Muslims and Hindus of Kashmir have lived…
1402 CE
Muslims and Hindus of Kashmir have lived in relative harmony, as the Sufi-Islamic way of life that ordinary Muslims had followed in Kashmir complements the Rishi tradition of Kashmiri Pandits.
However, Sikandar Butshikan (Sikander the iconoclast), the seventh Muslim ruler in Kashmir and the second Sultan of the Sayyid Dynasty, is known for his oppression of non-Muslim populations in his drive to establish Shariah-based rule.
Since assuming rulership of Kashmir in 1389, he has persecuted the Hindus and issued orders proscribing the residence of any other than Muslims in Kashmir.
He has also ordered the breaking of all "golden and silver images".
The Tarikh-i-Firishta further states: "Many of the Brahmins, rather than abandon their religion or their country, poisoned themselves; some emigrated from their native homes, while a few escaped the evil of banishment by becoming Mohammedans.
After the emigration of the Brahmins, Sikandar ordered all the temples in Kashmeer to be thrown down.
Having broken all the images in Kashmir, (Sikandar) acquired the title of ‘Destroyer of Idols’.
The Jama Masjid, notable for its timber construction, is completed in 1402 in the city of Srinagar, founded in the sixth century by Raja Pravarasen and situated in the Vale of Kashmir on the Jhelum River on the edge of picturesque Dal Lake.
The building remains today the main mosque in Srinigar.