ABSTRACT
Gulab Singh was a General and feudatory of Ranjit Singh who was already ruling the Jammu region. His coming to power in Kashmir meant that a Hindu ruler had returned to rule Kashmir and its associated regions after a gap of almost 550 years. Kashmir was located in an exceedingly important geo-strategic location. With a history that is full of turbulence and turmoil Kashmir still retains the distinction of being the cradle of not just Hinduism but perhaps Buddhism as well. Muslim rule in Kashmir commenced more effectively with Shah Mir. Kashmir became a part of the Mughal empire under Akbar in 1586. Kashmir passed to Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1819 thus bringing to an end Kashmir’s nightmare of Afghan rule. The British press or at least an important part of it clearly took a stand against India on Kashmir. For most people the age old bonding of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of India was unignorably evident.
