Well, mzybe not so cool: Sanskrit script?

[Walter Slaje]

> The interesting question is: why did the situation under Dogra rule 
> change? My guess is that the Sanskritists of Kashmir simply wanted to join 
> the newly established convention in British India, because they recognized 
> its usefulness.


Possibly, although it is always somewhat difficult to guess intentions of 
Sanskritists - if I may have this little joke.
Judging from harder facts, i.e. from concomitant religious and politicial 
changes, the Dogras re-established Hindu rule in Kashmir only after c. 500 
years of Muslim and c. 30 years of Sikh rule. It is likely that in its wake 
also the influx of Hindu texts from India proper written in Devanagari 
increased considerably, from which a local shaping, known as "Kashmir 
Devanagari", developed.

Best,
WS

------------------------------
Prof. Dr. Walter Slaje
Hermann-Löns-Str. 1
D-99425 Weimar
(Germany)
www.indologie.uni-halle.de

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