ABSTRACT
The ecstatic, newly elevated Maharaja Gulab Singh initially despatched a nominal force of 200 men to take over the Kashmir Valley. Zainul Abidin left his mark on Kashmir in other ways as well; he introduced the Persian arts, crafts and language to the valley. Soon skilled Kashmiri artisans surpassed the quality of the Persians. In 1846 the history of the valley completed a full cycle. Like the legendary Gonanda of 2448 BC, a Rajput from Jammu, Gulab Singh, became the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. The British Government, little interested in the economic situation in Kashmir but deeply worried about the possible Russian influence in the state intervened. The political developments in the country found a ready echo in Kashmir where the political stranglehold of the feudal aristocracy remained unchanged. During the 1930s a Kashmiri Muslim began a complex life long association with a Kashmiri Hindu; Sheikh Abdullah was introduced to Jawaharlal Nehru for the first time.
