Kashmir Sultanate

The Kashmir Sultanate (Kashmiri: مملکتِ کشمیر Mamlekat-e-Kashmīr, Persian: سلطنتِ کشمیر; Saltanat-e-Kashmīr) or historically Latinized as Sultanate of Cashmere, was a medieval Indo-Islamic kingdom established in the early 14th century in Northern India, primarily in the Kashmir Valley. 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 with Kashmiri, Turco-Persian, Kohistani, Dardic, and Ladakhi elites. A Ladakhi Muslim, Rinchan Shah, served as the first Sultan and was followed by the two prominent dynasties, Shah Mir and Chak dynasty. A Baihaqi Sayyid, Mubarak Baihaqi, briefly ruled the Sultanate after overthrowing Yousuf Chak in 1579. Due to the diversity, the kingdom worked on the principles of Kashmiriyat, containing and existing between the proximites of the cultural and religious pluralism. Even though Sanskrit and Persian were favoured upon as the official, diplomatic, court, and state language, Kashmiri still had a large impact on the social and communal work and was later granted official status. The economical center 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 Delhi Sultanate, Kashmir, along with Bengal, Gujarat, and Sindh, were considered strong political and martial allies, even interfering in one another's internal problems.

During the sultanate era, the valley was influenced by various orders of Sufism and mysticism. The Suhrawardiyya, Kubrawiya, Rishi, and Nurbakhshiya orders were formally adopted and regulated by the Sultans in their reign. A form of peace culture evolved around the Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims in the leadership and teachings of Lal Ded, Nund Rishi, Habba Khatun, Yaqub Ganai and, Habibullah Ganai. With the beginning of the Muslim epoch, Indo-Islamic architecture was observed along with the Kashmiri architecture evolving into the Islamic Kashmiri style of infrastructure and designing. This style can still be seen in the old muhallahs of Srinagar.