Sources of Kashmir History

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 Sources of History of Kashmir

Introduction 

We have abundant sources of Kashmir history which tell us about the history of different aspects of the valley of Kashmir. Of these, the literary sources are both indigenous as well as foreign. We obtain detailed information of the socio-economic, religious and political history of ancient and early medieval Kashmir. Besides this, we have numismatic as well as archaeological evidences which not only helps us to reconstruct the past events but also helps us to corroborate the information gleaned from different literary sources, thereby attesting the authenticity of such evidences or facts of history.

 Literary evidences 

Sanskrit sources 

The earliest source available to us, belonging to the 6th-7th centuries A.D. is the Nilamata Purana. It was composed by Sage Nila. The Nilamata Purana is an ancient Sanskrit text which gives us detailed information about the pilgrimage spots, rituals and ceremonies observed by the people of Kashmir. We are also informed about the origin of Kashmir. The details obtained from the Nilamata helps us to reconstruct social and religious history of ancient Kashmir. 

The Kuttanimata kavya composed by Damodargupta is a work of the 8th century A.D and informs us about the prevalence of prostitution in early Kashmir. The poet Ksemendra belongs to the early medieval period and has authored several works. Some prominent works which are available with us are Darpadalan,

Charucharya, Kavikanthabharana, Suvrattatilakam, Samayamatrka, Dashavataracaritam besides others. The works of Ksemendra throw a flood of light on the society, economy and religious systems prevalent in contemporary Kashmir. The poet Bilhana composed Vikramankadeva caritam and Somadeva Bhatta wrote Kathasaritsagara. Besides these works, the magnum opus pertaining to the history of ancient and earlymedieval Kashmir is the Rajatarangini written by Pandit Kalhana. It was composed in 1148-49 AD by him. The Rajatarangini contains eight cantos or eight books and it records the history of various dynasties which ruled Kashmir from early days down to the time of the author. Although the first three books are not all that reliable, the account from the fourth book onwards is considered fairly accurate and authentic. Thus we have accurate historical record of the history of Kashmir from the seventh century onwards. Jonaraja continued the narrative of Kalhana in his Rajatarangini and recorded events till 1459 AD. Thereafter, his pupil, Srivara described the events till 1486 AD in his Jaina Rajatrangini. The narrative was continued by Prajyabhatta who brought it down to 1512 AD in his Rajavalipataka. Suka, the pupil of Prajyabhatta continued the narrative thereafter and recorded history till 1596 A.D.

Persian sources 

There are several Kashmir chronicles written in the Persian language which inform us about the different aspects of the history of Kashmir. Sayyid Ali wrote his Tarikh-i- Kashmir during the reign period of Sultan Yusuf. Shah Haidar Malik Chadura wrote Tarikh- i-Kashmir, which informs us about the later period of the sultanate. Narayan Kaul Ajiz, author of 'Tarikh-i-Kashmir' describes the history of Kashmir from the earliest times to 1710 A.D. Another valuable history of Kashmir is Baharistan-i-Shahi by an unknown author. Besides other details, this book describes the life of Yusuf Shah and Yaqub Shah in exile. Pandit Birbal Kachru wrote Mukhtsar-tarikh-i-Kashmir, wherein he tells us the history upto the sikh rule. He also mentions the social customs and traditions of the Hindus. There are several other important histories available which tell us about the political life, socio-economic conditions of the people of Kashmir before and after its conquest by the Mughals. Mirza Haidar Dughlat composed Tarikh-i-Rashidi which tells us about the Sultanate period, arts, crafts and architecture of Kashmir. It was completed in 1546 AD. Abdul Qasim Badauni wrote Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh where he describes the relations of Akbar with the Chak rulers of Kashmir. Abdul Fazl's Akbarnama is another valuable work. Emperor Jahangir wrote Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri where he describes the socio-economic condition of Kashmir of his time. Other important works Besides recorded historical works, we have several biographies of saints. Prominent among them are Khulasatul Manaqib by Nur-ur-Din Jafar Badakshi, Tuhfatul Ahbab by an anonymous author and Hilyatul Arifin by Khwaja Ishaq. 

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Kashmiri literature and folk lore also gives us important information. Foreign accounts Accounts of foreign travellers are also important source of Kashmir History. The accounts left by Chinese pilgrims, Muslim scholars and European travellers provide us with valuable information regarding the history of Kashmir. The Chinese pilgrim monk Hiuen Tsiang visited Kashmir during 631-634 AD. He has described in his memoirs the routes by which he entered the valley. Although the name of the reigning king is not mentioned by him, he was most probably Durlabha-vardhana of the Karkota dynasty. He mentions the tolerant and generous nature of the king, existence of several buddhist viharas and the prevalence of Buddhism in Kashmir. Another Chinese pilgrim Ou' Kong visited Kashmir in 759 AD. He too has left an account of Kashmir which is very useful. The well known muslim scholar Al-beruni visited India along with Mahmud Ghazni. Although he did not visit Kashmir, yet he gives an illuminating account of it in his book entitled Kitab-ul-Hind. Among European travellers, the account of Francis Bernier who visited Kashmir in 1665 A.D. is noteworthy. We get an idea of socio-economic conditions in the valley of that time. He was followed by several other travellers whose accounts are valuable sources of Kashmir History. 

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Archaeological evidences 

The archaeological evidences available from Kashmir are rich sources for reconstructing history of ancient and early medieval Kashmir. The earliest monumental remains of the historical period have been reported from Harwan and are dated 3rd to 6th centuries AD. At Uskur, they are dated 2nd to 5th centuries AD. Harwan is a prominent site where buildings and terracotta tiles have been excavated. These tiles reveal certain sasanian and central Asian characteristics with a background of Gandhara art of the 4th or 5th centuries AD. The archeological remains of temples constructed during the reign period of Lalitaditya have been reported. Of these, the majestic ruins of the Sun temple at Martanda clearly represent the glory and splendour of this period. Several sculptural remains have also been reported. The remains at Avantipura are a fine example of the architectural achievements of the reign of Avantivarman. The stupendous work done by archaeologists like Alexander Cunningham, George Buhler and Aurel Stein went a long way in unearthing the rich legacy of archaeological remains existing in Kashmir. 

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Numismatic evidences 

Coins are equally important as sources of Kashmir history. They often substantiate the literary evidences, thereby attesting the authenticity of the literary data. The rise of the Karkota dynasty in Kashmir brought forth a regular series of Kashmir coins. These coins were known by different names, for example, Dinnaras, Swarna Rupaka, Tanka and Kedara. Several gold, silver, white metal and copper coins of the kings and queens of Kashmir have been found from different parts of the valley, north western India and also from Monghyr in Bihar and Banda in Uttar Pradesh. The coins of the Karkotas are of bold but rude worksmanship. They depict the standing king and seated goddess. It is believed by several historians that the Sri Pratapa coins should be attributed to King Lalitaditya Muktapida. These coins have been found at Faizabad, Banda, Varanasi, Monghyr and Nalanda. Since King Durlabhaka had never won over these regions while Lalitaditya had conquered most of them, they have been attributed to King Lalitaditya. Gold coins bearing the legend Sri Yasovarma have been attributed to King Samkaravarman of the Utpala dynasty. Harshadeva also got minted several coins while his gold and silver coins are few, his copper coins are abundant.

Conclusion 

The details in the foregoing pages clearly tell us about the numerous sources of Kashmir History. The primary sources, in Sanskrit and Persian, the accounts of foreign travellers, the remains of monuments, the sculptural evidences together with the coins are the evidences with the help of which we can reconstruct the past. The student of history must take into account all those evidences in order to understand the ancient and early medieval period of the history of Kashmir.