Kashmir Sultanate

One sultan tore down temples across the valley. His own son tore up that policy and rebuilt trust instead. Kashmir’s medieval history turns on that single, sharp reversal.

The Martand Sun Temple, Kashmir, destroyed under Sultan Sikandar “Butshikan.” Photo by Varun Shiv Kapur, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Two Centuries of the Valley

MedHist0071

1339

Shah Mir Founds the Dynasty

Ends Kota Rani’s line

c. 1389–1413

Sikandar “Butshikan”

Temples destroyed, incl. Martand

1420–1470

Zain-ul-Abidin, “Bud Shah”

Tolerant golden age

1561

Chak Dynasty Takes Power

Last Shah Mir sultan deposed

1555–1586

Chak Rule

Final independent dynasty

16 Oct 1586

Akbar Conquers Kashmir

Independent rule ends

247 years of independence: from Shah Mir’s founding in 1339 to Akbar’s conquest in 1586, two dynasties ruled the valley on their own terms.

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📑 Contents

1Timeline
2Founding the Shah Mir Dynasty
3Sikandar and Zain-ul-Abidin: Two Reigns, Two Policies
4The Chak Dynasty
5The Mughal Conquest
6Test Yourself

Timeline

1339: Shah Mir founds the dynasty after the death of Queen Kota Rani.
c. 1389–1413: Sultan Sikandar “Butshikan” destroys temples across the valley, including the Sun Temple at Martand.
1420–1470: His son Zain-ul-Abidin, “Bud Shah,” reverses course and ushers in a tolerant golden age.
1561: Ghazi Shah Chak deposes the last Shah Mir sultan, Habib Shah.
1555–1586: The Chak dynasty holds power as Kashmir’s final independent rulers.
16 October 1586: Mughal forces under Akbar take Srinagar, ending independent Kashmiri rule.

Founding the Shah Mir Dynasty Need to Know

Shah Mir is generally believed to have come from Swat, in what is now northern Pakistan.
He rose through the Kashmiri court after the death of the last Hindu ruler, Udayana Deva.
Udayana Deva’s widow, Kota Rani, then held power in her own right.
After Kota Rani’s death, Shah Mir established his own kingship in 1339, founding a dynasty that would rule for over two centuries.

Sikandar and Zain-ul-Abidin: Two Reigns, Two Policies Need to Know

Sultan Sikandar Shah earned the title “Butshikan,” or “iconoclast,” for demolishing temples across Kashmir.
The Sun Temple at Martand, one of the valley’s grandest monuments, was among the structures destroyed under his reign.
His son, Zain-ul-Abidin, took the opposite path entirely after becoming sultan in 1420.
Zain-ul-Abidin repealed the jizya tax and recalled Hindu Pandits who had fled Kashmir under his father’s rule.
He earned the title “Bud Shah” (Great King) for the peace and prosperity of his reign, and is often compared to the Mughal emperor Akbar.

The Chak Dynasty Good to Know

By the mid-1500s, the Shah Mir dynasty had weakened, and the Chak family had grown powerful as court nobles.
In 1561, Ghazi Shah Chak deposed the last Shah Mir sultan, Habib Shah, taking the throne for his own family.
The Chaks became Kashmir’s final independent ruling dynasty, holding power until the Mughal conquest.

The Mughal Conquest Great to Know

Emperor Akbar took advantage of internal Sunni-Shia divisions within the Chak court to move against Kashmir.
Mughal forces invaded in late 1585, and their commander entered Srinagar on 16 October 1586.
The khutba, the Friday sermon naming the ruler, was read in Akbar’s name that day, formally ending Kashmiri independence.
Kashmir remained under Mughal control from this point onward, closing a 247-year run of self-rule that began with Shah Mir.