Kashmir under Akbar and the Mughal Administration (1586 to 1752)
For 166 years (1586 to 1752) Kashmir was a province (suba) of the Mughal Empire. Emperors loved it as a summer retreat, and it gave them gardens, shawls and fruit in return.
Conquest (1586)
- Akbar had tried and failed to take Kashmir by force more than once. The final march of 1586, under Qasim Khan and Raja Bhagwan Das, succeeded because the Chak nobles were divided. The Mughals entered the Valley in October 1586; Yaqub Shah Chak kept resisting until August 1589, and the Chak dynasty ended.
- Akbar visited Kashmir three times: 1589, 1592 and 1597.
Akbar's works in Srinagar
| Work | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hari Parbat fort walls | Walls built around Hari Parbat (also called Kuh-i-Maran). |
| Nagar Nagar | A new city planned at the foot of the hill; it was left unfinished. |
| Naseem Bagh | Garden of "the morning breeze" on the Dal shore; Chinar trees are linked with Mughal planting. |
Administration
- A Subedar (governor) ruled in the Emperor's name. Great nobles such as Ali Mardan Khan and Zafar Khan governed under Shah Jahan.
- Land revenue was fixed in cash and kind, and Mughal officials spread Persian culture.
- Shawl trade grew, and Kashmiri shawls became a fashion at the Mughal court.
- Under the later Mughals, weak governors, Shia-Sunni clashes and famine harmed the Valley.
Mughal governors (Subedars) in order
The Mughals ruled Kashmir through appointed governors. (Some books give the Mughal period as 1586 to 1753; Babur and Humayun had tried to capture Kashmir but could not. Akbar succeeded in 1586 through his general Qasim Khan Mir Bahr.)
Under Akbar
| Governor | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Qasim Khan | 1586 to 1587 | First Mughal governor. |
| Mirza Yusuf Khan Rizvi | 1587 to 1590 | Established peace; Akbar's first visit. Abolished the jizya. Ordered a new town, Nagar; held a grand darbar with alms of gold and silver and free meals. For employment, he built the bastion wall round Hari Parbat (Koh-i-Maran), with a palace and a city inside. |
| Quli Khan | 1590 to 1601 | Akbar's second visit, after the wall was done. During the third visit, Ladakh and Baltistan were captured. |
| Mirza Ali Akbar | 1601 to 1606 | Could do little; Akbar died in his time. |
Under Jahangir (from 1606)
- Jahangir and Noor Jahan loved Kashmir. Mirza Ali Akbar served three more years, followed by five governors: Hashim Khan, Sardar Khan, Ahmad Beg, Dilawar Khan, Iradat Khan and Itqad Khan.
- Under Dilawar Khan, Kishtwar was subjugated.
- Under Iradat Khan: the Shalimar garden by Jahangir, the Nishat Bagh by Asif Khan (brother of Noor Jahan), and the Verinag and Achabal gardens in Anantnag.
- Itqad Khan was the worst governor under Jahangir: harsh taxes, free fruit for the court, begar to carry the luggage of himself and companions, and he oppressed Shias (he was a Sunni). During his time Jahangir made his last visit and died on the way back. He was buried at Lahore, though he wished to be buried at Verinag.
Under Shah Jahan (1627 to 1658)
- Nine governors ruled, among them Zafar Khan, Ali Mardan Khan and Lashkar Khan. Shah Jahan visited Kashmir four times. Itqad Khan continued for a time and was replaced by Zafar Khan.
- Zafar Khan abolished many taxes (on saffron, wood and a poll tax) and reduced the boat tax. He built Gulshan Bagh at Buda Kadal, Srinagar, and the Hasanabad garden on the Dal canal. He defeated and captured Baltistan and its ruler Abdal Rai accepted Mughal overlordship. He was replaced by Prince Murad, then by Ali Mardan Khan.
Under Aurangzeb
- Governor Saif Khan built Saif Kadal (a wooden bridge on the Jhelum).
- Iftikhar Khan tyrannised the Kashmiri Brahmins so badly that they approached Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.
The last Mughal ruler of Kashmir was Ahmad Shah (Mughal emperor), in whose time Kashmir fell to the Afghans.
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.