|
 For
centuries travelers have been drawn to
Kashmir, India's northernmost state. until
the late 1980s, it was one of the most
popular tourist destinations in Asia, and
many a Bollywood starlet has been filmed
against the backdrop of Kashmir's stunning
mountain scapes. But despite the undeniable
beauty of its scenery, Jammu mid Kashmir is
also volatile, and since 1989, the western
half of the state has been wracked by an
armed insurgency. So far, the violence has
been confined to the Kashmir Valley, which
is predominantly Muslim, and Jammu, which
has a large population of Dogra Hindus. The
lake-rimmed capital, Srinagar, Is dominated
by the military, and most foreign state
departments advise against traveling
here or anywhere in the western part of the
state. The eastern part of the state,
consisting of the Tibetan I ti iddhist
regions of Ladakh and Zanskar, is somewhat
safer, but travelers should i heck the
latest news and information before
finalizing their plans.
Kashmir's troubles began at Partition in
1947. Although the population was
predominantly Muslim, the Hindu raja did not
want his kingdom to become part of Pakistan
or India, and most Kashmiri Muslim leaders
agreed with him. Later that year, Pathan
tribesmen entered the region and attempted
to force Kashmir into Pakistan. Desperate,
the maharaja asked India for help. The
Indian government accepted the offer, and
agreed to hold a plebiscite to determine
whether the Kashmiri people wanted to join
India. In other words, a common vote would
allow the residents of the region to vote
for or against the proposal. After violent
clashes,, however, Pakistan still held large
chunks of Kashmir. India and Pakistan went
to war over Kashmir again in 1965, but no
territory changed hands. The 1948 ceasefire
line, called the line of Control (LOC),
remains the de. facto India-Pakistan border
let, but the plebiscite promised by India
has never materialized.
Geologists believe that about ten
crore years have passed when Kashmir Valley
which was a lake called Satisar, the lake of
goddess Sati, came into its present form.
For hundreds of million years Kashmir Valley
remained under Tethya sea and the high
sedimentary-rock hills seen in the valley
now were once under water. Geologists
believe that Kashmir Valley was earlier
affected by earthquakes. Once there was such
a devastating earthquake that it broke open
the mountain wall at Baramulla, and the
water of the Satisar lake flowed out leaving
behind lacustrine mud on the margins of the
mountains known as karewas. Thus came into
existance the oval but irregular Valley of
Kashmir.
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