The Valley of Kashmír

by Walter R. Lawrence (Creator)

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1895

Reviews

[Syed Aatif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Walter R Lawrence wrote the book as an administrative report for the ruler of the state at that time. This book is an in-depth document written by a distinguished civil servant for the British empire. This is a record, beautifully written and a must read for anyone who wishes to know a bit about the culture of Kashmir. He talks about the culture, the people, their lifestyle, about their day to day chores, he talks about the vegetation, the animals found even the types of soil is covered. One is intrigued by the difference between the people then and the people now.

Even though this is an excellent read, one should not judge the kashmiri by what is written in it, keeping in mind that this book was written more than a hundred years ago.

[Fam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely disgusting way to describe the ethnicity. Full of “poor them” I had nothing to do with the famine of 1877 that killed millions and displaced tens of millions (including my forefathers). I’ll insert a quote later of the revolting colonial mindset… very much… they’re great! But like they’re savages. They’re my best friends! But regardless of how much I love them, here’s hundreds of reasons they’re degenerates and the entire ethnicity is faulty and devolved.

Regardless, the only way I give it more than 0 stars is the biogeographical amateur botany that has helped me with my research as a conservation scientist.

It’s hard to conduct research these days in the region due to border tensions, caused by this dude, but it helps me do cross border research and use it as a record of species abundance and diversity (of which nature knows such thing as a border because borders are a human construct).

But, if you want to read this to remind yourself about how truly inhuman your skin colour was to the British, do read, and then go cleanse your mind with “Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples” by Linda Tuhiwai Smith and “On the Postcolony” by Achille Mbembe.

This is the reason Kashmiriyat ended. Bruh the real motherfuckers were the British working the farmers to death and then exporting their crops to Britain. The demand was so high that the locals couldn’t even afford their own food, hence mass famine and migration of people abandoning the land they settled for thousands of years. This is the famine of 1877. This fucker Lawrence knew all of that and in the book mentioned it in one line as “oh poor thing. Happened before me. Its the pandits. They’re so greedy. You should meet them. They are the most two faced people.”

I can’t. I’m Muslim Kashmiri. But don’t fucking talk about my Hindu brothers and sisters like that.

You’re the real enemy. And you’re the cause of division and political tension to this day. Just so everyone knows, Walter Lawrence is one of the main idiots who divided the borders up arbitrarily causing the Kashmir tension to this day. He did it to incite ethnic violence, and with no regard to communities. All the stories our grandparents tell us (if they survived partition)… Yeah this guy was one of the main players in the inter generational trauma of a hundred million.

I will literally find this man’s grave, and I will spit on it.

[Ash Papillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A primary source that completely debunks the hindutva metanarrative of perpetual hindu victimhood accompanied with perpetual muslim dehumanisation.

speaking of the peasants in Kashmir Lawrence writes "It is not reasonable to look for virtues among an oppressed people, nor is it fair to descant on their vices."

explaining the reason for the hunger, starvation and destruction of peasant lives he writes " The cultivator is con
sidered to have rights neither to his land nor to his crops. The Pandits
and the city population have a right to be well fed whether there is a
famine or not at two Chilki rupees- per kharwar"


the entire project of hindutva terror relies on fueling communalism and divide and rule tactics. the kashmiri anticolonial movement has always been one of the indigenous oppressed and poor fighting against agents of colonial dogra rule. No hindu-muslim communalism here.

[Ashok Kumar Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir Lawrence was the settlement commissioner of Kashmir during Maharaja Pratap Singh's rule. This elaborated work of him illustrates a bit of history and then the socio-economic conditions of the day. His oriental approach is clear but still its an necessary book to understand kashmir during Dogra Rule.

[Usman Riaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is more of a report on Kashmir, as seen by a complete foreigner. Got some insight into my own culture; why some things are the way they are. Some things have changed now, beyond recognition, but some remain the same as they were even then. I would recommend it to all Kashmiris. Other than that, I doubt it would be of much interest to anyone else.

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klassiker, full av detaljert kunnskap om Kashmir for drøye 100 år siden