The Mughal Emperors and Kashmir
| Emperor | Link with Kashmir |
|---|---|
| Akbar (1556 to 1605) | Annexed Kashmir (1586); visited three times; Hari Parbat walls; Naseem Bagh. |
| Jahangir (1605 to 1627) | Visited often. Loved the springs and flowers. Built Verinag pavilion and Shalimar (with Nur Jahan). Died in 1627 on the way back from Kashmir, near Rajouri (Chingus); his body was taken to Lahore. |
| Shah Jahan (1628 to 1658) | Visited and expanded the gardens; governors built Chashma Shahi and Nishat. |
| Aurangzeb (1658 to 1707) | Visited once, in 1665, with the French doctor Francois Bernier, who left a vivid description. In his time the Moi-e-Muqaddas reached Kashmir (about 1699 to 1700). |
Dara Shikoh
- Dara Shikoh (Shah Jahan's eldest son) was a scholar of Sufism and Vedanta. In Kashmir, he built Pari Mahal (about 1650) and the mosque of Akhund Mulla Shah (1649) for his teacher Mullah Shah Badakhshi.
The Moi-e-Muqaddas
- The Moi-e-Muqaddas, a relic believed to be a hair of the Prophet Muhammad, was brought to Kashmir around 1699 to 1700 and kept at Hazratbal. The Hazratbal Shrine stands on the Dal Lake. Its theft on 27 December 1963 caused a major crisis (see Bakshi, Sadiq and the 1960s). It was recovered on 4 January 1964.
More on Shah Jahan's reign
- Chashma Shahi and its pavilion were built by Ali Mardan Khan. Pari Mahal was built by Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan's son.
- The first building of the Hazratbal shrine was constructed by the governor Sadiq Khan during Shah Jahan's reign.
Keep practising
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Prepared for exam revision from standard sources, official publications and the Census. Figures and recent developments change, so check official sources before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.