Culture of Kashmir explained

The culture of Kashmir encompasses the spoken language, written literature, cuisine, architecture, traditions, and history of the Kashmiri people native to the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The culture of Kashmir was influenced by the Persian as well as Central Asian cultures after the Islamic rule of Kashmir. Kashmiri culture is influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism and later by Islam.[1]

Early history

See main article: article, Kashmir Shaivism, History of Kashmir and Abhinavagupta. Vedic art and culture grew in Kashmir, and some early Vedic hymns were composed there.[2]

The Bharata Natya Shastra, which is notable as an ancient encyclopedic treatise on the arts which has influenced dance, music and literary traditions in Indian culture, originated in Kashmir.[3]

2nd century BC writer Patanjali compiled his compendium on Yoga in Kashmir.[2]

The Panchatantra is also said to have originated in this region.[4]

At the time when Pali was the primary language for Buddhist literature in the rest of India, all the Buddhist literature produced in Kashmir was in Sanskrit. Kashmiri women held high status in society, as Bilhana records that Kashmiri women were fluent both in Sanskrit and Pali.

Kosh Shastra, a work on the science of sex, second to the Kamasutra, was developed in Kashmir.[5]

Some more examples of the major texts that also originated in Kashmir are the Vigyan Bharaiv Tantra, Yoga Sutras, Sapndi Karkika[6] Tantra Loka[7] and Para-Trisika-Vivarana.[8]

Cuisine

See main article: Kashmiri cuisine. Rice is the staple food of Kashmiris and has been so since ancient times.[9] Meat, along with rice, is the most popular food item in Kashmir.[10] Kashmiris consume meat voraciously.[11] Despite being Brahmins, most Kashmiri Hindus are meat eaters.[12] Kashmiri beverages include Noon Chai or Sheer Chai and Kahwah or Kehew.

The Kashmir Valley is noted for its bakery tradition. Bakers sell various kinds of breads with golden brown crusts topped with sesame and poppy seeds. Tsot and tsochvor are small round breads topped with poppy and sesame seeds, which are crisp and flaky; sheermal, baqerkhayn (puff pastry), lavas (unleavened bread) and kulcha are also popular. Girdas and lavas are served with butter. Kashmiri Bakarkhani has a special place in Kashmiri cuisine. It is similar to a round naan in appearance, but crisp and layered, and sprinkled with sesame seeds.[13] It is typically consumed hot during breakfast.[14]

Festivals

See also: Kashmiri Hindu festivals.

Kashmiri Hindus

Primary festivals of Kashmiri Hindus include:

Kashmiri Muslims

Primary festivals of Kashmiri Muslims include:

Language and literature

See main article: Kashmiri literature and Kashmiri language.

See also: Sharada script. Kashmiri or Koshur (Kashmiri: {{uninastaliq|کٲشُر, Kashmiri: कॉशुर|sc=Deva, Kashmiri: |sc=Shrd) is a language from the Dardic subgroup of Indo-Aryan languages, spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris, primarily in the Indian administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir. There are also speakers in parts of the neighbouring Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir.

The official languages of Jammu and Kashmir are Koshur, Dogri, Hindi-Urdu and English. Kashmiri is recognised as a regional language in the state and is also among the 22 scheduled languages of India.

Kashmiri has split ergativity and the unusual verb-second word order.

Although Kashmiri was traditionally written in the Sharda script,[15] [16] it is not in common use today, except for religious ceremonies of the Kashmiri Pandits.[17]

Today it is written in Perso-Arabic and Devanagari scripts (with some modifications).[18]

The Perso-Arabic script is recognised as the official script of Kashmiri language by the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.[19] [20] [21] [22]

Nowadays, the Perso-Arabic script has come to be associated with Kashmiri Muslims, while the Devanagari script has come to be associated with the Kashmiri Hindu community.[23]

Music

See also: Music of Jammu and Kashmir.

Early history

The Bharata Natya Shastra is notable as an ancient encyclopedic treatise on the arts one which has influenced dance, music and literary traditions in India, originated in Kashmir.

Present day

Kashmiri Music primarily includes:

References

Notes and References

  1. en . 41928559 . KAW . Mushtaq A. . Central Asian Contribution to Tradition of Religion-Cultural Pluralism . Central Asiatic Journal . 2010 . 54 . 2 . 237–255 .
  2. Web site: Nations . United . Rigvedasamhita, Rigvedasamhita-Padapatha and Rigvedasamhitabhashya . 2020-12-11 . 2020-11-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201113122721/http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/mow/nomination_forms/india_rigveda.pdf . live .
  3. Web site: Kak . S. . The Wonder That Was Kashmir . Louisiana State University . 2003 . 9684780 . 2021-10-20 . 2021-10-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211020170954/https://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/wonder.pdf . live .
  4. Book: Datta, Amaresh . Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti . 1988 . Sahitya Akademi . 978-81-260-1194-0 . en . 2020-11-10 . 2021-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419101431/https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&pg=PA1254 . live .
  5. Book: Tikoo, Colonel Tej K. . Kashmir: Its Aborigines and Their Exodus . Lancer Publishers LLC . 978-1-935501-58-9 . en . 2020-11-10 . 2021-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419101432/https://books.google.com/books?id=iuURFTHTU0EC&q=kosh%2520shastra%2520kashmir&pg=PT147 . live .
  6. Book: Vasugupta . The Yoga of Vibration and Divine Pulsation: A Translation of the Spanda Karika with Ksemaraja's Commentary, the Spanda Nirnaya . Singh . Jaideva . 1992-01-01 . SUNY Press . 978-0-7914-1179-7 . en . 2020-11-10 . 2021-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419101430/https://books.google.com/books?id=sQwtCrGERjkC&pg=PR25 . live .
  7. Book: Toshakhānī, Śaśiśekhara . Rites and Rituals of Kashmiri Brahmins . 2010 . Pentagon Press . 978-81-8274-475-2 . en . 2020-11-10 . 2021-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419101428/https://books.google.com/books?id=5ALeLjIPczAC&pg=PA42 . live .
  8. Book: Vivekananda, Swami . Prabuddha Bharata: Or Awakened India . 2007 . Swami Smaranananda . 354 . en . 2020-09-14 . 2021-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419101430/https://books.google.com/books?id=m5jXAAAAMAAJ . live .
  9. Book: Bamzai, Prithivi Nath Kaul. Culture and Political History of Kashmir. Prithivi Nath Kaul Bamzai. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.. 1994. 978-81-85880-31-0. 243. Rice was, as now, the staple foodris in ancient times.. 2020-11-10. 2022-02-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20220213102131/https://books.google.com/books?id=1eMfzTBcXcYC&q=kashmiris+rice+staple&pg=PA243. live.
  10. Book: Kaw, M.K.. Kashmir and Its People: Studies in the Evolution of Kashmiri Society. APH Publishing. 2004. 978-81-7648-537-1. 98. But perhaps the most popular items of the Kashmiri cuisine were meat and rice.. 2020-11-10. 2022-02-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20220213102129/https://books.google.com/books?id=QpjKpK7ywPIC&q=kashmiris+meat&pg=PA98. live.
  11. Book: Press, Epilogue. Epilogue, Vol 3, issue 9. Epilogue -Jammu Kashmir. en. Since Kashmiris consume meat voraciously and statistics reveals that on an average 3.5 million sheep and goat are slaughtered annually for our consumption, the skin can be utilised for production.. 2020-11-10. 2022-04-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20220407110542/https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnnGIjiogC&q=kashmiris+meat&pg=PA64. live.
  12. Book: Dar, P Krishna. Kashmiri Cooking. Penguin UK. 2000. 978-93-5118-169-9. Though Brahmins, Kashmiri Pandits have generally been great meat eaters.. 2020-11-10. 2022-05-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20220511233733/https://books.google.com/books?id=PJNtAwAAQBAJ&q=kashmiris+are+heavy+eaters&pg=PT8. live.
  13. Web site: Culture of Anantnag. District Anantnag J&K. https://web.archive.org/web/20090619085207/http://anantnag.nic.in/culture.htm. 2009-06-19.
  14. Web site: Kashmir has special confectionary. 2008-03-13. Thaindian.com. 2013-07-18. 2018-05-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20180512112836/http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/kashmir-has-special-confectionary_10027147.html. live.
  15. Web site: ScriptSource - Sharada, Śāradā. 2020-07-14. www.scriptsource.org. 2020-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20200303143935/https://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=script_detail&key=Shrd. live.
  16. Web site: Kaul Deambi. B. K.. The Sharada Script: Origin and Development. https://web.archive.org/web/20100107211343/http://www.koausa.org/Languages/Sharda.html. 7 January 2010. 18 July 2020. Kashmiri Overseas Association.
  17. Web site: Kaul. Omkar Nath. On Kashmiri Language. 18 July 2020. Kashmiri Overseas Association. 25 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120125030632/http://www.koausa.org/Vitasta/6a.html. live.
  18. Web site: Kashmiri Language. 18 July 2020. omnigot. 14 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200814184143/https://omniglot.com/writing/kashmiri.htm. live.
  19. Book: Kaw, M.K. Kashmir and It's [sic] People: Studies in the Evolution of Kashmiri Society.]. A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. 2004. 978-81-7648-537-1. 303–304. 2020-09-14. 2021-04-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20210415035400/https://books.google.com/books?id=QpjKpK7ywPIC&pg=PP1. live.
  20. Book: Mahapatra, B.P. The Written Languages of the World: A Survey of the Degree and Modes of Use : India: Book 1 Constitutional Languages.. Presses Université Laval. 1989. 978-2-7637-7186-1. 270. 2020-09-14. 2020-08-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20200805201624/https://books.google.com/books?id=yU8nq-C6wnoC. live.
  21. Web site: B. Kachru. Braj. An introduction to Spoken Kashmiri. 18 July 2020. 29 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200129210146/http://www.koshur.org/SpokenKashmiri/Introduction/index.html. live.
  22. Web site: Kaul. Omkar Nath. Spoken Kashmiri A Language Course. 18 July 2020. 29 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161129222358/http://www.koshur.org/Kashmiri/introduction.html. live.
  23. News: Valley divide impacts Kashmiri, Pandit youth switch to Devnagari - Indian Express . 2020-07-01 . 2020-10-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201001130205/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/valley-divide-impacts-kashmiri-pandit-youth/472872 . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Culture of Kashmir".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.