Why is #Mahashivratri known as Hairath/Herath in Kashmir?
Kashmiri Hindus had a tradition of carving Linga with snow on Shivaratri
Jabbar Khan, Afghan governor, banned Shivaratri & ordered Hindus to celebrate festival in snow-less Ashadha month(June-July)
Kashmiris have a saying "Wuchton yih Jabbar, jandah, Haras tih karun wandah"- look at Jabbar wretch, he turned Hara into snow"
Within 8 years of this incident, a general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh named Misr Diwan Chand (who himself was an ardent Shiva devotee) invaded Kashmir & Afghan rule came to an end.
Afghans were expelled from Kashmir.