A tumultuous journey of 15 centuries

Srinagar of today, with its outskirts, has had a very interesting history and a tumultuous past. It  has been the capital city of Kashmir since the 6^th century. According to Rajatarangini of Kalhana, a capital city by the name of Srinagari was built in the Kashmir valley by Emperor Ashoka who ruled India in the third century BC. According to the historical documents it was called Puranadhisthana (old capital). It corresponds geographically to the place now named Pandrethan, which is only 3.5 kms from Srinagar in South East direction.

Pravarasena, the 6^th century Huna King of the Alchon Huna dynasty built a new capital called Parvarapura and  Srinagari was its name. This new capital was located at the base of the Hari Parbat hill on the right bank of Jhelum, the place where the present city is located. This city had several markets, wooden houses, grand temples and canals. The Dal Lake and Jhelum River is also referred at several places. Pravarasena got a long embankment constructed on the winding river to protect the city from floods. The Chinese traveller Huein Tsang who visited this area in 631 CE confirms this in his travelogue.

Several other capitals came during this period and one of them named Parihaspora, a small town 22 kms north west of Srinagar, was built on a plateau above the Jhelum River. It was built by Lalitaditya Muktapida, a mighty ruler of the Karkota dynasty, known for his military prowess and cultural contributions. He moved his capital from Srinagari to this place. He made his residence and built several temples using lot of his wealth. He also had made a statue of Buddha in copper that according to Kalhana "reached up to the sky." The main temple was larger than the famous temple that Lalitaditya built in Martand. Parihaspur lost its status as a capital after Lalitaditya’s death.

Pravarasena’s Srinagari thus survived as the capital despite distractions. Another notable place of the ancient city is the ancient temple on the top of a hill originally known as the Gopadri or Gopa Hill. This land was donated by King Gopaditya to Brahmins who built a temple on the top of the hill as a shrine to Jyesthesvara (Shiva) around 371 BCE. This place was visited by the 8^th century scholar Adi Shankaracharya and founded the temple now known as the Shankaracharya temple.

The city gradually extended to the left bank of the Jhelum and in the 12^th century even the royal palace was shifted to this side. The then rulers were Rajadeva, Samgramadeva, Lakshmandadeva and Simhadeva (1213- 1286).

The term Srinagar continued to be used even after Rinchan Shah a Buddhist convert brought in a surge of Islam to Kashmir and became the first Sultan of Kashmir. The name Srinagar fell into disuse and the city became synonymous with Kashmir valley. The construction of historic mosques like the Khanaqah-e-Moula and Jamia Masjid by Sikandar Shahmiri created a new landscape. His successor Zain-ul-Abidin undertook several constructions in and around the city and also the Zainakadal bridge over the Jhelum River connecting the two halves of the city. The Mar canal and two islands inside Dal Lake called Sona Lank and Rupa Lank were also his contributions. He also built a stone shrine for his Islamic teacher at Madan Sahib, and a brick mausoleum for his mother, where he was also buried after his death. He is also credited with establishing industries around the arts of shawl and carpet weaving, papier-mâché, and wood carving in Kashmir.

The Mughals annexed Kashmir in 1586 after a period of internal instability in the valley, and added it to their Kabul province. Mughal emperor Akbar visited the valley thrice. Akbar built fortifications around the Hari Parbat hill, and established a township called Nagar Nagar there. He also built a shrine for  Hamza Makhdoom, a Sufi mystic of Kashmir's Rishi order, on the southern slope of Hari Parbat which was later expanded several times. His successor Jahangir was particularly fond of the Kashmir valley and frequently visited it. His rule brought prosperity to Srinagar, and several Mughal gardens were built in the city and around the Dal lake during his and his successor Shah Jahan’s reign, including the famous Shalimar and Nishat Bagh. Empress Nur Jahan built the Pathar Mosque on the left bank of Jhelum River opposite the Khānqāh-e-Moula in 1623, the mosque was, however, deemed unfit for worship soon after its construction and used instead for non-religious purposes.

Shah Jahan made Kashmir into a separate province with its administrative seat at Srinagar in 1638. The Aali Masjid was built during the reign of Aurangzeb (1658–1707), as was the Safa Kadal bridge over the Jhelum. The Moi Muqaddas, a sacred relic believed to be the hair strand of the Prophet Muhammad's beard (PBUH), also arrived in Kashmir during this time, and was housed in a Mughal palace at Hazratbal, which became the Hazratbal Dargah.

In 1753, Kashmir passed into the hands of the Afghan Durrani Empire. The Afghans undertook reconstructions in Srinagar and built the palace at Shergarhi at the site of a pre-existing ancient palace, as well as the fort atop Hari Parbat. However, contemporary accounts describe the city as filthy and deteriorating, and it also saw worsening inter-community relations, with repeated Hindu-Muslim and Shia-Sunni riots.

In 1819, the Sikh Empire assumed control of Kashmir. Under them, Srinagar, the old name of the city, was restored after 500 years. The situation in the city did not improve much under Sikh rule, and the city remained in a state of decay. They also imposed several restrictions on Muslim religious expression, and closed the gates of the Jamia Mosque, which remained closed until 1843. A Shia-Sunni riot happened in the city in 1837.

With the establishment of Dogra rule following the 1846 Treaty of Amritsar, Srinagar became the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.  The Dogras found Srinagar deteriorating, filthy and overcrowded. The city used to see several break-outs of cholera, as well as earthquakes, floods, fires and famines. The famine of 1877–79 is said to have halved the city's population. Consequently, due to the famine and forced labour in the villages, a considerable number of people migrated to Srinagar. The Darbar Move was introduced in 1872 by Ranbir Singh, whereby the capital moved to Jammu for six months during the winter. However, Hari Singh fixed his headquarters permanently at Jammu. The Ministers and Heads of Departments continued to follow the Durbar move.

In 1886, a municipality was established for the city of Srinagar. Works for sanitation and urban development undertaken by the municipality were often met with stiff opposition by the residents, who were averse to changes. In the late 19th and early 20th century, modern tourism began to take hold in the city, especially on and around the Dal Lake, with houseboats being built to accommodate British officers and their families who came in the summers seeking respite from the heat of the plains of northern India. The Shergarhi Palace was greatly modified by the Dogra’s, who used it as their official residence in the city. Pratap Singh and his successor Hari Singh also laid out several parks in the city. The city expanded rapidly between 1891 and 1941, partly due to increased migration from the countryside as a result of famines and due to improvements in sanitation and urban development as well as economic expansion, in particular the growth of the textile and tourism industries in the city. Many Punjabis also settled in Srinagar during this time for trade, commerce and administration.

Srinagar emerged as the hub of political activity within the Kashmir valley during the later part of the Dogra rule. Kashmiris at large despised the Dogra rule and considered the dynasty an "alien rule". Many Muslim leaders competed for influence and control over Muslim shrines in the city through which they sought to become representatives of Kashmiri Muslims. Sheikh M. Abdullah, and his National Conference (NC), eventually succeeded in doing so.

In 1947, after the princely state's accession to India following an invasion by Pakistani irregulars in the aftermath of the partition of India, Indian forces were airlifted to Srinagar on 27 October to defend the city and the larger Kashmir valley. The National Conference also established a popular people's militia in the city to aid the army in their defence of the territory. Srinagar became the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir when it was established in 1952. The state was given a special status in view of its geographical position and the politics of division of the country.  The state saw turmoil very often and things worsened in 1990 leading to exodus of a large number of Pandits out of Srinagar and other parts of the valley.

Successive governments governed till August 5^th 2019 when the article 370 which gave special status to the state, and Article 35 A which gave the special rights and privileges to permanent residents of the state, were abrogated. The state was demoted to a centrally administered Union Territory (UT). Darbar move stopped but Srinagar continued to remain the capital city.

Ten years later a free and fair election was held on the directions of the Supreme Court. A new National Conference led government was  brought to power by the people. Mr Omar Abdullah has taken over as the Chief Minister and it is hoped that the UT becomes a fully-fledged state once again. Srinagar thus has seen a turn of fortunes from the times of Pravarasena in the 6^th century to the present times. Srinagar has seen several tumultuous situations but has withstood all the storms.

A Noted Cardiologist. Recipient of Padmashri and Dr B C Roy Award