Baramulla
History of Baramulla
The city of Baramulla, founded by Raja Bhimsina in 2306 BC held the position of a gate-way to the valley as it was located on the route to the Valley from Muzaffarabad (now in POK) and Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan). As such, a number of prominent visitors have been to Baramulla. These include the famous Chinese visitor Heiun T'Sang and Moorcraft, the British historian.
Mughal Emperors has special fascination for Baramulla. Being the gateway of the valley it was a halting station for them during their visits to the Valley. In 1508 AD Emperor Akbar who entered the Valley via Pakhil spent a few days at Baramulla and according to "Tarikh-e-Hassan" the city during Akbar's stay, had been decorated like a bride. Jahangir also stayed at Baramulla during his visit to Kashmir in 1620 AD.
From the very beginning, Baramulla has enjoyed religious importance. The construction of Hindu Teeratha and Buddhist Vihars made the city scared to Hindus as well as Buddhists. In the 15th Century, the place became important to Muslims also, as the famous Muslim saint, Syed Janbaz Wali, who visited the valley along with his companions in 1421 AD chose Baramulla as the centre of his mission, and after death was buried here. His shrine attracts pilgrims from all over the Valley. In 1894, the sixth Sikh Guru Shri Hargobind Ji visited the city and Gurudwara "Chatti Padshahi" was constructed in his memory. Baramulla thus became an abode of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs living in harmony and contributing to a rich composite culture.
