saffron, icy cool water and grapes rare in Heaven

are plentiful here - Kailash is the best place in the three worlds

(Tri-lok), Himalayas the best place in Kailash, and Kashmir the best

place in Himalayas".

 

Kashmir, the land of rishis and saints, was however, ill-prepared for

the Islamic onslaught that it has had to suffer over the last 500

years. During the Islamic period of rule, the Kashmiri Pandit

population dwindled steadily and there were numerous times when the

persecution was so severe that a large number of them had to flee to

the hot plains of India. This process has been recently repeated

(from 1990 onwards), but on a much vaster scale. The Kashmiri Pandits

have been driven from their homeland after a campaign of intimidation

and harassment was launched against them by the military-wing of the

Islamic secessionists. Kashmiri Pandits were forced from their

hearths and homes at the point of gun. The objective of this ethnic

cleansing was to create a minority free Kashmir valley where the goal

of Islamization could be easily forced on the ordinary people.

 

It is, indeed, a very sad fact that the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri

Pandits has literally gone unnoticed by the World community. It is

the aim of this website to point out the rich and wonderful

contributions made by the Kashmiri Pandit population, not only to

enriching the Indian civilization, but to enriching the World at

large. The loss of this tradition, if allowed, will be a tremendous

loss for the World.

 

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