Kashmir, Gilgit and the north-west
Kashmir's great dynasties, Kashmir Shaivism, the Hindu Shahis of Gandhara, and the Buddhist kingdoms of Gilgit.
How it was ruled
In Kashmir, the Karkota, Utpala and Lohara dynasties ruled; Lalitaditya Muktapida (8th century) led wide campaigns. The Hindu Shahis ruled Kabul and Gandhara until Mahmud of Ghazni's invasions around 1001–1026. The Patola Shahis ruled Gilgit.
How people lived
Kashmir was a centre of Sanskrit learning: Abhinavagupta wrote on philosophy and aesthetics, and Kalhana wrote the Rajatarangini, a history of Kashmir (1148–49).
What people did
Farming of rice and saffron, shawl-weaving, and irrigation works such as those of the engineer Suyya under Avantivarman.
What people ate
Rice, vegetables, dairy and, in Kashmir, saffron.
Trade
Routes through Gilgit and the Karakoram linked India with Central Asia and China.
Region by region
- Jammu and Kashmir: The Martand Sun Temple (Lalitaditya), Avantipur temples, and Sharada script.
- Ladakh: Gilgit (today under Pakistan's illegal occupation, part of the UT of Ladakh) gave the Gilgit manuscripts, among the oldest Buddhist manuscripts in India.
- Gandhara (today's Pakistan and Afghanistan): The Hindu Shahi capital Udabhandapura (Hund) on the Indus.
Key events
- 8th century: Lalitaditya Muktapida rules Kashmir
- c. 1001: Mahmud of Ghazni defeats the Hindu Shahi king Jayapala
- 1148–49: Kalhana writes the Rajatarangini
Legacy
Kashmir Shaivism, the Rajatarangini, and the Gilgit manuscripts, now in the National Archives of India.