Kashmir: The Paradise on Earth

Before Kashmir became a valley it was a huge lake known as the Karewa Lake. The valley lies between the Karakoram Range and the Pir Panjal formed when the lake was drained during tectonic shift. It acquired the name of paradise on earth because of its uncanny resemblance with the garden of Eden described in religious and folk texts. The abundance in nature and natural resources make Kashmir the muse of multiple historical references in literature and memoirs.

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast. These were the words that Amir Khusro used to describe Kashmir. He was a poet during the Maluk Dynasty when they entered through the Karakoram into Kashmir. This is the earliest reference of Kashmir as Paradise. Kashmir continued to be the favourite destination for rulers to come. The most famous of them were Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb who used Srinagar as their summer capital. A plethora of gardens was built by the Mughals that added an organised layer to the free-flowing beauty of Kashmir. Kashmir found itself to be named differently in different places, all highlighting it’s unusual natural beauty and uniqueness. The name Kashmir means the desiccated land (Ka= water, shimeera= desiccated) from its formation. The Greek attempt to write the same word gave it the name Kaspeiria. Chinese monks who visited Kashmir in 631 AD called it Kia-shi-mi-lo. In Tibet, the valley is known by the name Khachal.