Shah Mir Dynasty

Gateway of enclosure, (once a Hindu temple) of Zein-ul-ab-ud-din's Tomb, in Srinagar. Probable date 400 to
500 CE, 1868. John Burke. Oriental and India Office Collection. British Library.

Shams-ud-Din Shah Mir (reigned 1339–42) was the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir[40] and founder of
the Shah Mir dynasty.[40][41] Kashmiri historian Jonaraja, in his Dvitīyā Rājataraṅginī mentioned Shah
Mir was from the country of Panchagahvara (identified as the Panjgabbar valley
between Rajouri and Budhal), and his ancestors were Kshatriya, who converted to
Islam.[42][43] Scholar A. Q. Rafiqi states:
Shāh Mīr arrived in Kashmir in 1313, along with his family, during the reign of Sūhadeva (1301–20),
whose service he entered. In subsequent years, through his tact and ability, Shāh Mīr rose to
prominence and became one of the important personalities of the time. Later, after the death in 1338
of Udayanadeva, the brother of Sūhadeva, he was able to assume the kingship himself and thus laid
the foundation of permanent Muslim rule in Kashmir. Dissensions among the ruling classes and
foreign invasions were the two main factors which contributed towards the establishment of Muslim
rule in Kashmir.[44]

Rinchan, from Ladakh, and Lankar Chak, from Dard territory near Gilgit, came to Kashmir and
played a notable role in the subsequent political history of the Valley. All the three men were
granted Jagirs (feudatory estates) by the King. Rinchan became the ruler of Kashmir for three years.
Shah Mir was the first ruler of Shah Mir dynasty, which had established in 1339 CE. Muslim ulama,
such as Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, arrived from Central Asia to proselytize in Kashmir and their
efforts converted thousands of Kashmiris to Islam[45] and Hamadani's son also convinced Sikander
Butshikan to enforce Islamic law. By the late 1400s most Kashmiris had accepted Islam.[46]