An Analytical Study of Kashmir Under the Dogra Rule and Their First Approach Towards Revenue Sector

The Kashmir Valley which is mentioned by various authors as Paradise on earth came under the ruler ship of Maharaja Gulab Singh with the ominous terms of the treaty of Amritsar signed between the British Government of India and Maharajah Gulab Singh of Jammu on 16th of March in the year 1846. He worked very hard to obtain the Kashmir Valley and he succeeded in consolidating his gains. He got handed down the system of the government from the Sikh governor, Sheikh-Imamud-din. Good or bad he taken the administrative system and he modified it here and there to safe his own ends. This paper is going to examine the developments and reforms which were made by the Maharajah Gulab Singh. The few reforms that, he introduced to recognize the shawl industry, revenue and police administration of the valley into four wazarats or districts. Knowledgeable and trustworthy law officials were placed in charge of key departments like the Audits and Accounts, the Dagshawl, commissariat and police. The Maharaja Gulab Singh in order to relive the peasants of Kashmir Valley of serious injustice undertook the reform of the begar system (Forced Labour). An officer was appointed to take charge of this work. Another important reform undertaken by the Maharaja was the rationing of rice in the Kashmir valley. Due to its severe detachment and the undoable difficulties of weighty transport, was always liable to sudden natural climates owing either to failure of the crops or the cornering of the grain market. In order to meet this situation the Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir established a rigid monopoly of rice and had it sold at a fixed price to the people.