History, Geography and Culture
Why this section is broad
Questions here draw from Indian history, Indian and Jammu and Kashmir geography, and culture. Anchor your revision on dates, dynasties and map-based facts rather than long narratives.
History anchors
- Ancient: the Indus Valley sites, Ashoka's association with Kashmir, Kushan rule under Kanishka, and the Karkota dynasty, whose king Lalitaditya Muktapida built the Martand Sun Temple at Anantnag in the 8th century.
- Medieval: the Shah Mir dynasty from 1320, Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (called Budshah, known for patronising crafts), and the Mughal annexation of Kashmir in 1586 under Akbar.
- Modern: the Sikh conquest of 1819 under Ranjit Singh's general Misr Diwan Chand; the Treaty of Amritsar of 1846, which transferred Kashmir to Gulab Singh Dogra for Rs 75 lakh; Dogra rule until 1947; and the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on 26 October 1947.
Geography essentials
Know the Himalayan ranges (Karakoram, Zanskar, Pir Panjal), the monsoon mechanism, soil types, and the Himalayan versus peninsular river distinction. The Pir Panjal range separates the Kashmir Valley from Jammu.
Culture
- Crafts: Pashmina and Kani shawls, sozni embroidery, namda and gabba, papier-mache, walnut wood carving, and Basholi and Kangra miniature painting.
- Festivals: Herath (Shivratri), Eid, Urs at shrines, Losar in Ladakh, Baisakhi and Lohri in Jammu.
- Languages: Kashmiri, Dogri (in the Eighth Schedule), Urdu, Ladakhi, Pahari, Gojri and Punjabi.
Worked example
'Who built the Martand Sun Temple?' Reasoning: its colonnaded stone style points to the Karkota period, not Mughal or Dogra patronage, and Lalitaditya Muktapida commissioned it. Answer: Lalitaditya Muktapida.
Traps
Mixing the Treaty of Amritsar (1846) with the Treaty of Lahore of the same year and with the 1947 Accession; confusing Zain-ul-Abidin with Sikandar Butshikan.