A brief timeline of Adi-Saivism highlighting Kashmir and South India related events and Persecution

ERA	DESCRIPTION
	MahaSadashiva reveals Veda and Agamas 60,000 years ago to Devi Para Shakti and Sapta-Rishis (7 Sages). Sapta Rishis were created by Lord Brahma (creator dimension of MahaSadaShiva) as his ManasPutra (son born from mind).
	"Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra" was revealed to Devi Adishakti by MahaSadaShiva, is one of the important Agamas which are still surviving.
	The origin of the word Kashmir is from the name of the one of the Sapta Rishis - Rishi Kashyapa.
	Sapta Rishi Atri had a son Durvasa.
Shruti Era	Sage Durvasa received from Sadashiva, the spiritual mission of keeping the tradition and secrets of Shaiva Agamas, the scriptures of Adi Shaivism alive
> 60,000 years ago	Sage Durvasa created his son, Tryambaka Natha, directly using spiritual powers (ManasPutra).
	Tryambakanatha also created a son, Tryambakaditya directly using spiritual powers.
	After initiating him completely in Bhairava Tantras, Tryambakanatha entered a cave, known as Tryambaka Guha (cave) and disappeared.
	Triambakaditya, is the kula-guru (spiritual teacher of the lineage) of several branches of Adi-Shaivism which existed in Kashmir. Systematic consolidation of the lineage as "Trika Darshana" was done only later by Abhinavagupta.
	This went on for 15 generations terminating with the father of Sangamaditya, who was unable to produce a child with spiritual powers. He married and had a child, Varsaditya.
9000 BC	Period of Bhagwan Ram Chandra, 7th Avatar of MahaVishnu. Bhagwan Ram was the last compiler of the Upanishads. The last Upanishad was Muktikopanishad. It was given to Lord Hanuman, in Biddadi, Ramanagara, below Bannyan Tree (which is MahaSadaShiva himself). The Banyan Tree's descendant is still alive in present day Nithyanandeshwara MahaSadaShiva Parashiva Temple.
8000 BC	Madurai Aadheenam was founded by Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati in their incarnations as "Lord Sundareshwara or Chokkanathar" and "Meenakshi Amman." Madurai is a famous temple city in South India. The first pontiff as per monastery records was Srila Sri Vagishwarar Shivagnananda Yogishwarar, who lived around 8000 BC. His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda is the 293rd Pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam.

6000 BC	Thondaimandala Aadheenam was established by Mahasadashiva Himself, in the form Adi Nathar. Continuing this ancient lineage, His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda is the 233rd Pontiff (Guru MahaSannidhanam) of Thondaimandala Aadheenam. Thondaimandala Aadheenam is located in Kanchipuram Tamil Nadu, South India.
5000 BC	Era of 8th Avatar of Bhagwan MahaVishnu - Bhagwan Krishna. During the Mahabharat the civilization went through a complete destruction. It was revived by Bhagwan Krishna. Bhagwan Krishna gave his teachings during the war inform of the celebrated Hindu sacred text - Bhagwat Gita.
	Maharishi Nandinatha is considered to be the first known reviver (after the Buddhist era) of AdiShaiva tradition around persent day Kashmir.
	Tirumular was a Tamil Shaivite mystic and writer, considered one of the sixty-three Nayanars and one of the 18 Siddhars. His main work, the Tirumantiram forms a part of the key text of the Tamil Adi-Shaiva Darshanas (modern commentaries on ancient scriptures), the Tirumurai. Tirumular's was from Maharishi Nandinatha's lineage, and revived Adi-Shaivism in it's original form in Tamil Nadu and southern India.
	Adi-Shaivism flourished throughout India, Orissa, Maharashtra etc.
	Varsaditya also married. He had a son named Arunaditya whom he initiated fully into the Shivagamas - sacred Source Texts revealed directly by MahaSadashiva.
	Arunaditya had a son named Ananda whom he initiated fully into the Shivagamas and who was completely informed practically in Adi-Shaivism.
	Bhagwan MahaSadaShiva revealed "Shiva Sutras" to Vasugupta.
1000 BC	Sage Ananda had a son named Somanandanatha. Vasugupta and Ananda were gurus of Somanandanatha.
	Bhatta Kallata was another pupil of Vasugutpa. Bhatta Kallata wrote Spanda-vritti, and Spanda-karika.
	Somanandanatha was the originator of the Pratyabhijna School of Adi Saivism and the author of the "Siva Dristi". Somanandanatha's disciple, Utpaladeva carried on the tradition.
	Utpaladeva's disciple Laksmanagupta carried on the tradition.
	Utpaladeva wrote Pratyabhigna-sutra, which forms the basis of Pratyabhigna Saivism branch of Adi-Shaivism.
	Laksmanagupta's disciple Abhinavagupta compiled what we know as Adi-Shaivism today.
	Abhinavagupta took teachings from all the schools of Adi Shaivism, after which he took on the huge undertaking of uniting all these schools into one coherent system. He completed 35 main works such as Tantraloka, Paramartha-sara, Pratyabhigna-vimarsini, encyclopaedic treatises on Trika and Kaula.

563 BC	9th Avatar of Bhagwan MahaVishnu Gautam Buddha starts a new religion of Sanatana Hindu Dharma - what we know in the present day as Buddhism.
509 – 477 BC	Ādi Sankaracharya organised the whole of Sanata Hindu Dharma as it is known today. He created the Akahada Dashanami monastic order. He was from the lineage of Paramaguru Gaudapada. Ādi Sankaracharya was initiated by Abhinavgupta. He revived Hinduism as per original and ancient Veda Agama Scriptures during an era when Buddhism had become the mainstream religion in the entire Indian sub-continent. He harmoniously organized Vishnav, Shaivite, Shakta traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism is also part of the Akahada Dashanami order of Mahanirvani Akhada under which Gautam Buddha had received initiation in sannyasa (monastic life).
	Abhinavagupta's disciple Rajanaka Kṣemarāja and Atrigupta continued the tradition.
500 - 400 BC	Some notable works of Kṣemarāja are as follows: Sivasutra-vimarsini, Spanda-sandoha, Vijnanabhairavodyota - on Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, Shivasutravimarsini - on Shiva Sutras, Pratyabhijnahridayam - main tenets of the Pratyabhijna system.
	200 BC - 320 AD Adi-Saivism flourished through Sangam period, through poets and scholars centered in the holy city of Madurai.
320 AD - 650 AD	Pallava and Gupta Empire Period, a growth of international trade, standardization of legal procedures, and general spread of literacy was observed. Indian subcontinent came to be known as "Golden Bird." Hinduism spread in South-East Asia all the way till the islands near Austrialia.
700 AD	Madurai Aadheenam was revived by the famous child-incarnation of MahaSadaShiva - Thiru Jnanasambandar, born in the holy town of Sirkazhi (Sembai) at Chola region. Madurai Aadheenam was under the influence of Extremist Jain-Hindus. This was recorded by 260th Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Thyagaraja Sri Jnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal of Madurai Aadheenam.
1320–1392	Mataji Lalleshwari (Lal Deed) was a very famous Adi-Shaivite saint. She was married at a young age, and left home and took sannyas at the age of 24 becoming a disciple of the Shaivite guru, Siddha Srikantha (Sed Bayu).
1346–1580	This era witnessed oppression on Hindus, with forced conversion, jazia taxation targeting only Hindus, destruction of deities, etc.

1389-1413	Sultan Sikandar imposed taxes on non–Muslims, forced conversions to Islam, and earned the title But–Shikan for destroying idols. During his era, an identity called "Kashmiri" (meaning - of Kashmir) was created. It was used to target the aboriginal native Adi-Shaiva tribes and community by foreign invaders. Sultan Sikandar used this propaganda to segregate and isolate the Adi-Shaiva community for persecution and genocide. Even after the Sultan's death, this propaganda had it's own life, and continued. In 1900,s it took a complete U-turn under a new brandname - Kashmiriyat.
	During this era, Hinduism declined and is described in works of sufi preacher such as Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani, who is traditionally revered by Hindus as Nund Rishi who combined elements of Kashmir Shaivism with Sufi mysticism in his discourses. Although Adi-Shaivism and Hinduism in general declined, it was still very much alive in the valley for another 500 years until 1991 when it was completely wiped off.
1589	Mughals king Akbar annexed Kashmir
1658	His successor Aurangzeb's rule was very oppressive towards Hindus.
1670	The ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, like his predecessors was opposed to conversion of the local population as he considered it wrong. Guru Tegh Bahadur was approached by Adi-Shaivite Pandits from Kashmir to help them retain their faith and avoid forced religious conversions, Guru Tegh Bahadur took on Aurangzeb. The emperor perceived the rising popularity of the Guru as a threat to his sovereignty and in 1670 had him executed. This event laid the foundation of Khalsa and Sikh Empire.
1750	Afghan rule in Kashmir was extremely cruel and oppressive, particularly for the Hindus. Locals were extorted from, captured and forced into slavery during this period.
1820	Sikh rule initially continued the exorbitant taxes and the land witnessed abject poverty. However, after a famine in 1832, the Sikhs reduced the land tax to half the produce of the land and also began to offer interest-free loans to farmers; Kashmir became the second highest revenue earner for the Sikh empire.
1846–1947	The Sikh kingdom signed several treaties with the British Raj of India, and continued as a princely state.
1898 – 1968	Bhagwan Gopinath was a famous Shaivite saint of that era. He is known to have remarked that one can consider Bhagavad Gita as one's spiritual master. He is known for various miracles like treating incurable diseases, blessing issueless couple with children, bringing back dead to life as the situation demanded, bilocation, mindreading, materialisation, guiding soldiers in war even after his death etc.
1947	The last king, Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with Republic of India and became part of India. Hindu population was a minority.

	The partition of British Raj into India and Pakistan caused several riots, massacres, murders, rapes and ethnic cleansing.
1947 Oct first week	Raiders from North-West Frontier Province drove out the Hindus and Sikhs from there to the towns where the State troops were garrisoned. Then, starting 24 October, the towns themselves fell to the rebels and raiders : Bhimber (24 October), Rajauri (7 November), Mirpur (25 November) and Deva Vatala. Their non-Muslim population had to face "total annihilation".
1947 Nov	The Pakistani raiders, along with the rebels and deserters from the western districts of the state, captured Rajouri on 7 November 1947. The town was surrounded by Muslim mobs who carried out extensive killings, loot and rapes of Hindu residents. According to Indian sources, an estimated 30,000 Hindus and Sikhs living in Rajouri were reportedly killed, wounded or abducted.
1947 Nov	Many Hindus and Sikhs, on and after 25 November 1947 gathered in Mirpur for shelter and protection were killed by the Pakistani troops and tribesmen. Mass rape and abduction of women was also reported. Estimates measure the death count as over 20,000. "A 'greatly shocked' Sardar Ibrahim painfully confirmed that Hindus were 'disposed of' in Mirpur in November 1947, although he does not mention any figures.
Era 1947 – 1986	Adi-Shaiva Scholars start reviving the tradition. Example - Jaideva Singh - disciple of Swami Lakshman Joo. Played a key role in the development of All India Radio. A scholar in Adi-Saivism from Kashmir he published first-ever English and Hindi translations of a number of Shaivite scriptures like Shiva Sutras.
End of 1991	Swami Lakshman Joo Raina was the last Adi-Shaivite scholar and preacher of Kashmir. He published several books and gave several discourses on Adi-Shaivism. During the last two years of his life, Kashmir valley witnessed large scale exodus and genocide of Hindus.
20 January 1990	Genocide and Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus - The Hindus of the Kashmir Valley, a large majority of whom were Kashmiri Pandits. Several were killed and several were forced to flee the Kashmir valley as a result of terrorism. The justification propaganda was called - Kashmiriyat. It was a complete inverse (a U-turn) of the 1400 justification. In 1400 A.D. Adi Saivites were killed by branding them Kashmiri (of Kashmir). In 1990s they were killed by branding them non-Kashmir, under the propaganda for justification of crimes against humanity - Kashmiriyat.
2000	India controlling approximately 43% of the land area of the Kashmir region (North India) and 70% of its population. Pakistan controls roughly 37% of the land, while China controls the remaining 20%. Kashmir is widely regarded as the world's most militarized zone—the region has witnessed three major wars between India and Pakistan, another limited war between India and China, numerous border skirmishes, high mountainous warfare, an ongoing insurgency, Hindu Genocide and internal civilian unrest.

2000 Of the approximately 160,000–170,000 Pandits living in the Kashmir Valley in 1990, only 2,000–3,000 Kashmiri Pandits remain as of 2016. Once the land of Adi-Shaivism, now the population of Hindus in the Kashmir valley is less than 2.5%. Even in 1947 the Hindu population was 20%, what happened after 1947 was a ethnic cleansing. The proportion of Adi-Shaivite Pandits of Kashmir valley has declined from about 15% in 1947 to, by some estimates, less than 0.1%

Cultural Genocide of Adi-Shaivite Pandits of Kashmir in 1990.