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| A study of the political history of a country's border-lands is of considerable importance for several obvious reasons. Economic considerations of trade and commerce (in which these play a vital role) apart, the frontier regions serve as avenues of cultural expansion and of contact with the rest of the world. Again, as bulwarks against aggression, these have to bear the full brunt of foreign invasions also and are quite often forced to accept foreigners both as their rulers and residents. The picturesque valley of Kashmir, too, is situated on the borders of India, forming part of its northern and north-western regions. Gifted by nature with strong and less accessible barriers on all sides, Kashmir was the last state to submit to Islamic rule some two centuries after most of northern India had been conquered and brought under the 'banner of the Crescent'. Its very seclusion has been responsible for a history of its people unique in many ways meriting serious study. Also, while the names and deeds of mighty monarchs like Asoka Maurya and Kanishka of the indian mainland are inseparably linked with Kashmir, the exploits and achievements of Lalitaditya Muktapida, Jayapida, Sankaravarman and Jayasimha-all rulers of the Valley-need their justifiable places in the annals of India. Culturally, too, some of the eminent sons of Kashmir have greatly enriched the treasures of Sanskrit literature by their exquisite compositions while religion and philosophy of the mainland, particularly Saivism, owe no small debt to the Valley. Though most of artistic creations of the people of the valley have suffered immeasurably at the hands of both nature and man, yet what little remains is enough to vouch for their achievements in this sphere as well. These cultural attainments are, however, beyond the scope of the present treatment which is a revised and enlarged form of the author's thesis approved for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Lucknow University in the year 1971. |
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