Kashmiri Pandits
Kashmiri Pandits in Srinagar, c. 1895 CE | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 300,000 to 600,000 (est. living in the Kashmir Valley prior to 1990) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kashmir Valley • Jammu • National Capital Region • Ladakh • Uttar Pradesh • Himachal Pradesh • Uttarakhand • Haryana • Rajasthan • Indian Punjab | |
| Languages | |
| Sacred languages Sanskrit Ethnic language Hindi, Dogri, English | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kashmiris (Kashmiri Hindus, Kashmiri Muslims), Saraswat Brahmins |
The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, located within the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri Pandits are Hindu Kashmiris native to the Kashmir Valley, and the only remaining Hindu Kashmiris after the large-scale conversion of the Valley's population to Islam during medieval times. Prompted by the growth of Islamic militancy in the valley, large numbers left in the exodus of the 1990s. Even so, small numbers remain.