The recorded history of Kashmir, though partially shrouded in myth, extends back nearly three thousand years. The region was subjected to various powers ruling over much of the Indian subcontinent, notably the Mauryas, Kushanas, Guptas, and Hunas, in that order, though imperial rule in the area was often short lived. Kashmir generally remained, until its incorporation into the Mughal Empire in 1586, an independent state, and simultaneously managed to develop many distinct cultures throughout the area. In the process of populating of the region, the Dards in the northwest, the Ladakhis in the east, the Gujjars and Rajputs in the south and Paharis in the southeast have closely influenced the existing ethnicities of the region. Today, the ethnic groups include Kashmiris, who are mainly concentrated in the Valley bottom, Dards, who occupy the valley of Gurez, Hanjis, who are confined to water bodies of Kashmir, Gujjars and Bakarwals, who are living and in the Kandi areas, Dogras who occupy the outskirts of the Punjab plain, and Chibhalis and Paharis, who live between Chenab and Jhelum rivers. Moreover, there are numerous small ethnic groups like Rhotas, Gaddis and Sikhs that have significant concentration in isolated pockets of the area. Not only did many ethnic groups develop in the area, but Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism flourished in separate parts of the region. However, in 1947, large groups of culturally distinctive people seeking refuge poured into the already diverse region of Kashmir during the Indian Partition. It had then become a much more chaotic competition for control.