NATURE OF DOGRA STATE

“It was on the lips of every tax payer that the rule of Dharma meant pillage of the
country”.( Hamidullah Shahabadi on the Nature of Dogra State)
The Treaty of Amritsar, maintained Dynastic, Feudal, Ruler-centric and religious centered
rule of the medieval ages.
The “sale Deed of 1846”, writes P.L. Lakhanpal, put a largely populated muslim state under
the Dogra rule which had been characterized as despotic, tyrannical and sectarian.
Dogra Maharajas considered Jammu and Kashmir as their purchased property and ruled
over their subjects as a master rules over his slaves.
Dogra state unlike many other states was not an enlightened despotic state. It was rather
a state which was discriminatory (towards the Muslim majority) in its attitude. Since the
state had been acquired by Dogras through a “Sale
Deed”. So for these rulers Kashmir was merely an economic enterprise. Hence it added
exploitative character to the nature of this state. In short the state that emerged under
Dogras can be characterized as despotic, tyrannical, sectarian and Exploitative. The
nature of this state can be better understood by understanding some of its discriminatory
exploitative policies towards majorityof its citizens.
Bias against Muslims: This state had strong bias against the Muslims who constituted
majority in the state. The state that developed under Dogras was discriminatory and
communal in its attitude.
Prem Nath Bazaz while writing about the nature of Dogra State states,
“Speaking generally and from a bourgeoisie point of view, the Dogra rule has been a Hindu
raj. Muslims have not been treated fairly.” (Inside Kashmir by PNBazaz).
Mridu Rai while explaining about the nature of this state writes,” Gulab Singh in 1846
made it clear that he would not allow Muslims to practice all their religious practices
and that as a Hindu he would have to give priority to the religion of Hindus.” (Hindu
Rulers Muslim Subjects by Mridu Rai)
A large number of Muslim shrines and mosques were confiscated and declared as State
property like Khanqah-e-Sokhta, Khanqah-e-Bulbul Shah, Pathar Masjid, Malshahi
Masjid (Ganderbal), Bahu Masjid (Jammu) etc. The mausoleum of Sultan Shahab u din
was converted into a post office.
Dr Elmslie stated in 1872 that out of 45 large Jagirs, Muslims enjoyed only fiveof them.

Cow slaughter was banned in state and people found involved in it were punished
severely. First the sentence was death, and then it was converted to life imprisonment
and lately into 7 years of imprisonment. How inhumanely this law was implemented can
be gauged from an incident quoted by Mridu Rai. She writes,” Ranbir Singh slit a
woman’stongueforbeatingacowwhich
 had torn some clothes she had hung out to dry”. (Hindu Rulers Muslim
Subjects by Mridu Rai).

A law was promulgated that if a Hindu converted to Islam, he was debarred from the right of
inheritance and in case of vice-versa, he could attain the same right. (FM Hussain in freedom struggle
in Kashmir).
Pratap Singh would not tolerate to see the face of a Muslim before noon (Rashid Taseer in Tarikh-e-
Hurriyat-I-Kashmir).
About Pratap Singh Mridu Rai states that he came under influence of Hindu religion and all his
functions had religious tinge.

Hence it becomes clear that the state that exists under Dogras was discriminatory in its attitude and
communal in its outlook.
Begar (Forced Labour): Begar was known as Kar-e-Sarkar. Begar was one of the most oppressive
features of Dogra rule. Tyndale Biscoe while writing about Begar in Kashmir states that people were
forcibly collected and taken on Begar. The impact of Begar was so deep in Kashmir that it gave rise to
a new social Institution-------- Khanadamadi. Since Dogra state used to take at least one
male member from each family on Begar for construction of Gilgit Road. This was a very dangerous
journey and there were much chances of a person losing his life. So people started taking
Khanadamads and when state would call for male member from each family, the unfortunate
Khanadamad was sent on thisforced labour. In case he came back. That way family used to try to save
their own male members. The sad plight of these Khanadamads is obvious from a Kashmiri proverb of
these times:
Ghare pethuk Zaamtur go Bara peth Hun (Kahnadamad was equivalent to a dog on the door).

Similarly about Begar Baron Schonberg (who visited Kashmir during Dogra
Rule) writes, “I have been to many lands but nowhere the condition of human beings presents a more
saddening spectacle than in Kashmir. It vividly recalled the history of Israelites under the Egyptian
Rule, when they were flogged at their daily labour by their pitiless task masters”.
The famous revolutionary Kashmiri poet, Abdul Ahad Azad has vividly explained the pathetic
condition of Kashmiri peasantry due to Begar in hisfollowing verses in a sarcastic manner:
 Pakun chum kar-e-Begarus Barun chum genus SarkarusYeyam Wograi Baparii

Ba na zara ishka Bemari!

I have to go on Begar and also pay revenue in kind to state. The merchant will also be coming to
recover the debt I owe. So how can I afford to have romance!
PN Bazaz while summarizing the effect of this obnoxious activity of Begar
writes “The peasant presents the appearance rather of a starving beggar than one who filled the
coffers of the state. They worked laboriously in the files during six months of summer to pay the state
its revenue and taxes, the officials their Rasum and the moneylender his interest. Hence they were
left with nothing to feed themselves and their families and their condition were going from bad to
worse.”
Recruitment policy: The recruitment policy under Dogras was discriminatorytowards Muslims.
Till 1872 not even a single Muslim was holding the post of even a clerk in state administration. By
1930’s only 22 % of Muslims constituted gazetted posts (Memo by Residents)
In recruitment bias was visible in favour of Dogras, rajputs and Pandits and against Muslims. The
state was not only Hindu Centric but also region centric (means preference was given to people
belonging to the territory of Dogra rulers).
Education: The position of Muslim in this field also was no better. There was bias against Muslims
even in the field of education as is clearly seen from Sharp Commission’s Report
Taxation: On economic front Dogra state was exploitative in nature. Since for them Kashmir was an
economic enterprise so they wanted to maximize their profit by extracting more and more in the
form of land revenue and other taxes. So taxation in the state under Dogras was very heavy and took
a bad tollon the economic situation of the citizens.
Walter Lawrence writes “Nearly everything save air and water was under
taxation”.

Some of the taxes which were being extracted from Kashmiris under Dograrule were:

a) Mandri/Ashgal: Tax on Muslims for construction and maintainenece oftemples.

b) Zar-e- Nikah: Tax in marriage. Rs 3 had to be paid as tax for first marriage and Rs 100 in case of 2nd or
3rd marriage.
c) Rasum and Nazrana: extra tax taken by officials (illegal taxes).
d) Zar-e-Mewa: Tax on fruits.
e) Custom duty: it was also very heavy.
f) Tax on shawl manufacturing: Department of Dag Shawl was taking taxes from this industry. Taxation
on shawl industry was very heavy and was forcing many shawl weavers towards starvation. It was
this injustice that compelled the poor shawl weavers to revolt against the state on 29 th April 1865.
This revolt was brutally crushed. 28 weavers were killed and many more injured and arrested.
Similarly there was tax on collection of Chinar leaves and even on gravedigging, horses and ploughs.

Depopulation of the state: Kashmiris faced worst calamities under Dogras and they would mostly
show an insensitive attitude towards the subjects. Thousands of people died due to famines and
draughts. In 1877 Kashmir witnessed worst floods. It destroyed all the crops. As always this flood as
followed by a worst famine. As a result the subjects began to die of hunger in thousands. Entire
villages got depopulated.
People could not slaughter their cattle as it was punishable act and shortage of fodder even killed the
cattle. So people were forced to eat grass and bark of trees which added to mortality rate. In order to
save their lives, some people tried to migrate to Punjab but they were stopped by Dogra forces from
crossing the borders of the state and forced them back to perish of hunger.
So if we will closely analyze the nature of Dogra state it becomes amply clear that it was despotic,
tyrannical communal state. It was a state which was punishing majority for professing a particular
religion. And it was a state whose sole motive was to earn more and more profit.Notwithstanding the
fact what this economic exploitation will do to the subjects of the state