Maybe Kashmir is named after sage Kashyap: Amit Shah​on January 2, 2025 at 2:43 pm

Maybe Kashmir is named after sage Kashyap: Amit Shah

​Maybe Kashmir is named after sage Kashyap: Amit Shah Maybe Kashmir is named after sage Kashyap: Amit Shah   

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that it could be possible that Kashmir is named after sage Kashyap, a revered figure in Hinduism.

Speaking during the release of the book, J&K and Ladakh Through the Ages, in Delhi, he said, “We all know that Kashmir is known as the land of Kashyap. It is possible that Kashmir has been named after sage Kashyap.”

“Jammu and Kashmir has contributed significantly to the development of India. We will achieve the cultural glory of Kashmir,” he added.

The Union Home Minister said India is the only country where there are cultural boundaries and not geopolitical boundaries.

He said that the references to Shankaracharya, the Silk Route, and Hemish Matha in Kashmir show that it is connected to Indian culture.

He also said that the mentions of temples destroyed in Ladakh and the use of Sanskrit in Kashmir showed that the Valley has “an unbreakable bond” with India.

Shah also criticised Article 370 and Article 35 A of the Constitution, which granted special privileges to Jammu and Kashmir, and said the provisions “prevented the country from being united”.

“There was no majority in the Constituent Assembly on these provisions, which is why they were made temporary at the time. These tainted provisions were removed by the Narendra Modi-led government, paving the way for development in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Article 370 provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, granting it a degree of autonomy within the country, while Article 35A was a legal provision that gave the erstwhile state the power to define who is a “permanent resident”, and to confer special rights and privileges to these residents. Both the provisions were abrogated by the Centre in August 2019.

Shah said that Article 370 “sowed the seeds of separatism” among Kashmiris and added that terrorism decreased in the Valley following its abrogation.