Significant earthquakes of 1501

September 24, 1501 Earthquake: Srinagar, Kashmir, India

September 24, 1501 · Deaths: many

An earthquake struck Srinagar, Kashmir, India on September 24, 1501.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
September 24, 1501
Place
Srinagar, Kashmir, India
Intensity
7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
34.100° N, 74.800° E
Country
India

The toll

Deaths
Many (about 101 to 1,000)
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed
Many (101 to 1,000)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

The Tarikh-e-Hasan mentions about an earthquake which is not mentioned in the contemporary Sanskrit source, namely the Rajatararigini by Suka. Pir Hasan Shah records:"During the reign of Sultan Fath Shah on 12th of Asvach Pasi of 970 H. (September, 24th 1501 AD) a severe earthquake occurred in the previous night. A large number of creatures of God lost their lives and houses were razed to ground. The earth and sky remained in tumult for a period of three months. Then after three months normalcy was restored."(Tarikh-e-Hasan, ff. 170a). (reference #12709)

1501 AD. In addition to the historical sources for the 1123 AD, this earthquake is also mentioned in Waqiat-i-Kashmir by Dedmari (1747 AD). The earthquake occurred during the reign of Sultan Fateh Shah, and the short description available is: 'An earthquake occurred in the night destroying many houses and many people perished . The shocks continued for three months." What part of the Kashmir Valley was affected remains unknown. (reference #14071)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1501The 1500sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 10492.