Zain al-Abidin

Type Figure Region Kashmir Time 1418–1470 Also known as Zain Abidin、Akbar of Kashmir

Eighth sultan of Kashmir (1418–1470), known as Bud Shah ('Great King') for his benevolent and enlightened rule, sometimes called the Akbar of Kashmir.

Timeline

1420–1440Srinagar · KashmirZain al-Abidin acceded in 1420 after overthrowing his brother Suha Bhat. He immediately moved to reverse his predecessor's persecution of Hindus: abolishing the jizya poll tax, allowing Hindu temples to be rebuilt, recalling exiled Hindus, and restoring confiscated property. These reforms laid the foundation for his tolerant policies, won broad popular support, and quickly stabilized Kashmiri society.
1451–1460Srinagar · KashmirThe 1450s were the zenith of Zain al-Abidin's reign. He brought skilled craftsmen from Central Asia (Samarkand and elsewhere) and the regions around Kashmir, systematically developing traditional Kashmiri crafts including carpet weaving, shawl weaving (the precursor of the later famous Kashmiri cashmere shawl), and papier-mâché, laying the foundation of Kashmir's distinctive handicraft industry. He also convened scholars to translate numerous Sanskrit classics (including the Mahabharata and the Rajatarangini) into Persian, and sponsored Oriya and Kashmiri poetry, making the court a meeting place of multiple languages and cultures.
1460–1470Srinagar · KashmirIn his later years Zain al-Abidin continued his tolerant policies, treating followers of Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism equally. The year of his death is disputed in the sources (between 1470 and 1474); after his death his son Haji Khan succeeded him but never matched his father's achievements. Zain al-Abidin is regarded by later Kashmiris as the greatest sultan in their history, and the title Bud Shah ('Great King') has endured to this day.

Sources

The Rajatarangini of Jonaraja — Jonaraja (著)，J. C. Dutt (译) (1986)
A History of Kashmir — P. N. K. Bamzai (1962)
Kashmir under the Sultans — Mohibbul Hasan (1959)