Kashmir Introduction

Located in India / Pakistan / China
Kashmir is one of most beautiful and popular tourist regions has been since the time of the great Moghul emperors.
It's probably most famous for houseboats on Dal Lake, and you've not really been to Kashmir until you've stayed on one, but there's lots more to the Kashmir Valley than just lazing on a boat. Around the capital of Srinagar are numerous mosques, forts and the delightful Moghul gardens, laid out in formal patterns hundreds of years ago and every bit as beautiful today. Kashmir, Ladakh and Zanskar are regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu is the southern part of the state.
In practice, the Kashmir title is usually reserved for the 'Vale of Kashmir', a large Himalayan valley in the north of the state. 

Ladakh is actually a region of Kashmir, and Zanskar a sub-district of Ladakh.  They are geographical neighbors but, separated by the full height of the Himalaya's, they are worlds apart in terms of people, culture, religion and terrain.
Most of the population is engaged in agriculture; the principal crops are rice, maize, wheat, and oilseeds. There are orchards of almonds, apples, apricots, peaches, pears, and walnuts. Saffron is also produced. Buffalo, cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry are among the livestock that are raised. Tin, turquoise, and lapis lazuli are mined in small quantities. Kashmir is known for its beautiful handicrafts. Silk weaving, shawls (especially pashmina and shahtush), papier mâché, woodcarving, brassware, and carpet weaving are major industries.The people of the Vale of Kashmir are predominantly Muslim, and speak Urdu and Kashmiri. Dogri, Hindi, and Punjabi are also spoken. The sparsely inhabited northern and western region of Ladakh and beyond is home to Buddhist Mongoloid peoples, who speak Ladakhi.

Kashmir is an ancient country. It has long been disputed, due to its strategic location. The country was originally a stronghold of Hinduism; Buddhism was introduced about 245 BC. Beginning in the mid-14th century AD, Muslim sultans controlled the area for two centuries. Akbar, the Mughal emperor of Hindustan, conquered Kashmir between 1586 and 1592, and it became a part of the Mughal empire. Between 1756 and 1819 it was under Afghan rule. In 1819 Kashmir was conquered by Ranjit Singh, the Sikh maharaja of the Punjab. In 1846 Kashmir was annexed to the (Hindu) Dogra kingdom of Jammu. The Dogra dynasty continued to rule the region until August 1947, when British India was partitioned into a predominantly Muslim Pakistan and a predominantly Hindu India.

Following partition, a section of the Muslim population of Kashmir demanded accession to Pakistan. The reigning maharaja, Sir Hari Singh, a Hindu, resisted the pro-Pakistani movement. Pakistan invaded the area, after which the maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union. India thereupon dispatched troops to Kashmir and in the ensuing conflict forced the Pakistanis to yield ground. Through mediation organised by the United Nations (UN), a cease-fire agreement between the two nations was concluded in January 1949.

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