The Shah Mir dynasty (or the House of Shah Mir) was a dynasty that ruled the Kashmir Sultanate in the northern Indian subcontinent. The dynasty is named after its founder, Shah Mir.
The Shah Mir dynasty (or the House of Shah Mir) was a dynasty that ruled the Kashmir Sultanate in the northern Indian subcontinent. The dynasty is named after its founder, Shah Mir.
Srinagar is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the largest city and summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an Indian-administered union territory. It lies in the Kashmir Valley along the banks of the Jhelum River, and the shores of Dal Lake and Anchar Lakes, between the Hari Parbat and Shankaracharya hills. The city is known for its natural environment, various gardens, waterfronts and houseboats. It is also known for traditional Kashmiri handicrafts like the Kashmir shawl (made of pashmina and cashmere wool), papier-mâché, wood carving, carpet weaving, and jewel making, as well as for dried fruits. It is the second-largest metropolitan area in the Himalayas (after Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal).
Founded in the 6th century during the rule of the Gonanda dynasty according to the Rajatarangini, the city took on the name of an earlier capital thought to have been founded by the Mauryas in its vicinity. The city remained the most important capital of the Kashmir Valley under the Hindu dynasties, and was a major centre of learning. During the 14th–16th centuries the city's old town saw major expansions, particularly under the Shah Mir dynasty, whose kings used various parts of it as their capitals. It became the spiritual centre of Kashmir, and attracted several Sufi preachers. It also started to emerge as a hub of shawl weaving and other Kashmiri handicrafts. In the late 16th century, the city became part of the Mughal Empire, many of whose emperors used it as their summer resort. Many Mughal gardens were built in the city and around Dal lake during this time, of which Shalimar and Nishat are the most well-known.
The Kashmir Sultanate, historically Latinised as the Sultanate of Cashmere and officially known as the State of Kashmir, was a medieval kingdom established in the early 14th century, primarily in the Kashmir Valley, found in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Sultanate was founded by Rinchan Shah, a Ladakhi noble who converted from Buddhism to Islam. The Sultanate was briefly interrupted by the Loharas until Shah Mir, a councillor of Rinchan, overthrew the Loharas and started his own dynasty. The Shah Mirs ruled from 1339 until they were deposed by the Chak warlords and nobles in 1561. The Chaks continued to rule the Sultanate until the Mughal conquest in 1586 and their surrender in 1589.
The Kashmir Sultanate was a Muslim monarchy comprising Kashmiri, Turco–Persian, Kohistani, Dardic, & Ladakhi elites. A Ladakhi Buddhist, Rinchan Bhoti, converted to Islam and served as the first Sultan. He was followed by two prominent dynasties: The Shah Mirs and the Chaks. A Baihaqi Sayyid, Mubarak Baihaqi, briefly ruled over Sultanate after overthrowing Yousuf Chak in 1579. Due to its diversity, the kingdom lived and worked by the principles of Kashmiriyat, which existed harmoniously within the cultural and religious pluralism of the Sultanate. Although Sanskrit and Persian were preferred as the official, diplomatic, court, and state language, Kashmiri still had a large impact on social and communal work, later being granted official status. The economical centre, as well as the vital mint city of the Sultanate, Srinagar, served as the capital for the majority of its lifespan while the diverse city of Varmul, the highly rich and cultivated land of Suyyapur, the hilly areas of Anantnag, and the surrounding valleys of Neelum were the notable commercial and residential districts. The Sultanate carried out major trading relations, having establishments in Bihar, Tibet, Nepal, Peking, Bhutan, Khurasan, and Turkestan, whereas Punjab and Bengal were considered her greatest trading and industrial partners. Besides the Delhi Sultanate, Kashmir, along with Bengal, Gujarat, and Sindh, were considered strong political and martial allies, even interfering in one another's internal problems.
Shamsu'd-Din Shah Mir (Persian: سلطان شمس الدین شاه میر, romanized: Sultān Mīr Shams ad-Dīn Shāh; c. 1300 – 6 July 1342), also known simply as Shah Mir or Shah Mirza, was the second Sultan of Kashmir and founder of the Shah Mir dynasty. Shah Mir is believed to have come to Kashmir during the rule of Suhadeva, where he rose to prominence. After the death of Suhadeva and his brother, Udayanadeva, Shah Mir proposed marriage to the reigning queen, Kota Rani. She refused and continued her rule for five months till 1339, appointing Bhutta Bhikshana as prime minister. After the death of Kota Rani, Shah Mir established his own kingship, founding the Shah Mir dynasty in 1339, which lasted till 1561.
The Sultanate of Swat was a medieval kingdom of Dardic origin centred around the city of Manglawar between the 12th and 16th centuries. It was strongest of the several Dardic-speaking states in the region, encompassing the present-day Malakand, Buner, Swat and Dir valleys, as well as the Kohistan region.
During the most of 15th century, the kingdom bordered Kashmir Sultanate to the east, Delhi Sultanate to the south, Timurid Empire to the west and the kingdom of Chitral to the north. The last notable ruler was Sultan Awes Jahangiri, during whose reign Swat was ultimately conquered between 1510 and 1518 after a series of battles by Yousafza'i Pashtuns under the leadership of Malik Ahmad Baba. This led to the Pashtunization of the Swat and Dir regions. Some accounts trace the origins of Shah Mir dynasty of Kashmir from these rulers of Swat.
The Shah Mir–Lohara War (Kashmiri: شاہ میر–لوہارا جنگ; Shah meer–Lohara Jang), also known as Kashmir Civil War (1338–1339), was a military conflict in the Kashmir Valley (now in Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir) between the royal forces of the ruling Hindu Lohara dynasty, led by Kota Rani, against the rebellious Muslim Shah Mir dynasty, led by former courtier Shah Mir. It resulted in the overthrowing of the Loharas and the revival of the Kashmir Sultanate.
The Chak dynasty (Persian: چک , Persian pronunciation: [t͡ʃak] ; Kashmiri: ژَکھ , Kashmiri pronunciation: [t͡sakʰ]) was a Kashmiri dynasty of Kambojas origin that ruled over the Kashmir sultanate in medieval Kashmir after the Shah Mir dynasty. The dynasty rose to power in 1561 in Srinagar after the death of the Turco-Mongol military general, Mirza Haidar Dughlat when Ghazi Shah assumed the throne by dethroning Habib Shah, the last Shah Mir Sultan. The dynasty ended in 1589 when Yakub Shah surrendered to Mughal Emperor Akbar.