, succession1 = Sultan of Kashmir , reign1 = 20 February 1418 – December 1419 , coronation1 = 20 February 1418 , predecessor1 =

Ali Shah Ali Hassimshah Omarshah (born 7 August 1959), known as Ali Shah , is a former Zimbabwean international cricketer. An all-rounder who batted left-handed and bowled right-arm medium pace, Shah played in three Test matches and 28 One Day Internat ...

, successor1 =

, reign2 = 7 July 1420 – 5 April 1470 , coronation2 = 7 July 1420 , predecessor2 =

, successor2 = Haider Shah , issue = Adham Khan

Haji Khan Haji Khan or Haji Abdulqadir Khan — fourth khan of Shaki. He was described as a brave and courageous, but extremely ruthless man by Azerbaijani historian Abbasgulu Bakikhanov. Background He was third son of Haji Chalabi Khan. He started a reb ...

Hasan Khan Hasan Khan ( fa, حسن خان, link=no) may refer to: Places * Hasan Khan, Golestan, a village in Iran * Hasan Khan, Kurdistan, a village in Iran People * Hasan Khan (cricketer) (born 1998), Pakistani cricketer * Hasan Imam Khan (born 1971), ...

Bahram Khan
Jasrat Khan
''two daughters'' , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , house = Shah Mir , dynasty = Gibari (disputed) , father = Sikandar Shah Miri , mother = Mira Khatun , spouse-type = Consort , spouse = Taj Khatun , full name = Ghiyath al-Din Shah Rukh Shahi Khan
غیاث الدین شاہ رخ شاہی خان
Zayn al-Abidin
زین العابدین , posthumous name = Akbar-e-Kashmir (

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

of Kashmir) , birth_date = 25 November 1395 , birth_place =

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

, Kashmir Sultanate , birth_name = Shah Rukh , death_date = 5 April 1470 , death_place =

, Kashmir Sultanate , burial_date = 12 April 1470 , burial_place = Mazar-e-Salatin, Zaina Kadal,

, Kashmir Sultanate , religion =

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

( Shafi) Ghiyath al-Din Shah Rukh Shahi Khan (; 25 November 1395 – 5 April 1470), commonly known as Zayn al-Abidin the Great, was the ninth sultan of the Kashmir Sultanate, ruling first from 1418 to 1419 and then from 1420 to 1470. He was famously called Budshah (Great King) by his subjects. The first 35 years of his reign are described by Jonaraja in the '' Rajatarangini Dvitiya'', while the subsequent years are described by his pupil,

Srivara Shrivara �rīvara(15th century) wrote a work on the history of Kashmir that adds to the previous works of Kalhana and Jonaraja Jonaraja (died A.D. 1459) was a Kashmiri historian and Sanskrit poet. His ' is a continuation of Kalhana's ' and ...

, in the '' Rajatarangini Tritiya''. The Sultan also composed poetry in Persian under the pen name of Qutb. Under half a century of Zayn al-Abidin's rule, Kashmir enjoyed a stable economy, which led to a commercial expansion. Diplomatic missions were sent to various countries, expanding trade and commerce. This increased the central markets in

and

Anantnag Anantnag (/ə'nʌntna:g/ or /-nɑːg/ ), also called Islamabad, is the administrative headquarters of the Anantnag district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of ...

. Education and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

, along with literary traditions like poetry, were extended in his reign. Kashmiri architecture found its way through the

Indo-Islamic architecture Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establ ...

. Zayn al-Abidin was succeeded as sultan by his son, Haji Khan, later known as Haider Shah.

Early years

After Sultan of Kashmir Sikandar Shah defeated the chief of Ohind, Firuz, in the early part of his reign, Sikandar married his daughter Mira Khatun as a form of sovereignty. Ghiyath al-Din Shah Rukh Shahi Khan was born to them on 25 November 1395 (the eleventh day of

Safar Ṣafar ( ar, صَفَر) also spelt as Safer in Turkish, is the second month of the lunar Islamic calendar. The Arabic word ''ṣafar'' means "travel, migration", corresponding to the pre-Islamic Arabian time period when muslims flee the oppr ...

, 798 AH) at the royal palace in Srinagar. On 30 December 1416 (on the day of Eid al-Adha), Shahi Khan assassinated the rebellious

Wazir Wazir often refers to: * Vizier or wazir, a high-ranking political advisor or minister Wazir may also refer to: Places * Wazirabad, a City in Punjab, Pakistan * Waziristan, a region in tribal belt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan * Wazir Akbar K ...

of Sultan

, Hamsabhatta, in the

Eidgah Eidgah or Idgah, also Eid Gah or Id Gah ( fa, "site of Eid bservances; bn, ঈদগাহ; pnb, ; ur, ; hi, ईदगाह) is a term used in South Asian Islamic culture for the open-air enclosure usually outside the city (or at th ...

. Ali Shah, who was glad at his fall, appointed Shahi Khan as his Wazir.

Rise to power

Shahi Khan was given the charge of the sultanate, when his elder brother, Ali Shah, left on a pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

. It was at this time that Ali Shah gave Shahi Khan the title of (ornament of worshippers). Although a religious man, Ali Shah was weak-willed and his desire to attain Mecca buckled under descriptions of the arduous journey ahead. He abandoned his pilgrimage when he arrived at the court of his father-in-law, the Raja of

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...

Bhim Dev, and raised an army consisting of soldiers from Jammu and Rajauri in order to regain his throne. The ancient texts vary regarding why it was that Zayn al-Abidin relinquished his recently acquired status without a fight but there is no disagreement that this is in fact what happened. Retiring to Sialkot, Zayn al-Abidin sought the support of its ruler, Jasrat. Ali Shah became angered when this support was forthcoming and he rashly set out with his army to challenge Khokhar which resulted into a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The forces met at Thanna and Jasrat routed his forces, who had ignored the advice of his father-in-law to hold back until the Jammu army could join him. According to

, Ali Shah was killed by Jasrat. However, later Persian chronicles state that he was able to escape from the battlefield. Zayn al-Abidin was then able to return to the capital city of

, where he was welcomed by his subjects. This however did not end the civil war as Ali Shah with the support from the Raja of Jammu, entered the Valley. Zayn al-Abidin marched against him through the Baramulla pass. Both the forces met at

Uri Uri may refer to: Places * Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland * Úri, a village and commune in Hungary * Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India * Uri (island), an island off Malakula Islan ...

but Ali Shah was defeated again. The fate of Ali Shah is uncertain: he may have died in captivity or have been put to death by Khokhar.

Reign

Although fundamentally a peaceful man, Zayn al-Abidin was protective of his territory. He raised and led an army to stabilise the fractious areas of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

and

Baltistan Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilg ...

which had originally been conquered by his grandfather, Shihabu'd-Din Shah, and then had become independent on his death until Sikander reasserted control. With the arrival of Ali Shah on the throne, the territories had once again begun to assert their independence and Zayn al-Abidin recognised that they had an economic and strategic significance which entailed that they could not be allowed to secede. Similarly, he regained control of Ohind, the chief of which had been overcome by Sikander but had then announced independence during the period of rule by Ali Shah. He was on friendly terms with regard to the rulers of territories over which he inherited no historic control. The ancient records indicate that he gave and received presents to, and also exchanged embassies with, those who governed over Egypt,

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and elsewhere. Many of the gifts demonstrated the cultured nature of Zayn al-Abidin; they included works about music, manuscripts and people who were scholars, the latter being sent to him when he commented that an original gift of precious stones was of less interest to him than a gift of a learned nature would have been. During the last days of his reign, his three sons, Adam Khan, Haji Khan and Bahram Khan rebelled against him but he took energetic measures to crush them. He was succeeded by his son Haji Khan, who took the title of Haidar Khan.

Administrative policies

Zayn al-Abidin enforced the system of responsibility of the village communities for local crimes. He regulated the price of the commodities. He stabilized the currency which had been debased during the reign of his predecessors. He was responsible for a large number of public works.Mahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). ''History of Medieval India'', Part I, New Delhi: S. Chand, , p.277 He founded several new cities, built many bridges and dug many irrigation canals. He also prevented the local governors from exacting illegal taxes and gave the peasants much needed tax relief.

Religious policies

Zayn al-Abidin earned a name for himself for his policy of religious toleration and public welfare activities. He abolished ''

Jaziya Jizya ( ar, جِزْيَة / ) is a per capita yearly taxation historically levied in the form of financial charge on dhimmis, that is, permanent non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Islamic law. The jizya tax has been understood in Isla ...

'' on the Hindus of Kashmir. Although he was a Muslim ruler, he banned the slaughter of cows. He extended liberal patronage to

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

language and literature. He knew

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, and Tibetan. The ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

'' and Kalhana's '' Rajatarangini'' were translated into Persian by his order. He was known for his religious tolerance. He called back the Hindus who left Kashmir during his father's reign. He allowed the Hindus to build their temples and follow the personal law according to the Dharmashastras. He stopped the killing of cows by means of poison and passed some regulations about eating beef. He re-introduced the grant of stipends to the learned Brahmans.

Construction projects

Zayn al-Abidin undertook numerous construction projects during his reign, although only two or three of his buildings still exist. He founded the new town of Naushahr, which is now part of Srinagar, to serve as his capital. The ''

pièce de résistance {{Short pages monitor

Death

At the end of his career, the Sultan suffered from

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

. He neglected his official duties and let the ministers do the paperwork. He also developed a persecution delusion as he abstained from the food given to him by his ministers, fearing a chance of being poisoned. The Sultan died on his bed on 5 May 1470 and was buried in the Mazar-e-Salatin in Srinagar on 12 May. Kashmir fell into several days of mourning after the demise of the Budshah.

Legacy

Zayn al-Abidin is acknowledged by scholars as a great ruler of Kashmir. Historian

Mohibbul Hasan Mohibbul Hasan (1908–21 April 1999) was an Indian historian. He wrote books about history of pre-independent India. Education and career After his early education at Lucknow, he went to London University for higher study. After his return, h ...

calls him the greatest of all the sultans of Kashmir, who provided half a century of "peace, prosperity and benevolent rule" to the people of Kashmir.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * {{Authority control Sultans of Kashmir 1395 births 1470 deaths 15th-century deaths 15th-century Indian Muslims Shah Mir dynasty