History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s1.32

v1.c14.s1.32

Kashmir during the reign of the Karkota dynasty enjoyed great power politically being twice the overlord of the whole of Northern India. Within the empire it had several provinces or rather districts of the Panjab under it and the territory of Kashmir itself is shown to be divided into several divisions called Rājyas in the Rājatarangiṇī (Kramarājya, Madavarājya etc. appear to be divisions of Kashmir). The kings were usually worshippers of Śiva and also often of Viṣṇu (Viṣṇu temples being styled by names ending in Svāmi and Śiva temples in Īśa or Īśvara—a distinction which is clearly apparent in the Rājatarangiṇī). The people were both Śaivites and Vaiṣṇavites but there were also some who were Buddhists, especially among lower orders and foreigners. Under this dynasty Kashmir not only maintained but even increased its renown for learning and many noted names in Sanskrit literature belong to this period. We can thus understand why it was an ambition with Indian pandits to conquer the pandits of Kashmir as is apparent from Śaṅkara’s visit to the temple of Śāradā in that country to which we shall have to refer in our next volume.