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Pre Historic Period
Tradition has it that once the valley of Kashmir was a big lake called the Satisar i.e. the lake of Sati (Durga). In it dwelt numerous Pishachas, Yakshas and Nagas headed by a ferocious demon whose name was Jaldeo or Jaludhar. (Prajapati) Kashyapa, a great sage, son of Marichi and grandson of Brahma (the creator of the whole universe according to the Hindu Pantheon), practised penance for a long time. The Gods Druhina, Upendra and Rudra felt compassion for him. At last the goddess Sharika (the guardian deity of many) moved by pity appeared in the form of a sparrow carrying in her beak a pebble which she threw down upon this wicked demon who was a nuisance to humanity. That pebble is the Hari-parbat of today, the Olympus of the Hindus and the Bastille of Kashmir. Thereafter the whole water was drained off across a hole in the earth near Baramulla (the furrow of the boar)*. Since then the land which emerged out of water came to be known as Kashmir after that famous sage Kashyapa. Kashyapa did not live all alone in this land. He invited people from the plains and made them settle here. They came every year in hordes and left again at the approach of winter to re¬appear again in spring time. Living in winter here in those days meant a jump into the jaws of death. At this time Nila Nag (Kashyapa's son), the Lord of serpents, came to the rescue and advised people to please the demons by giving them feasts, Nilamat Purana dates from him. Such, according to the tradition, is the origin of this beautiful land which is attracting thousands of tourists to it every year. The existence of too much water appears to be an attestation of the fact which is so nicely wrapped up in fiction.
Another account is available according to which the brother of Vishnu Balabhadra drained the lake with his ploughshare, whereupon Vishnu slew the demon. Geologists corroborate the story only so far as the existence of the lake.
The Early People
The real history of Kashmir begins probably from five thousand years before Christ. For about six hundred and thirty-three years Dayakaran and his fifty-five successors (roughly speaking) are said to have ruled in Kashmir. Somadatta was probably last of the line.
Gonanda I came to the throne of Kashmir in about 3121 B. C. Kalhana disputes it. He maintains that Gonanda became king in 2448 B.C. (653 Kali). Professor Wilson places him on the throne in about 1400 B. C. Some suggest 1710 B.C. as the probable date while others are of opinion that he flourished about twenty years before the Mahabharata. The Kurus and the Pandus made noise when about six hundred and fifty-three years of the Kalyuga had passed away.
Gonanda was a relative of Raja Jarasindh who gave a battle to Lord Krishna. Gonanda went to his succour but was done away with near about Muthra.
Gonanda I was succeeded to the throne by his son Damodra I. He also made war with Krishna during the Soyambara celebrations of Raja Gandhar's daughter but was killed. Sri Krishna then gave the throne to his pregnant wife (Yasovati was her name) and when the posthumous child was born he was named Gonanda II. It was during his reign that the Mahabharata or The Great War was fought but as he was a mere boy he was not invited by any party. During his reign there came one Haradev, a descendant of the Pandus, to Kashmir. He was very poor. The king took pity upon him and offered him a job in his service. Haradev became such a great favourite of the king that he was soon made the Dewan. One day he seized an opportunity and made an end of the king. It may be noted here that the contemporaries of the Kurus and the Pandus have not been recorded.
Mention is made somewhere of thirty-five kings who followed. Very few of them are remembered now. Raja Ramdev is said to have built the temple at Mattan in about 3007 B.C. Ramdev was a great monarch who had defeated five-hundred kings in wars. His kingdom extended as far as the Bay of Bengal. He took one-tenth of the land produce as his revenue. Another king named Lava is said to have built the city at Lolara (Lolav). The city contained eighty-four lacs of stone-buildings. Then followed Kusha, Khagendra and Surrendra. Kusha built Kuruhara. Surrendra founded the town Soraka and also built the Khara Narendrabhawna. Raja Sundersen was the twentieth king descended from Haradev. During his time there broke out a big earthquake which caused a heavy loss to the country. After many years the kingdom fell into the hands of Wazir Bamro who snatched it from one Prahlad. This Wazir Bamro fell in love with a woman named Lolare and there is a love song in Kashmiri called Lolare-Bamro which describes the adventures of the couple. Pravarsen was the last figure that appeared on the scene. He is said to have founded the city of Shrinagar. Godara, the scion of another family, is also mentioned to have once occupied the throne. His son Swarna known as 'a river of gold' was a munificent monarch. After him we come across Janaka, Sacinara and Asoka. It was Asoka who first embraced the doctrine of Jina. According to various accounts Ogyges or Ogbuz, the Scythian, was the first man to have invaded Kashmir. He was repulsed by Prince Jaqub of Jammu. Ogyges was forced to leave the country but not without taking an enormous loot. Who knows how far this story is true?
Kashmir was not always what it appears to us today. It must have been a huge jungle or a rough mass of land which those early kings were destined to rule. The people were quite unlike the polished gentlemen of the present century. They lived in rude huts and icy caves, practising austerities and feeding upon herbs and wild plants. No trade facilities of today softened the labour of the people then. Each man had to provide for himself. To spin thread for a loin cloth and to till land besides reading and writing was the occupation of every person. Money was scarce. 'Exchange system' prevailed everywhere. Inspite of all these dis¬advantages which the modern man is quite rid of, they have left to us a tradition 'in simplicity sub-lime' which has survived centuries of unrest in the thought-realm influenced by an exotic creed, strange languages and foreign art. The kings who ruled in those days were themselves either scholars or patrons of learning. They administered justice according to the dictates of Dharma. They seldom had any lust for colossal pillage. The Brahmins were highly honoured. Their statesmanship far excelled that of Pitts and Burkes. Such were the times once.
The Buddhists
Asoka surnamed "The Pious' conquered Kashmir in about 250 B.C. and with him also came the Budhism. Gautama, its illusirious founder, was the son of Sudhodana, a Sakya nobleman. As a lad he was impressed with the misery of human life by seeing a beggar, a leper and a dead man in the bazar of his native city. This turned over a new leaf in his life. He left his home and the great truth dawned upon him as he sat under a tree at Gaya. He says that desire is the source of all sufferings and that its extinction is effected by right belief and resolve, right word and act, right life and effort and right thinking and meditation. Some believe that the Asoka of Kashmir was not the Asoka of Indian fame. According to Kalhana Asoka exterminated malecchas, root and branch. Shrinagar and Dharamaravya Vihara the top of which could not be seen by the eye are attributed to Asoka. However! The state religion did not draw to itself many followers from the populace as the land was under the sway of the learned Brahmins whose fame of scholarship in the Sanskrit lore had travelled to the distant parts of Hindustan, China, Java and Japan.
Another account is available according to which the brother of Vishnu Balabhadra drained the lake with his ploughshare, whereupon Vishnu slew the demon. Geologists corroborate the story only so far as the existence of the lake.
The Early People
The real history of Kashmir begins probably from five thousand years before Christ. For about six hundred and thirty-three years Dayakaran and his fifty-five successors (roughly speaking) are said to have ruled in Kashmir. Somadatta was probably last of the line.
Gonanda I came to the throne of Kashmir in about 3121 B. C. Kalhana disputes it. He maintains that Gonanda became king in 2448 B.C. (653 Kali). Professor Wilson places him on the throne in about 1400 B. C. Some suggest 1710 B.C. as the probable date while others are of opinion that he flourished about twenty years before the Mahabharata. The Kurus and the Pandus made noise when about six hundred and fifty-three years of the Kalyuga had passed away.
Gonanda was a relative of Raja Jarasindh who gave a battle to Lord Krishna. Gonanda went to his succour but was done away with near about Muthra.
Gonanda I was succeeded to the throne by his son Damodra I. He also made war with Krishna during the Soyambara celebrations of Raja Gandhar's daughter but was killed. Sri Krishna then gave the throne to his pregnant wife (Yasovati was her name) and when the posthumous child was born he was named Gonanda II. It was during his reign that the Mahabharata or The Great War was fought but as he was a mere boy he was not invited by any party. During his reign there came one Haradev, a descendant of the Pandus, to Kashmir. He was very poor. The king took pity upon him and offered him a job in his service. Haradev became such a great favourite of the king that he was soon made the Dewan. One day he seized an opportunity and made an end of the king. It may be noted here that the contemporaries of the Kurus and the Pandus have not been recorded.
Mention is made somewhere of thirty-five kings who followed. Very few of them are remembered now. Raja Ramdev is said to have built the temple at Mattan in about 3007 B.C. Ramdev was a great monarch who had defeated five-hundred kings in wars. His kingdom extended as far as the Bay of Bengal. He took one-tenth of the land produce as his revenue. Another king named Lava is said to have built the city at Lolara (Lolav). The city contained eighty-four lacs of stone-buildings. Then followed Kusha, Khagendra and Surrendra. Kusha built Kuruhara. Surrendra founded the town Soraka and also built the Khara Narendrabhawna. Raja Sundersen was the twentieth king descended from Haradev. During his time there broke out a big earthquake which caused a heavy loss to the country. After many years the kingdom fell into the hands of Wazir Bamro who snatched it from one Prahlad. This Wazir Bamro fell in love with a woman named Lolare and there is a love song in Kashmiri called Lolare-Bamro which describes the adventures of the couple. Pravarsen was the last figure that appeared on the scene. He is said to have founded the city of Shrinagar. Godara, the scion of another family, is also mentioned to have once occupied the throne. His son Swarna known as 'a river of gold' was a munificent monarch. After him we come across Janaka, Sacinara and Asoka. It was Asoka who first embraced the doctrine of Jina. According to various accounts Ogyges or Ogbuz, the Scythian, was the first man to have invaded Kashmir. He was repulsed by Prince Jaqub of Jammu. Ogyges was forced to leave the country but not without taking an enormous loot. Who knows how far this story is true?
Kashmir was not always what it appears to us today. It must have been a huge jungle or a rough mass of land which those early kings were destined to rule. The people were quite unlike the polished gentlemen of the present century. They lived in rude huts and icy caves, practising austerities and feeding upon herbs and wild plants. No trade facilities of today softened the labour of the people then. Each man had to provide for himself. To spin thread for a loin cloth and to till land besides reading and writing was the occupation of every person. Money was scarce. 'Exchange system' prevailed everywhere. Inspite of all these dis¬advantages which the modern man is quite rid of, they have left to us a tradition 'in simplicity sub-lime' which has survived centuries of unrest in the thought-realm influenced by an exotic creed, strange languages and foreign art. The kings who ruled in those days were themselves either scholars or patrons of learning. They administered justice according to the dictates of Dharma. They seldom had any lust for colossal pillage. The Brahmins were highly honoured. Their statesmanship far excelled that of Pitts and Burkes. Such were the times once.
The Buddhists
Asoka surnamed "The Pious' conquered Kashmir in about 250 B.C. and with him also came the Budhism. Gautama, its illusirious founder, was the son of Sudhodana, a Sakya nobleman. As a lad he was impressed with the misery of human life by seeing a beggar, a leper and a dead man in the bazar of his native city. This turned over a new leaf in his life. He left his home and the great truth dawned upon him as he sat under a tree at Gaya. He says that desire is the source of all sufferings and that its extinction is effected by right belief and resolve, right word and act, right life and effort and right thinking and meditation. Some believe that the Asoka of Kashmir was not the Asoka of Indian fame. According to Kalhana Asoka exterminated malecchas, root and branch. Shrinagar and Dharamaravya Vihara the top of which could not be seen by the eye are attributed to Asoka. However! The state religion did not draw to itself many followers from the populace as the land was under the sway of the learned Brahmins whose fame of scholarship in the Sanskrit lore had travelled to the distant parts of Hindustan, China, Java and Japan.
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