THE ESSAYS THAT MAY CHANGE YOUR BELIEFS

<p>Mainstream historiography has often failed to do justice to several key figures events and cultural traditions associated with Kashmir and the former State of Jammu and Kashmir. The political administrative and cultural achievements of Emperor Lalitaditya remain inadequately recognised as do the governance and public-welfare initiatives undertaken by the Dogra rulers. Similarly Sir Aurel Stein&rsquo;s role in preserving Kashmir&rsquo;s manuscript heritage has been overshadowed by his translation of Kalhana&rsquo;s Rajatarangini with his broader contribution to safeguarding the region&rsquo;s textual legacy receiving limited attention.</p><p>Accounts of the critical events of October 1947 have rarely incorporated the observations of Captain Diwan Singh ADC to Maharaja Hari Singh. The contributions of Kashmiris to India&rsquo;s freedom movement and to Hindi cinema have also not been systematically documented. Several essays in this collection address lesser-known cultural and historical dimensions including erotic art in ancient and medieval Kashmir and evidence of the Ajivika sect. Other essays explore links between Kashmiri Vanvun Vedic civilisation and Shaivism; examine Emperor Akbar&rsquo;s conciliatory policies including the abolition of the jaziya; and revisit the destruction of Baramulla in 1947 through an eyewitness account. The volume concludes with reflections on migration sacred geography and the philosophical idea of the universe&rsquo;s indifference to human existence.</p>