"Kashmir: A journey through history will appeal to the armchair traveller 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, travellers and adventurers, over the centuries. 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. 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. In October 1947 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."--