Shah Mir

Shah Mir from Swat (Tribal) territory on the borders of Afganistan, Rinchin from Ladhak, and Lankar Chak from Dard territory near Gilgit came to Kashmir, and played a notable role in subsequentive political history of the valley. All the three men were granted Jagirs by the King. Rinchin for 3 years became the ruler of Kashmir, Shah Mir was the first rular of Swati dynasty, which had established in 1339, and the descendants of Lankar Chak established Chak rule in the Kashmir.

The last Hindu ruler of Kashmir was Udyan Dev. It was his chief Queen Kota Rani, who practically governed the state. She was a very brave lady, shrewd and an able ruler. Though she tried her best to save her Kingdom, odds were too heavy for her. The valley was again invaded by a Mongol and Turk invader Achalla, but the Queen defeated him, and drove away all the foreign troops. In the confusion Rinchin, the Ladhaki prince, whom the Hindu religious leaders of the time refused to admit into their fold, organised an internal rising and seized the throne. Before his death, he embraced Islam. Finally another rising was led by Shah Mir, who defeated the queen at Jayapur (modern Sumbal). The defeat upset her and seeing the indifference of the Hindu grandees and general public, she stabbed herself to death, because Shah Mir wanted to marry her. Her death in 1339 paved the way for the establishment of Muslim rule in Kashmir.

The basic descend of these Mirs is dated back to the Mir Syed Ali Hamdani from Iran who had come to preach Islam in Kashmir and settled there.After the fall of their empire the descends dissemnated to various areas in the valley like the saffron town Pampore(Kadlabal).These people are still valued as the upper class and have different life styles as compared to the other people in the same region.

The first sufi saint who reached Kashmir, during the time of King Sehdev, was Sayed Sharafuddin Bulbul Shah from Turkey. He was a very clever person. That very time a rebel prince from Tibet, Rinchan, and a Persian Muslim religious preacher, Shahmir, arrived in Kashmir.

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Jibran Mir