Origin of Kashmiri Nicknames

Contributed by Rudresh Kaul and Sagar Raina .

Special Thanks to Sh. Ram Krishen Kaul.



This aricle has been compiled after studying the works of Sh. Ram Krishen Kaul on Nicknames of Kashmiri Pandits.
Present generation of Kashmiri pandits is obviously unaware of the origin of their surnames,how these surnames came into existence, how many surnames of kashmiri Pandits are currently existing. With this purpose an attempt is made by KP youths to provide information about the history of these surnames through this blog.

Rudresh Kaul, a KP from Rajasthan has complied around 700 Kashmiri Pandit surnames, and detailed document has been prepared by him. In his document he has presented these surnames alphabatically from A to Z.
Click the below link to get the list of KP surnames
List of 700 Kashmiri Pandit Surnames by Rudresh Kaul

While in search of the origins of these surnames we came across the detailed document regarding the origin of surnames by Sh. Ram Krishen Kaul. Sh. Kaul has presented beautifully how KP nicknames came into being.

In this article we will try to present his work briefly.

A nickname, says Hazlitt, is the hardest stone that the devil can throw at a man, yet the kashmiris have shown the unparalleled endurance to bear this hardest stone Pleased with their 'devotion' he(Mr. Devil) seems to have gifted these stones to them(kashmiri) for ever. Love of nick names is mixed in the blood of Kashmiris, nay, they have nurtured this art with their blood, for generations together. They give it without asking for and make full use of ordinary events, actions, habits and even physical features of a persons to coin new and newer nicknames.

Click the below link to know how your surname/nickname came into existence
Origins of Kashmiri Pandit Nicknames by sh Ram Krishen Kaul

"Asha Trakroo" a source of inspiration for KP youths

By Sagar Raina


These days high frequency of intercaste marriages among Kashmiri Pandit community has created a tense ambiance among one section of the community and simultanously other section of the community says intercaste marriage within our community is not an issue depeding upon how sincere one is if he/she decides to go for an intercaste marriage.

In an informal interaction with Asha Trakroo, orginally a punjabi and now a Kashmir Pandit, said ,"But I am afraid ,it is useless to ponder why one should not go for out of cast marriages. If KP girls get married out of cast, I believe many out of cast girls get married to KP guys, thus keeping the balance of KP population optimum, so no question of KP communitys' extinction". She said," what I realise at the moment is to upkeep our identity by learning to speak kashmiri language and to perform all such kashmiri customs which we have been witnessing in our homes right from our childhood."

Asha Ji got married to Ravi Trakroo 27 years back and she embraced kashmiriyat to the extent that she can speak kashmiri, perform all the kashmiri customs , ceremonies like herat, pann, and even she cooks all the kashmiri food stuff like gogji, nadir, hakh, monj etc.

When asked " Do girls get adjusted to a new culture?" she replied," But obvious all the girls get adjusted to any culture subject to the condition how much support does she get from her in-laws and husband."

Definitely Asha ji is a source of inspiration for all of those who adopt Kashmiri Pandit culture.

!!!! A divine rendezvous !!!!

By A Khosa

In one of my posts about kashmiryat to a thread in Orkut named:

"Suggest a profession for the person above.??" I got the following reply by a kashmiri pandit: i never understood this word and nor do i wanna....everything varies from individual to individual....,,,,

this kinda reply stirred my mind and for these last 10-15 days, I have been thinking, how could the meaning of this word differ from one individual to other, my conscience has been edging me to post a reply which explained this word in the most lucid and befitting manner. I wished to reply because the confusion and self imposed isolation to kashmir of our kashmiri youth was resonating and erupting within my mental horizon. I wished to reply, may be I myself was trying to figure our the exact meaning of this word with reference to present scenario where the 18 years of forced exile has taken its toll- the shine away from this word, KASHMIRYAT .. rendered it meaningless.

So, here I am for this Kashmiri Pandit who is confused and for the whole world with a meaning of this word, not from my mental realms but from the anals of history.

This is a true tale of the relationship shared by two great pillars of Kashmir. A tale which finds resonance in the sacred relationship shared by Lord Krishna and Yashodara. Yes!! this is a tale of infant Nund and motherly Lal-Ded.

I ask you to give your ears to understand this tale or one should call the soul of kashmiryat, since the geneology of This word dates back to this anecdote.

The eternal sufi saint Nund rishi aka Noor-u-Din Noorani was born to a Hindu Thakur, who had been banished from his estate in Kistwar(Doda). Nund rishi's father Salar Sanz led a life of wandering until he found Yasman Rishi; Salar became his disciple and converted to Islam. taking the name of Salar-u-Din. It was Yasman Rishi who arranged his marriage to Sadra, a girl from the same Thakur clan. To this couple was born 'Nund' or the pure one. Destiny plays strange and a rendezvous of the two great saints was on cards. Legends have it that for three days after its birth this Nund didn't drink milk from Sandra's breast. This led to the parents greatest anxiety, and then in the evening of the third day, the Yogini Lad-Ded entered their house. She took the infant in her lap and whispered: " you have not felt shy of being born; then why do you feel shy of tasting the pleasures of this world." Saying this she put the mouth of Nund on her breast, and gave him his first drops of food. As she left, Lad-Ded told Sadra, " take care of my spiritual heir."

This tale has been the beacon light for generations and I am pretty sure, it will serve as a guiding spirit for the progeny as well. This is also the anecdote through which two great religions of present day- The Sanatan Dharma and The Islam will have to see a ray of hope; A hope of a better world, free of fundamentalism of any kind....

Thank you for letting me your ears, now you can take them back...and as usual I leave it to the you to decide and comment, if this be a befitting example of kashmiriyat, an example which can be shared and circulated....

We belong to a 5000 years old civilization!"

By Rudresh Kaul

This is a statement that makes each and everyone of us feel so proud of our descent. Isn't it? But our civilization has been subjected to so many atrocities and so many times that a totally new culture is evolved now.
The 1989-90 mass exodus of our community has made us handicapped with respect to the knowledge about our culture. Many of us, especially young children do not even know that koshur (kashmiri), which is now written in Devnagari and Urdu scripts, was originally written in "Sharda" script."
Sharda" is the name of the goddess of knowledge and enlightenment, whose abode is considered to be Kashmir (there are many Shakti peeths in Kashmir one of which the Shardapeeth is in Pakistan occupied Kashmir). Extinction of Sharda, which is our original script, can be easily an unnoticed cultural shock to our community members. All our ancient texts like Nilmat Purana were written in Sharda. But from thousands of those ancient cultural assets of ours only a few have been translated into other languages. With only very few people remaining who can read and write Sharda, we are literally at the brink of losing the very roots of our culture. Hence, as true Kashmirs, we should be bound to save this script.
We can slowly and steadily try to learn our script, which is so beautiful; especially little kids who have some leisure time in their summer vacation. With their fast developing brains, kids can learn Sharda script very well. And after learning it, they will be happy and proud as it adds to their art and talent.
Now the Question arises, how does one learn it and from who? For this purpose there are good books. The only need is of volunteers to co-ordinate this action. So, let us save "SHARDA: OUR SCRIPT ".

The first muslim ruler of Kashmir

By A Khosa

yi yi karu'm suy artsun, yi rasini vichoarum thi mantar, yihay lagamo dhahas partsunsuy Parasivun tanthar - Lalvakh

Whatever work I did became worship of the Lord; Whatever word I uttered became a mantra;Whatever this body of mine experienced became the sadhana-s of Saiva Tantraillumining my path to Parmasiva

How many of us know Islam entered Kashmir this way!!!

For thousands of years the cross current of competing empires have lapped at the borders of Kashmir: Delhi to south, Kabul to the west, the Turks and the Mongols from the vast plains of North, china and Tibet to the east.

Mahumad of Ghazni brought the sword of Islam in 1015; the steel clattered against the cold stones of Himalayas and retreated. Three hundred years latter Sayyid Bilal Shah immortal by the name Bulbul Shah, brought love and compassion of Islam.

The history of the first Muslim ruler revolves around some characters and it is equally important to know them , so please proceed

Bulbul Shah: A Mussavi Sayyid disciple of the divine Sufi Shah Naimatullah Farsi of Surawardy order was the first muslim who propagated Islam in Kashmir, during Sahadeva's rule. By the time Bulbul Shah passed away in 1327, the king , the kings brother, the commander-in-chief of the army were muslims. And the first mosque of Kashmir in Srinagar, now called Bulbul Langar, had been constructed. He stand buried in the mosque.

Shah Mir: A adventurer as the history reports, but I consider him the propagator-in-disguise, from Swat, now in Pakistan. This young man had a dream one day in which a holy man told him to go to Kashmir, where he would one day become a king. Without wasting much time and without pausing to wonder why an unknown wanderer could become a king!! Shah Mir collected his family and supporters and came to Sahadeva's Court.

Rinchin: The Great Changez Khan never reached Kashmir, thought he knocked at its doors after tibet fell to him in 1203. It was left to great Kublai Khan(1260-1294) to extend the Mongol administration. on the edge of this vast plateau lay Bhanttaland, corresponding to modern Blatistan and Ladakh. Kublai Khan appointed local Bhantta, Lha-chen-dugos Grub to administer. But no sooner the Kublai Khan;s death news reached this remote land, local passions which had been subdued raised and Lha-chen-dugos Grub lost his life. His young handsome warrior son( Rinchin) was forced to flee. This brought Rinchin across Zojila pass into Kashmir under Sahadeva's rule. This young fugitive fell in love with the daughter of Ramachandra, Kota Rani, a beautiful and intelligent girl.

Sahadeva: Was the ruler of Kashmir from 1301-20.

Ramachandra: The Commander -in -chief of Sahadeva and the father of Kota Rani, a beautiful and intelligent girl.

The History unfolds with a attack by Dulchu - a Tartar chief from Central Asia, said to be a descendant of Chenghiz Khan - invaded the Valley in A.D. 1319. Sahadeva, a weak-minded king, fled to Kishtwar. Ramachandra card least about the common masses and only kept himself and his family confined to the fortress. It was during this brutal crisis that the Buddhist refugee ( Rinchin) and a wanderer warrior from Swat( Shah Mir) came to help of people. They offered whatever little assistance they could. They had won love and loyalty of the people after Dulchu army left plundering the valley. Soon after Rinchin with the assistance of Shah Mir murdered Ramachamdra and became King Himself on 6 October, 1320. Kota Rani quickly put aside whatever little reservations she might have about her father's murder and became Rinchin's Queen!!

Now this is something we Kashmiri Pandits need to understand and take lesson from!!

Though Rinchin was the King now, but being a Buddhist, mass reservations were growing. Buddhism had disappeared, Hinduism was again the dominant creed and Islam was trying to make impact.

Rinchin decided that he had no other option but to worship Lord Shiva and become a Hindu. A word was snet to the Deva Swami, head priest of Shiava Hindus. A solemn conclave was held by Hindus/Kashmiri Pandits and after much pondring and with great solemnity the King was informed that conversion of Hinduism was not possible as the could nt decide which Gotra/sub caste in the hierarchy to place Rinchin in.

At this point Islam struck......Shah Mir, Rinchin's friend and aide tried to persuade Rinchin to adopt Islam. But Rinchin deferred the decision.

Allah-O-Akbar! Hearing this cry Rinchin woke up the other restless morning only to see Bubul Shah at prayer. He went to him and Converted to Islam......

Thus I leave it to you my dear readers to decide.... What our fate would have been had the priests accepted Rinchin in Hindu fold....???

Where are we leading towards??????

By Sagar Raina

Once known to be highly intellectual communities of the world, Kashmiri pandits at the present time have forgotten what their ancestors had taught them to keep their cultural values alive. World called them intellectuals because of their education, knowledge, elevation for spirituality, kindness for downtrodden of the society and above all adhereness towards their culture.

Kashmiri Pandits whether old or young , parent or child, every one has lost their cultural heritage. It was evident on one of Kashmiri Pandit marriages where two different communities were going to be together in a sacred ceremony.

Now it has become a ritual in almost every Kashmiri Pandit marriage to keep a stall for alchohal lovers. Being a witness of this incident , a place is selected in this community hall(Janjghar) on the night of a sacred ceremony of Manz raat. Kashmiri Pandits numbered in 30-40 consisting of elders and youths forming a circle and are being served alchohal by youngers. A son is serving an alchohal to his fathers and both are enjoying the drinks and from the adjacent room one could easily listen and hear the sacred marriage songs and bhajans recited by KP women majorly participated by elderly females. And later this manz raat was accompanied by these unconscious alchohal lovers and simultaneously reciting Kashmiri Bhajans.

I was shocked and pained to see this mirror image which was contrast in its own way.
At this point I could remember our saints and sages who taught us sprituality, I could also remember the sanctity of our past Kashmiri culture. Now Every thing was going away from our clutches.

And irony is this that the next day the same place was selected for lagan ceremony where our Guruji performed the prayers for long livedness of the newly wedded couple. And it made me to think “Where are we all leading towards?”

Saga of Kashmiri Pandits

By Arun Dassi
Kashmiri lifestyle is essentially slow paced and reflects religious diversity. we are known to enjoy our music in its various local forms, and the traditional dress of both sexes is often quite colourful.The Dumhal is a famous dance in Kashmir, performed by men of the Wattal region. The women perform Rouff, another folk dance. Kashmir has been noted for its fine arts for centuries, including poetry and handicrafts.Original Kashmiri Pandit refers to a person who belongs to a sect of Hindu Pandits who originate from the Kashmir region we have been living there continuously for centuries prior to the existence of Islam. The Kashmiris are probably the purest members of the Aryan Race in India and the original home of the Aryans was probably Kashmir.we have a recorded history in Kashmir for thousands of years and have also been mentioned in the Mahabharata.During the Islamic period of the Kashmir valley, hundreds of temples in Kashmir were destroyed.As a result, Kashmiri Pandits gradually migrated to other parts of India to escape persecution. Kashmiri Pandits and Buddhists were forcefully converted which in time resulted in Kashmir becoming predominantly Muslim. Although, some Kashmiris willingly accepted Islam, specially because of the Sufi missionaries. The devastation wrought by the Turkish general from Turkmenistan Zulju in 1320, during his conquest of many regions of Kashmir Valley was especially unfortunate. This could have a been a reaction to Lalitaditya's earlier conquest of Turkmenistan. Sultan Sikander (1389-1413), the seventh Muslim ruler in Kashmir, is known for his oppression of non-Muslim populations, which caused many Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Kashmir valley. Historians call him an idol-breaker (or iconoclast) and he is said to have killed several thousand Kashmiri Pandits and/or forced them to convert to Islam or flee. Sultan Ali Shah and others followed suit. There have been a few Muslim rulers who were tolerant towards the Pandits, however they were not able to ultimately alleviate the plight of the Pandits. This can be ascertained from the fact that the Pandits never rose to their pre-Islamic glory and that their population in the valley continued to decrease over time. From the 14th century due to the growth of Islam and forced conversions into Islam their numbers in the valley began to diminish and the Muslims by spreading Islam began to outnumber them.British historians, such as Walter Lawrence, note that persecution of Kashmiri Hindus ie ours by zealous Muslim rulers resulted in as little as eleven original Kashmiri Hindu families remaining in Kashmir at one point. Walter Lawrence mentions that: More recently (1990), hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits had to flee the Kashmir valley because of being targeted by Kashmiri and foreign militants. As per the statement of US Congressman Joe Wilson, beginning in 1989, mosques in Kashmir declared jihad and blared warnings from loudspeakers to the Hindus that they were infidels and had to leave Kashmir. He further says that, "From 1989-1990, Islamists began a terror campaign to drive Hindus from Kashmir". Some people have noted that some Kashmiri Muslims were tolerant of minorities, but since partition, most Kashmiri Muslims have adopted a more conservative approach to Islam, and since 1989, a more militant and fundamentalist approach. By the turn of the last century, only 6.4% of Kashmiris were Hindus.The US Department of State reports that, according to the Indian National Human Rights Commission, the Kashmiri Pandit population in Jammu and Kashmir dropped from 15 percent in 1941 to 0.1 percent as of 2006.