Table of Contents PROFILE 5 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... 5 GEOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................... 5 AREA................................................................................................................................................ 5 CLIMATE.......................................................................................................................................... 6 TOPOGRAPHY................................................................................................................................... 7 RIVERS AND BODIES OF WATER...................................................................................................... 8 BIODIVERSITY ................................................................................................................................9 MAJOR CITIES.............................................................................................................................. 10 HISTORY ....................................................................................................................................... 11 EARLY HISTORY ............................................................................................................................ 11 MIDDLE AGES TO 20TH CENTURY AND BRITISH RULE ................................................................. 11 PARTITION AND WAR .................................................................................................................... 11 RECENT EVENTS ............................................................................................................................ 13 ECONOMY ..................................................................................................................................... 14 AGRICULTURE ............................................................................................................................... 15 INDUSTRY ...................................................................................................................................... 16 GOVERNMENT .............................................................................................................................. 16 ETHNIC GROUPS AND LANGUAGES............................................................................................. 17 RELIGION 18 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................... 18 RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND........................................................................................................... 18 MUSLIMS AND HINDUS IN INDIA’S MOGHUL DYNASTY ............................................................... 18 RELIGION AS A WEDGE ISSUE ....................................................................................................... 19 ISLAM............................................................................................................................................. 19 HINDUISM ...................................................................................................................................... 20 SIKHISM ......................................................................................................................................... 21 THE ROLE OF RELIGION ON THE GOVERNMENT....................................................................... 22 SEPARATION BETWEEN RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR LAW.......................................................... 23 INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON DAILY LIFE.................................................................................. 23 RELIGIOUS EVENTS AND FESTIVALS .......................................................................................... 24 BUILDINGS OF WORSHIP ............................................................................................................. 26 MOSQUES....................................................................................................................................... 27 HINDU TEMPLES ............................................................................................................................ 28 TRADITIONS 29 TRADITIONAL ECONOMY AND JOBS , ......................................................................................... 29 GREETINGS ................................................................................................................................... 30 HOSPITALITY AND GIFT GIVING ................................................................................................ 32 DRESS CODES .............................................................................................................................. 33 CUISINE , , ...................................................................................................................................... 34 2 LITERARY TRADITIONS .............................................................................................................. 35 SONG AND DANCE ......................................................................................................................... 36 FESTIVALS , ................................................................................................................................... 36 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS......................................................................................................................... 37 WEDDINGS , , ................................................................................................................................. 37 HINDU WEDDINGS ......................................................................................................................... 37 MUSLIM WEDDINGS ...................................................................................................................... 39 OTHER WEDDING RITUALS ........................................................................................................... 39 FUNERALS..................................................................................................................................... 40 HINDU FUNERALS ......................................................................................................................... 40 MUSLIM FUNERALS ...................................................................................................................... 41 VIOLENCE AT FUNERALS IN KASHMIR .......................................................................................... 41 DO’S AND DON’TS......................................................................................................................... 42 URBAN LIFE 43 ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT.................................................................................................... 43 THE ECONOMY AFTER 1947 .......................................................................................................... 43 EMPLOYMENT................................................................................................................................45 TOURISM........................................................................................................................................ 45 SMALL BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ................................................................................................. 46 EDUCATION .................................................................................................................................. 47 HEALTH ISSUES, HEALTH CARE, AND SANITATION .................................................................. 48 HEALTH FACILITIES....................................................................................................................... 48 HEALTH ISSUES ............................................................................................................................. 49 DEPRESSION AND MENTAL ILLNESS.............................................................................................. 49 SANITATION................................................................................................................................... 50 TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ................................................................................................ 50 DAILY LIFE ................................................................................................................................... 51 LOCAL VIEWS ABOUT THE KASHMIRI CONFLICT ..................................................................... 51 RESTAURANTS .............................................................................................................................. 52 MARKETPLACES........................................................................................................................... 53 CRIME ........................................................................................................................................... 54 RURAL LIFE 56 ECONOMY ..................................................................................................................................... 56 HORTICULTURE, A MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME .............................................................................. 56 TOURISM.......................................................................................................................................