The history of the Kashmir valley has been turbulent. In the 3rd century BC, it was a part of the great Mauryan Empire. Later on, this region flourished under the rule of the Kushans in the 1st century AD. It was an important Buddhist center around this time. In the 6th century, it was a part of the kingdom of Vikramaditya, the ruler of Ujjain. Local Hindu rulers ruled it until the 14th century, after which Muslims invaded and ruled it. Srinagar was a part of the Mughal Empire in the medieval period. However, with the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rule of the Pathans, the fortunes of the area gradually dwindled. In 1814, it became a part of the Sikh empire, when Ranjit Singh defeated the Pathans. However, the British defeated Ranjit Singh and according to the treaty of Lahore in 1846, they installed Gulab Singh as the independent ruler of Kashmir. The descendents of Gulab Singh ruled Kashmir under the vigilance of the British till 1947. Hari Singh, the great grandson of Gulab Singh, merged this princely state into India in 1948, when Pathan marauders from Pakistan tried to overrun this state.

Facts Files

Full Name	Jammu and Kashmir.
Capital	Summer(May-October) – Srinagar / Winters(November-April) – Jammu.
Languages	Urdu (Official Language), Kashmiri, Hindi, Dogri, Pahari, Ladakhi.
Population	Approx 7,720,000.
Religion	Muslim (majority in Kashmir Valley), Hindu(majority in Jammu), Buddhist (majority Ladakh in the North).
Location	Strategically located Jammu and Kashmir State constitutes the northern most extremity of India. North Latitude : 32.17 degree – 36.58 degree East Longitude : 37.26 degree – 80.30 degree.
Area	2,22,236 sq. km.
Number Of District 14	Tropical in Jammu plains to semi-arctic cold in Ladakh with Kashmir and Jammu mountainous tracts having temperate climatic conditions.
Climate conditions	Summer Max. 39.9, Min. 23.4; Winter Max. 20.2, Min. 4.5. The annual rainfall also varies from region to region with 92.6 mm in Leh, 650.5 mm in Srinagar and 1115.9 mm in Jammu.
Clothing	Light cottons, Winter. Heavy Woollens.
Roads	9375 km with 3 National Highways.
Railways	Total railway track length is 72km spanning 7 stations.
Rivers	Indus, Chenab, Jehlum and Ravi.
Domestic Airports	Jammu, Srinagar, Leh.
Crops	Barley, Forest-produce, Fruit, Millets, Rice, Saffron, Wheat.
Minerals	Bauxite, Coal, Lignite, Sapphires. Semi-precious stones.
Industries	Carpet & Shawl, Handicrafts, Sericulture, Watches, woodbased industries. Famous for Apples and Tourism.
Best Season	Jammu October To February. Kashmir May to October & November To February. Ladakh Mid June To September.
Excursions	Akhnoor – 32 kms, Batote – 113 kms, Kud – 106 kms, Mansar Lake – 80 kms, Purmandal (Chhota Kashi) – 39 kms, Patnitop – 112 kms, Ramban – 148 kms, Ramnagar – 102 kms, Sanasar – 129 kms, Sudhmahadev – 120 kms, Surinsar Lake – 42 kms, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park – 248 kms.