September 1555 Earthquake: Srinagar, Kashmir, India

Ref #12711:

1555 September. 33.5 N 75.5 E, Ms 7.6

The earliest account of the event comes from a contemporary, Suka, probably an eye witness, who says that during the month preceding the earthquake, Kashmir was shaken by frequent shocks. The main shock occurred in Ashvina of the 30th Laukik year (Sept. 1555) in the second watch of the night (4-8h after sunset). It killed many people and caused the ground to open up, confusing route travellers.

Damage extended to the southeast of the valley of Kashmir, about which little is known, except that the village of Maru Petgam or Mawar in the valley of Marvardan in Uttar Machhipura was completely destroyed by a landslide with the loss of 600 rather than 60000 lives as reported by some later writers.

Ref #12709:

Suka was not only a contemporary but most probably an eye witness to this calamity. His graphical description (Dutt,I 887; Kaul, 1966) states.: "Houses fell into these holes at night and people, anxious to get out from their houses in the morning, issued by breaking through the roof."

The Tarikh-e Ferishta (or Gulshan-e Ibrahimi) by Ferishta Muhammad Qasim HinduShah Astarabadi also records this earthquake. This general history of India covering period from 1015 AD to 1607 AD is superior in many ways and considered an important source material. It records that:"In the year 962 H a severe earthquake occurred in Kashmir. Many villages and towns were destroyed. On this occasion the hamlet of Nilu and Adampur situated on this side of the river Bihat with their buildings and trees were being transported and appeared on the other side of the river and the village of Mawar which is situated below the mountain, due to the falling of the mountain over it about six hundred people lost their lives".

Khwaja Muhammad Azam Deedamari states in Waqiat-e Kashmir: "Houses with their residents were swallowed up by the earth. Few people could save their lives through openings."

It may be noted that this earthquake is described in the Riijatarangini and six other histories in Persian [language]. Detailed description by several historians amply testify that the earthquake was an important event on account of its severity, destruction and wide [fault] area. As already discussed the date is September 1555 AD and the year 1553 AD according to four Persian sources is not accepted in view of the better reliability of the earliest Sanskrit source viz. the Rajatarangini.

Ref #12710:

Iyengar and Sharma (1998) assigned maximum intensity XII to the 1555 earthquake, but it is not clear how this intensity was quantified or where it is considered applicable.

Ref #12927:

1555 September. 34.25 N 74.8 E, Mw 7.6-8. The damaging earthquake appears to have been one of a sequence of events, with a mainshock and numerous aftershocks, that occurred over a period of 7 years starting in 1554 or 1555 shortly after the valley had been annexed by Babur’s son Humayun. The earthquake occurred at around midnight, collapsed many houses in Srinagar and toppling some into the river, and was accompanied by fissuring and ground cracks.