History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s1.9

v1.c14.s1.9

It may be noted here that the kings of this line were, like the Vardhanas of Thanesar, worshippers of Śiva. That was the usual worship among the Hindus at that time. They were also in addition worshippers of Vishnu and Āditya. The Buddhistic religion had already fallen into disfavour in Kashmir. The days of Meghavāhana were long gone by. Slaughter of animals was no longer prohibited by the state nor "were the butchers by profession compensated for their loss of work by grants from the state treasury" as in his days. The penalty of the profession of a religion of non-slaughter had already been paid dearly by Kashmir when the Huns under Mihirakula had enslaved the people for a time. Pravarasena a remnant of the Gonardiya line had established Hindu sovereignty again in Kashmir with Śiva worship about a hundred years or so before Durlabhavardhana. The kings of this dynasty were therefore powerful owing to the revival of the orthodox sacrificial religion. They built temples chiefly to Śiva and often to Vishnu and to Āditya which are mentioned in detail in each reign by Kalhaṇa but which we may pass over as not being of much importance to the general history of India.