Srinagar has a glorious past. Anyone interested in the History of Srinagar will come to know that the city was founded almost about 2,000 years ago by King Pravarasena-II. At that time Srinagar was a part of the Maurya Empire and when Asoka introduced Buddhism in Kashmir then Srinagar became the center of Buddhism. The tradition of Buddhism continued with the reign of the Kushanas over Srinagar. History of Srinagar took a turn towards darkness during the reign of the Huns in the 6th century when Mihirkula started his ‘reign of terror’ in the city along with the valley. With time Srinagar came under the rule of the Mughals when Akbar by a trick defeated Yusuf Shah Chak, the ruler of Srinagar. In 1814, Srinagar became along with a large part of Kashmir, a part of Raja Ranjit Singh’s kingdom. With the Treaty of Lahore, however, in 1846, it came under the British rule and for the first time History in Srinagar witnessed the birth of a princely state with Gulab Singh as the ruler of this princely state.
After the independence of India in 1947, some infiltrators suddenly attacked Srinagar and wrested control of both the city and Kashmir Valley. History of Srinagar took a new turn, now, when the ruler of Srinagar Maharaja Hari Singh who decided that he would cede neither to India nor to Pakistan, faced major problem. However, Hari Sigh had to sign a treaty with the Government of India after the attack on Srinagar and therefore agreed to cede to India.
With the signing of this treaty a new era began in the History of Srinagar. Immediately the Government of India arranged for Indian troops so that the infiltrators can be cleared off the city and the valley. The incident gained much international political importance and United Nations became involved in this matter. Thereafter a cease fire was imposed by UN and therefore, some part of Kashmir remained independent. However Srinagar’s history did not undergo much change. It remained as a part of India and from that time onwards is still administered by India.
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