What genes do Kashmiris have?

"Caste can be substantiated through genetics," French said, citing a slice of genetic history that he gathered in course of researching his new book, "India: A Portrait", released at a packed British Council here Wednesday evening.

What is the genetic origin of Kashmiris?

The Kashmiri population is an ethno-linguistic group that resides in the Kashmir Valley in northern India. A longstanding hypothesis is that this population derives ancestry from Jewish and/or Greek sources. There is historical and archaeological evidence of ancient Greek presence in India and Kashmir.

Who are the descendants of Kashmir?

Ethnically, the Kashmiri people are a fascinating fusion of the original, early Semitic/Jewish tribes, and, then later by Greeks, Central Asians, Persians, Afghans and Turks, amongst others. All who traversed the majestic mountain passes, over the preceding centuries, to inhabit this beloved space.

What is the ancestry of Kashmiri Pandit?

The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region located within the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

What is the nature of Kashmiri people?

The Kashmiris are by and large palpably religious and at the same time highly tolerant to non-Muslim communities. Communal virulence is not part of Kashmir's socio-religious fabric, on which a common Kashmiri takes pride. The Kashmiri hospitality is world famous and hardly draws a parallel anywhere outside.

What do the youth of Kashmir think of India - BBCURDU

What are Kashmiri people known for?

Noon Chai or Sheer Chai and Kahwah or Kehew are beverages of Kashmir. Kashmir is also known for its bakery tradition. Sheermal, baqerkhayn (puff pastry), lavas (unleavened bread) and kulcha are popular baked goods.

What is the problem of Kashmiris?

Since 1989, Kashmiri protest movements were created to voice Kashmir's disputes and grievances with the Indian government in the Indian-controlled Kashmir Valley, with some Kashmiri separatists in armed conflict with the Indian government based on the demand for self-determination.

Which caste is highest in Kashmir?

The largest community within the Kashmiri Hindus are the Kashmiri Pandits (Kashmiri Brahmins), who are divided into several gotras, such as the priests (gor or bhasha Bhatta), astrologers (Zutshi), and workers (Karkun). The Wani are historically Banias, with subcastes, such as the Kesarwani.

Are all Kashmiris Brahmins?

"There is no denying the fact that in common parlance, Kashmiri Pandit is a community of Kashmiri-speaking Brahmins living in the Valley for generations and are distinctly identified by their dress, customs, and traditions," the judge said.

Who lived in Kashmir first?

Srinagar was ruled by the Mauryan empire till around the 14th century and it was emperor Ashoka, who had introduced Buddhism to the valley of Kashmir. The Kushans believed to have controlled this region during the first century who ruled over this place from their stronghold at Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Is Kashmiris a Dravidian?

"Caste can be substantiated through genetics," French said, citing a slice of genetic history that he gathered in course of researching his new book, "India: A Portrait", released at a packed British Council here Wednesday evening.

Did Jesus lived in Kashmir?

According to the myth, Jesus survived crucifixion and spent his last days in Kashmir. But the locals don't believe it to be true, and consider the myth profane. “This is the grave of a Muslim saint. It is clearly written in our holy book, the Qur'an, that Jesus was ascended up to heaven, to God.

Is Kashmir an Indo Aryan?

By origin it is a Dardic language, but it has become predominantly Indo-Aryan in character. Reflecting the history of the area, the Kashmiri vocabulary is mixed, containing Dardic, Sanskrit, Punjabi, and Persian elements.

What race are Azad Kashmiris?

Kashmiris in Azad Kashmir are the ethnic Kashmiri people who reside in Azad Kashmir, a territory which constitutes part of Pakistani-administered Kashmir since the end of the First Kashmir War.

Who lived in Kashmir before Muslims?

The last king of Kashmir was Hindu, who ruled under the protection of the British. But this Hindu rule existed for only a century. Before that Kashmir was ruled by Sikhs, and before that Afghans, Mughals, and Turks.

What Kashmir was before Islam?

Before this, Hinduism (of some form) had been the predominant religion in Kashmir for centuries. An important feature of Hinduism, particularly in Kashmir, was the caste system. All Hindus belonged to a certain caste, which you can think of as social class that one belonged to based on the family they were born into.

What is the caste of Kashmir?

According to the book, Kashmiri Syed/Pir castes (Geelani, Shah, Jeelani, Bukhari, Qadri, Hamdani, Andrabi etc.) are considered to be of top order and equivalent to Hindu Brahmins/ Kshatriyas. The 'occupational castes' (Zargar, Wani, Khandai, Bhat, Lone, Naqash etc.)

Is Kashmir Sunni or Shia?

This story is quite well known in Kashmir where Bulbul Shah, as Sharafu'd-Din is popularly known, features among the pantheon of Sufi mystics whose teachings undergird the religious sentiments of the region's predominantly Sunni Muslim population.

What are the physical features of Jammu and Kashmir?

The southern Jammu region is mostly mountainous, with the Shivaliks, the middle and the great Himalayas running parallel to each other in a southeast-northwest direction. A narrow southwestern strip constitutes fertile plains. The Chenab, Tawi and Ravi are important rivers flowing through the Jammu region.

Which caste is low in Kashmir?

At the bottom of the hierarchy are Kashmiri Muslim caste groups which can be broadly categorized as equivalent to Hindu Varna “Shudra” or “lower occupational castes” (Waza, Chopan, Ganai, Dobi, Hajjam, Hanji, Bhand etc.).

Which is the oldest religion in Kashmir?

In the first half of the 1st millennium, the Kashmir region became an important centre of Hinduism and later—under the Mauryas and Kushanas—of Buddhism. Later in the ninth century, during the rule of the Karkota Dynasty, a native tradition of Shaivism arose.

Are jats Kashmiri?

The Jats are one of the largest communities found in Azad Kashmir, making up the majority of the population of Mirpur District, and forming a large part of the populations of Bhimber and Kotli districts.

Is Kashmir India or Pakistan?

Today, the term encompasses a larger area that includes the India-administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the Pakistan-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Chinese-administered territories of Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract.

How many Kashmiris are missing?

The association estimates that between eight thousand and ten thousand people have been disappeared since the start of the insurgency in Kashmir, which since 1989 has resulted in the massive militarisation of the valley. The APDP documents disappearances and provides support to families of the disappeared.

Who sold Kashmir to India?

The Treaty of Amritsar (1846) formalised the sale by the British to Gulab Singh for 7,500,000 Nanakshahee Rupees of all the lands in Kashmir that were ceded to them by the Sikhs by the Treaty of Lahore.