Nature of dogra state
Answers
he worst feature of the Dogra rule was its communal
outlook. It discriminated the Muslims on the basis of their
religion and also interfered in their religious affairs. The Dogra
State was actually a Hindu State and its rulers tried their best to
broaden its Hindu nature, with the result Kashmiri Pandits as a
co-religionists’ class found it easy to get associated with it and
the Muslims were marginalised.1 Regarding the nature of the
Dogra Government, P. N. Bazaz, declared in 1941: “Speaking
generally and from the bourgeois point of view, the Dogra rule
has been a Hindu Raj. Muslims have not been treated fairly, by
which I mean as fairly as the Hindus. Firstly, because, contrary to
all professions of treating all classes equally, it must be candidly
admitted that Muslims were dealt with harshly in certain respects
only because they were Muslims.”2 It is reported that Gulab
Singh in 1850, made a plan to reconvert the Muslims, but, the
Banaras priests did not accept it, as according to them it would
dilute the purity of Hinduism.3 In fact, in 1846, he made it clear
that he would not allow Muslims to practise all their religious
practices and that as a Hindu; he would have to give priority to
the religion of Hindus.4 The British for the good of ‘ensuring the
sway of Pax–Britannica,’ tolerated it.
5 Colonel Torrens, who
visited Kashmir (1859-60) during the reign of Ranbir Singh,
records that the Dogra rule was the Hindu ‘rule’ which was run
by ‘Hindu’ faqueers, detested by people, they prey upon, but
supported and encouraged by the Government. In order to prove
it a Hindu State it invaded Muslim places and erected temples.6
A large number of Muslim shrines and mosques were confiscated
and declared State property, like Pather Masjid, Khanqah Sokhta,
Khanqah Bulbulshah, Khanqah Darashikoh, Idgah and so on in