'''Rajtarangini''' ('''River of Kings'''), a book written in
Sanskrit by
Kalhana, contains an account of the life and history of
Kashmir. It is believed that the book was written sometime during 1147–1149 CE. The book generally records the heritage of Kashmir, but 120 verses of ''Rajtarangini'' describe the misrule prevailing in Kashmir during the reign of King
Kalash, son of King
Ananat Deva of Kashmir.
Kalhana’s account of Kashmir begins from the epic period of the ''
Mahabharata'', but the recorded history of Kashmir, as retold by Kalhan begins from the period of the
Mauryas. Kalhan’s account also states that the city of
Srinagar was founded by the Mauryan emperor,
Ashoka, and that
Buddhism reached the
Kashmir valley during this period. From there, Buddhism spread to several other adjoining regions including
Central Asia,
Tibet and
China.
Ranjit Sitaram Pandit translated Rajtarangini to
English.
Television serial
A television serial based on this book has been completed by
National Award winning director,
Jyoti Sarup. The serial will be aired on
Doordarshan in 2006. The serial is categorised under "classics". Other projects under this category were directed by directors like
Gulzar and
Basu Chatterjee.
See also
★
Dynasties of Ancient Kashmir
★
Buddhism in Kashmir