Kashmir: A Journey Through History will appeal to the armchair traveler and history buff. Neither an academic tome nor a guidebook, it describes how Kashmir - ringed by snow-capped peaks - has attracted pilgrims and Sufis, armies and traders, travelers and adventurers, over the centuries, who embraced the crisp mountain air, a world away from the soaring heat of the Indian plains.

Weare creates engaging story lines that capture the passage of Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic influences which have shaped Kashmir’s rich cultural history. The book traces the journey of the region from its ancient times to the present, with chapters highlighting periods in history, such as the role of the Mughal Emperors who created over 700 resplendent gardens and patronized the fine pashmina shawls that were to grace the palaces of India and Europe. The Treaty of Amritsar signed by the British East India Company and Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu, in 1846, created the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir - a state forged more through political ambition than cultural design. It was a time when Kashmir became part of the Great Game, where intrepid British explorers kept a watchful eye on the state’s borders.

In October 1947 Kashmir’s political future came to a head when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India. Since then Kashmir has been subject to decades of instability along with years battling insurgency as it continues on its long walk to normalcy.

Featuring over 120 inspiring images and packed with nuggets of information, Kashmir: A Journey Through History takes the reader on a fascinating voyage through a land that has inspired poets and emperors, writers and explorers, through the ages.

Garry Weare has had a long-standing relationship with the Himalaya since leading his first trek in Kashmir in 1973.

For 13 years Weare had an enviable lifestyle organizing and leading treks from the comfort of his houseboat in Kashmir. Following the outbreak of political unrest in Kashmir in 1990 Weare continued to return regularly to Kashmir and other regions of the Indian Himalaya, leading exploratory treks or researching his Trekking in the Indian Himalaya guide published by Lonely Planet. He also wrote his acclaimed A Long Walk in the Himalaya, an account of an epic five-month trek from the source of the Ganges to Kashmir.

Weare is the Australian Secretary for the Himalayan Club, a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and has been awarded for his outstanding contribution for promoting adventure travel in the Indian Himalaya. Weare is also a founding director of the Australian Himalayan Foundation. He has a daughter and two stepdaughters and lives with his wife Margie Thomas in the Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia. His website is: www.garryweare.com.

Prologue: Where Three Worlds Meet The Cave of Dreams The Lotus in the Valley The River of Kings In Search of the Sufi The Emperor’s Private Garden Dreams of a Trans-Himalayan Kingdom Kashmir’s Great Game The British in Kashmir The Lion of Kashmir The Kashmir Shawl Postscript: The Long Walk to Normalcy Endnotes Bibliographical Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index