Fida Hassnain is a prominent Kashmiri writer and advanced Sufi Mystic. He studied law and received his Ll.D. in 1946.

Career

He started his career as Professor of History & Civics in the year 1947. In 1953 he joined Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...

 State Government service. Before retiring in 1980, he held several important posts, such as that of Director of General Records & Archives; Director of Archives, Archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

, Research & Museums; and State Editor of Gazetteers of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. He became a Lecturer at S.P. College in Srinagar

Srinagar

Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...

.

Later, he rose to the position of Professor of History and Research. He became the Director of the State Archives, Archaeology Research and Museums in 1954 and continued as such until his retirement in 1983. His study tours resulted in the salvaging of several hundred manuscripts in Arabic, Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 and Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

, which were housed in the Archives and Oriental Research Libraries. As an archaeologist, he has conducted several excavations. In 1969 he was invited to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 to speak on Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

. Since then he has visited Japan six times for lecture tours. His scholastic achievements have won for him the title of Doctor of Indology

Indology

Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....

.

Hassnain visited Ladakh

Ladakh

Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...

 (Western Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

) in 1960 and has returned in official and unofficial capacities a number of times. His anthropological interest induced him to study the past of the Brokpa

Brokpa

The Brokpa are a small community of Dard people residing in the Dha-Hanu valley about 163 km southwest of Leh in Ladakh. They are thought by some to be the purist descendants of the ancient Indo-Europeans....

 tribes, in whom he found traces of the Greek remnants of Alexander the Great.

He has also maintained an active interest in all of early Kashmir

Kashmir

Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

 history, particularly of the Kushan period.

He has written several books on the subject of Lost years of Jesus and Kashmir, which have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Polish, and Japanese. He has made frequent guest appearances in documentaries about the tomb of Roza Bal

Roza Bal

Roza Bal is the name of a shrine located in the Khanyar area of district Srinagar, in Kashmir, India, venerated by some Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Some people identify the sage buried there with one Yuz Asaf, that is Jesus of Nazareth, whom they allege to have arrived in Kashmir after...

 and the theory of Jesus in India.

He has lectured extensively and has been a visiting professor to several universities. He was granted the title of Rastra Sanskriti Samrat, or the Emperor of National Culture, in 1987.

Recognition

He is the recipient of several degrees and awards from various universities and institutions of India, Japan, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 , Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, He started his service career as Professor in 1953 and retired as Director of Archives, Archaeology, Research and Museums in 1980. He came into contact with the Buddhist Shamans of Ladakh (Western Tibet) in 1960 and continued a lifetime association with them.

On January 25, 2009 The Jammu Kashmir Government recognized Hassnain for his outstanding and remarkable lifetime contributions.

Degrees and awards

Professor Fida Hassnain is the recipient of several degrees and awards from various institutions in India and abroad.

• 2009: Lifetime Achievement Award from Jammu and Kashmir Government.
• 2007: Outstanding contribution in the field of history. Gulshan Book Award 2007.
• 2006: Robe of Honour from J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
• 2003: Secular India Harmony Award. Bestowed by Mrs. Shila Dikshit, Chief Minister, Delhi.
  • 2002: Included in the Eminent Personalities of India I.B.R.F., India.
• 2000: Ph.D(AM) Indian Institute of Alternative Medicines, The Open University of Alternative Medicines, Kolkatta, India.
• 1999: Gem of Alternative Medicines, I.B.A.M, Kolkotta, India
• 1998: Chairman, 3rd Session, International Seminar on Central Asia, Delhi, India.
• 1997: Bhaskar Award, Bharat Nirman, New Delhi, India.
• 1997: R.M.P. Indian Board of Alternative Medicines, Kolkotta, India.
• 1996: Doctor of Self Realization, New Delhi, India.
• 1995: Maha-Vishwa Vikas Ratna, Occult Foundation, Bharat Nirman, New Delhi, India.
• 1993: Bharat Nirman Pracharya Award 1993, New Delhi, India.
• 1993: Vishwadhyamik Jagat Guru, New Delhi, India.
• 1990: D.Litt (Hon. Causa) Vishwa Unnyayan Samsad, New Delhi, India.
• 1989: Special Citation, International Yoga Convention, Pondicherry, India.
• 1988: Doctor of Sufism, (Hon. Causa) New Delhi, India.
• 1987: Rashtra Sanskrit Samat, Vishwa Unayayan Samsad, New Delhi, India.
• 1983: D.Metaphysics, School of Pararational Studies, Zurich, Switzerland.
• 1979: Master of Divinity, Ordem Do Limao, Rio De Janeiro, Mexico.
• 1974: Doctor of Indology, Sharda Peetha, Srinagar, Kashmir, India.
• 1953: Dip. Arch. National Archives of India, New Delhi, India.
• 1947: L.L.B. Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
• 1946: M.A. Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
• 1944: B.A. Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan.
• 1942: Medal for Social Service.

Publications

• 2009- The Shah Hamadan of Kashmir. 2nd Edition by F,M, Hassnain. Gulshan Books, 2009. ISBN 9788183390866
• 2009- Early Islamic Mysticism Sufi, Quran, Poetic & Theological Writings. Gulshan Books, 2009. ISBN 9788183390613
• 2009- Shri Amarnathji tirtha Kashmir. Gulshan Books, 2009. ISBN 9788183390712
• 2008- Roza Bal, The Tomb of Jesus. Booksurge, USA. ISBN 978-1419697586
• 2007- Mystical esctasy, Sufi practices. F. M. Hassnain, Vivek Raghuvanshi, Abdel Fatteh Badawai. Gulshan Books, 2007. ISBN 9788183390736.
• 2007- The Muslim Kashmir: 1320-1589. Gulshan Books, 2007. ISBN 9788183390804
• 2007- Kashmir: The Focus of Asiatic Civilization. Gulshan Books. ISBN 978-8183390286.
• 2006- Hhycyca.
• 2004- The Rozabal, Beyond the Da Vinci Code.
• 2003- The Book of my life.
• 2002- Historic Kashmir. Gulshan Publishers, 2002. ISBN 9788186714508.
• 2002- Kashmir Valley
• 2001- Shah Hamadan of Kashmir. F. M. Hassnain, S. Ajaz. Gulshan, 2001. ISBN 9788186714195. Gulshan Publishers (March 1, 2002). ISBN 978-8186714119.
• 1999- Jesus, a verdade e a vida: uma busca histórica pelos caminhos apócrifos, budistas, islâmicos e sanscritos. F. M. Hassnain, Lígia Capobianco. Madras, 1999. ISBN 9788573741865
• 1998- Saffron cultivation in Kashmir. Rima Publishing House, 1998. ISBN 9788174150349
• 1997- Gesu 'I' Esseno.
• 1996- Jezusa.
• 1996- La Otra Historia de Jesus. Robin Book (September 1996). ISBN 978-8479271282. Reprint: Teià (Barcelona), Swing [2007] ISBN 978-84-96746-05-3. Spanish translation of: A Search for the Historical Jesus. Translated by J. A. Bravo.
• 1995- Kashgar, Central Asia. F. M. Hassnain, Tōkan Sumi. Reliance Publishing House, 1995. ISBN 9788185972763
• 1995- Bhaisajya-guru-sutra: original Sanskrit text with introduction and commentary. Authors: F. M. Hassnain, Tokan Sumi. Editor: F. M. Hassnain. Reliance Publishing House, 1995
• 1994- A Search for the Historical Jesus from Apocryphal, Buddhist, Islamic & Sanskrit Sources. (1994) Fida Hassnain. Gateway Books, Bath, U.K. ISBN 0946551995.
• 1992- Encyclopaedia of India: Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir, Volume 9, Part 2. F. M. Hassnain, Pran Nath Chopra. Rima Publishing House.
• 1992- A cultural history of Kashmir & Kishtawar. Rima Publishing House, 1992. ISBN 9780836427950
• 1992- The Beautiful Valley of Kashmir. Rima Publishing House, 1992.
• 1989- The Islamic revolution in Iran. Rima Publishing House, 1989.
• 1988- The Fifth Gospel. (1988) Fida Hassnain and Dahan Levi. Dastgir Publications, Srinigar, Kashmir.
• 1988- Freedom struggle in Kashmir. Rima Publishing House, 1988
• 1987- Sri Amarnatha Cave, the Abode of Shiva. F. M. Hassnain, Yoshiaki Miura, Vijay Pandita. Nirmal Publishers & Distributers, New Delhi. Also: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 1987
• 1980- Heritage of Kashmir. Collection of papers presented at a seminar held in Srinagar, 1976. Gulshan Publishers, 1980.
• 1980- Kashmir Misgovernment. Robert Thorp, F. M. Hassnain. Gulshan Publishers, 1980.
• 1978- Gilgit - The northern gate of India. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi.
• 1977- Hindu Kashmir. Light & Life Publishers, 1977
• 1977- History of Ladakh. A. H. Francke (1907). Reprint with Critical Introduction and Annotations by S.S. Gergan & F.M. Hassnain. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. 1977.
• 1975- Ladakh Moonland. Revised 1977 Edition. Tōkan Sumi, Masato Oki, F. M. Hassnain. Light & Life Publishers.
• '1974- British policy towards Kashmir, 1846-1921: Kashmir in Anglo-Russian politics. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 1974.
• 1973- Buddhist Kashmir. Light & Life. 1973.

Forthcoming publications and reprints

• 2011- Kashmiriyat
• 2011- Buddhist Kashmir
• 2011- Kashmir Papers,Historical and Cultural
• 2011- Kashmiriyat
• 2011- Buddhist Kashmir
• 2009- The Mystique of Gemstones
• 2009- Arts and Crafts of Kashmir