ESTABLISHMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AS A
PRINCELY STATE
Submitted By: Ossama Bin Mushtaq
DECEMBER 30, 2020
SUBMITTED TO: DR HIMAYATULLAH YAQOOBI
Regional History of FATA and Princely States
Introduction
Jammu and Kashmir was the northernmost princely state during the British
rule in India from 1846 to 1947. The princely state was created as the result of
an agreement known as the Treaty of Amritsar, between East India Company
and Raja of Jammu Gulab Singh in 1846. Like other princely states of British
India, in principle Maharaja of Kashmir was enjoying complete autonomy
Official Emblem of State
of Jammu and Kashmir
over the internal affairs of governance, while he was dependant on the British Empire in the
external affairs of the state including foreign relations and communications. He was bound to
acknowledge the paramountcy of British power in return for recognition of their dynastic rule.
Its geostrategic significance including hilly terrain, green vales, snow-capped mountains, and
origin of major water sources made it unique in many prospects. This might be the reason that
even after passing more than seventy-three years, the possession of J&K is a protracted issue
between India and Pakistan. It was a multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic state, where the majority
of people were Muslim while Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, and Jains, etc. constituted
the minority population. Interestingly, the ruling family of J&K belonged to the upper-class
Hindu Dogra Rajput clan of the Jammu region. They managed to rule over the state for exactly
a hundred years till the time of decolonization of the British from the sub-continent. The
atrocities of Dogras ruler towards their subject and their intents to establish Hindu-rule, raised
animosity among the Muslims against their monarch. Due to the oppressive taxation policy, an
indigenous revolt initiated to kick out the Dogra rule from their properties. So they started an
armed struggle against the oppressive regime. As a result of partitions havocs in Punjab,
communal riots broke out in the Jammu region as well. The intrusion of tribesmen from
Pakistan also increased the complications for the Maharaja to maintain the law and order
situation. To deal with this situation he signed an instrument of accession with the dominion
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of India on 26 October 1947. This ultimately resulted in the disintegration of Jammu and
Kashmir into three fragments which are now in control of India, Pakistan, and China.
Geographical Location
The erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was located in the north-western part of
the Indian subcontinent. Its area stretches from the mountain range of Himalaya in the North
to the fringe of plains of river Indus in the South-West. While Himachal Pradesh lies on its
South-Eastern border which extended to the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (former NWFP)
in the West. The total area of the region was 85,800 square miles (222,200 square km), which
is still a matter of dispute b between India and Pakistan.
Its terrain ranges from green lavish
plains to high altitude glaciers, from fertile vales to deep forests and curving streams to
astonishing waterfalls. The northern part of J&K is colder and of higher altitude, while it goes
down and gets warmer towards the South. It has a diverse variety of natural habitats of different
and unique species of animals and plants. The land is also enriched with precious minerals in
the world. The Mughal Emperor Jahangir was so much impressed by its beauty that even on
the deathbed he desired to visit Kashmir. Famous Persian poet Amir Khusro described the
splendid beauty in these words that, if there is a heaven on Earth is nowhere else but it is here
in Kashmir. It not only made the beauty of this land extravagant but vulnerable to foreign
attacks for the accumulation of resources. All these factors made the J&K one of the most
important geostrategic regions of the Indian Sub-continent.
The history of this region could be traced back to around four thousand years. The oldest
written account on the history of Kashmir is Raj Tarangini which comprised of the history of
Kashmir from 2400 BCE. Though it has numerous chronological inaccuracies still there are
several invaluable indications regarding the history of Kashmir that could be inferred from this
manuscript. Until the 14th century, the region was ruled by several Hindus and Buddhists
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dynastic rules. It was for the first time in 1339, when an indigenous Muslim ruler Shah Mir,
laid the foundation of a Shah Mir dynasty which declined after few generations. So for the next
four centuries, the rule of Kashmir was in the hand of Muslim monarchs. Mughals also reigned
the Kashmir from 1586 to 1751. During the time of the Mughal Empire, the region has gone
through many infrastructural advancements. Numerous gardens, mosques, roads, and
seminaries were built during this era. There are still remains of fortification of this age. The
Mughal control over Kashmir was ended with the invasions of Afghans in 1751. The local
accounts consider this era to be the most challenging of all times. Here one thing which needed
to be understood that throughout this era the locals were dependant on the governor appointed
by Kabul for their daily affairs. The Durrani Empire period of influence ended in 1819 with
the arrival of Sikhs on the crown of Lahore.
Sikh Rule (1820-1846)
After consolidating the several misls (confederacies) ruled by Sikh rulers, Ranjit Singh
proclaimed himself as the Maharaj in 1801. The Treaty of Amritsar in 1901 declared the river
Sutlej as the Southern border between the Lahore Darbar and British Empire in India. So
instead of heading towards the East, Ranjit Singh expanded his boundary toward North and
West. In this campaign, he managed to extend the authority of rule in Jammu, Kashmir, Multan,
Peshawar, etc. After being remained under the reign of Muslim rulers Jammu and Kashmir
went back to the hands of non-Muslims rulers. But this time it was the Sikhs who were going
to rule out the region for the next twenty-six years. The previous rule of Afghans was so
oppressive that initially, the locals welcomed the Sikh's rule. But later on, the rigid policies of
the governor of Lahore Durbar changed their perspective about the Sikhs and it was also
remembered as a tyrant rule like the previous. One of the reasons for their rigidness was might
be the remoteness of Jammu and Kashmir from the center of Empire residing in Lahore. In the
Sikh rule, there were several anti-Muslim laws were enacted which increased the resentment
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among the locals. The cow slaughter was not only prohibited instead it was considered a serious
crime whose punishment was the death penalty. The ancient Jamia Mosque of Srinagar was
closed down for prayers while calling Azaan was also banned. The poor peasants were imposed
with heavy taxes on lands and farming. It was the period when the revenue generated from
Kashmir for Lahore was on the second number after Multan.
The role of Gulab Singh (who later on became the first ruler of Jammu and Kashmir) in the
Lahore Darbar was very vibrant in this era. Gulab Singh was a Hindu Rajput from the Jammu
region. After the annexation of Jammu and Kashmir under Ranjit Singh’s Empire, he went into
the service of Maharaja as a soldier in his Darbar. But his ambition and bravery ensured him
to first appoint as the commander of a small regiment of Ranjits’s army and later on became
the Raja of Jammu province in 1822. He sent a strong army under the commandership of
Zorawar Singh on the campaign of North, including the region of Ladakh and Baltistan. Which
he managed to capture in 1834 and 1841 respectively. He also maintained his hegemony over
the Valley of Kashmir. The economy of Kashmir Valley was greatly dependant on the trade of
Shawl wool. To establish his autonomy over it, he took control of all the trade routes. Though
he had appointed to serve the Darbar, inwardly he had started to work on a different plan, which
he managed to execute after the death of Ranjit Singh. After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839,
the Punjab Empire went into the hands of his incapable successors. Ranjit took the advantage
of this loop and started consolidating his own empire in the region he had already established
his authority. The Lahore Darbar which was already encircling in several internal threats was
encountered to tough blow when the British East India Company expanded its claws toward
Punjab. So after fighting two Anglo-Sikh wars in 1843 and 1846 respectively, ultimately the
union of Punjab was annexed to British Empire, while Gulab Singh in the reward of his keen
part in the weakening of Darbar was awarded to sustain the region of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh,
etc., and rule over it under the paramountcy of British Empire. So ultimately a treaty, known
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as Treaty of Amritsar was signed between Gulab Singh and the British East India Company at
Amritsar on 16 March 1846. The treaty legitimated the rule of Gulab after the payment of 7.5
million rupee as the price of land situated in between of river Indus and Ravi.
Treaty of Amritsar
Gulab Singh was a shrewd person and crafty person. He foreseen the drastic
consequences of Anglo-Sikh wars on the Punjab Empire, he shifted his
loyalty toward the British. He played a vital role in soothing the situation in
favour of the East India Company. In the reward of his services, the
governor-general promised him to grant the hilly areas of Jammu and
Kashmir. He was also allowed to establish his regime as an independent
ruler. In this regard, the Treaty of Amritsar was signed between East India
Maharaja Gulab Singh
Reign. 1846-1857
Company and Gulab Singh to define the nature and conditions of the rule to be recognized.
Some important features of the treaty include; The British transferred the possession of Jammu,
Kashmir, and Ladakh for the everlasting period. The agreement would be considered
worthwhile to all the successors of Maharaja. The Gulab Singh was asked to pay 75 lakh in
lieu of the ownership. The Maharaja of Kashmir was directed to avoid any act which would
contradict the interests of the British. Similarly, he was supposed to provide economic and
military assistance, in case of any war erupted against the British. He was also bound to pay
symbolic tribute annually to maintain the relations. In return, Gulab Singh was promised to
maintain his statute without any interference, and also he was promised protection of external
boundaries.
The British intentionally gave control of the hilly region of Jammu and Kashmir to the local
ruler who was loyal to them. The purpose of not keeping it under direct control was because
they were aware of the geographical and strategic importance of this region. Due to the factor
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of Russia and China, Britain formed it as a buffer zone that would provide them security.
Secondly, it was a mountainous region which was very difficult to govern for them so easily.
This tactic helped them a lot in the imminent years.
Consolidation of Dogra Rule of Jammu and Kashmir
After becoming the nominal ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Gulab Singh
introduced several reforms in administration and society of his
possession. As the state was a sort of an artificial amalgamation of
contrasting ethnicities, faiths, and regions. That is why it was not easy
to form a coherent identity of the whole state-run. Ladakh which was
Flag of Jammu and Kashmir
1846-1947
situated on the eastern part was culturally and religiously affiliated with Tibet, so Buddhists
were in majority. Jammu had a complex demographic situation as it was a mixture of Muslims,
Hindus, and Sikhs. While Kashmir was an overwhelmingly Muslim majority region, with a
minute portion of Hindu minority comprised of Kashmiri pundits. In the northeast, the Baltistan
and Gilgit regions had a population who was practicing Shia Islam. Some people consider this
rule to be the most peaceful and tolerant time in the history of Kashmir as well as the other
constituent parts of the state. But some believe that it was the worst era, in respect of their
policies toward the Muslim subjects. In the initial years of the rule, the Dogra monarch
consolidated and extend his territory. He moved toward the northeast and northwest where he
managed to capture more territories including the region of Ladakh and Gilgit.
Administratively the state was divided into several provinces, semi-autonomous region/ Jagirs,
and frontier districts or Wizarat. According to the census reports of 1931, the state was divided
into administrative units including Jammu Province, Kashmir Province, Wazarat of Ladakh
and Gilgit, and Internal Jagirs of Poonch, Bhaderwah, and Chenani. Due to severe weather
conditions the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had two capitals for performing the affairs
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of state. The winter capital was Jammu while in summers the capital became shifted to
Srinagar.
Gulab Singh and his successor maintained the dynastic rule more like a feudal lordship. They
considered the land and the people to be their personal property as they purchased them. As
the Maharaja was a Hindu, so instead of giving equal opportunities to his subjects he had shown
mores bias toward his own family. In all the administrative and military posts, the presence of
any Muslim was negligible. The taxation policy of the rule was also discriminatory, as it mainly
put more burden on the peasant and merchants of Kashmir than on the noble elites of Dogra
lineage. The rule also restricted the Muslims and other religious groups to practice the rituals
of their faiths. Freedom of speech and expression was also badly suppressed by using state
machinery. The economy of most subjects was dependant on the agriculture and trade of wool.
They were also restricted by imposing heavy taxation on them. Overall the Dogra's approach
to consolidating their rule was through the use of force and strength, which they maintained to
govern for complete one hundred years. Ultimately this artificial unification was finished in
October 1947.
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Bibliography
Books
Bose, Sumantra. Kashmir : Roots of Conflict, Path to Peace . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press, 2003.
Hasan, Mushir ul. Kashmir Under The Sultans . New Delhi : Aakar Books , 2005.
Lamb, Alastair. Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy 1846-1990. Karachi: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Nisar. A. Malik, Abdul Majid. “Kashmir; in Historical Perspective.” JPUHS 29, no. 2 (December
2016): 1-10.
Snedden, Christopher. Kashmir:: The Unwritten History . Delhi: HarperCollins, 2013.
Journals
Bhat, Sameer Ahmad. “State Formation in Colonial India: An Analysis of the.” International Journal of
Scientific and Research Publications, 2016: 153-157.
ZUTSHI, CHITRALEKHA. “Whither Kashmir Studies? : A Review.” Modern Asian Studies 46, no. 4
(2012): 1033–48.
Anand, Adarsh Sein. “Accession of Jammu and Kashmir State - Historical and Legal Perspective.”
Journal of the Indian Law Institute, 2001: 455-468.
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