Habba Khatun: Kashmir’s Preeminent Cultural Icon
Kashmir’s last independent ruler, Yousaf Shah Chak, fell in love at first sight with her while he was on a hunting trip and heard Habba Khatun singing under a Chinar tree. livehistoryindia.com Sameer Arshad Khatlani H abba Khatun’s journey from an ordinary peasant woman to Kashmir’s preeminent cultural icon began with a rebellion in the 16th century. She walked out of an unhappy marriage, divorced her husband, and began wandering, singing songs of mystic love and melancholy from village to village. The power of her voice was so mesmerising that Kashmir’s last independent ruler, Yousaf Shah Chak, fell in love at first sight with her while he was on a hunting trip and heard Habba Khatun singing under a Chinar tree. The commoner Zoon, as she was earlier called, was named Habba Khatun (loved woman) as she became Chak’s queen. But her newfound love was short-lived. Mughal Emperor Akbar soon invaded Kashmir and sent Chak into exile. The Queen plunged into grief again and fell b