Krityas of Kashmir
After about fifty years put up demise of Buddha (around 450 BC), monk
Madhyantika arrives in Kashmir to convey it into the area of Dharma. He brings
alongside with him Manushakritya, "householder" slaves to inhibit and
serve the place. They end up the rulers of Kashmir after the demise of
Madhyantika. Overtime, native Naga worship combined with Brahmanism and
Buddhism. A combine appeared down upon as corruption of Dharma.
These human beings brought to Kashmir by using Madhyantika are referred as
Kritiyas in travelogues of Chinese Buddhist pilgrim texts. Kritiyas, at the
time used to be used contemptuously to imply unclear/lowborn/pigs/demons who
dig out corpses/"serfs"-slaves bought. In the story of these human
beings we discover for first time hatred for a crew of humans in Kashmir, for
their blended native beliefs and for their upward push to power.
About 4 hundred years after the demise of Buddha, Kanishka of Gandhara (Kushan
dynasty (c. 127–150 CE) arrived in Kashmir to get rid of the Kritya Kings who
had deserted Buddhism and fallen again to older traditions. After he leaves,
Kritiyas once more received power. Kalhana calls Kanishka of turushka race
[used in Rajatarangi for Turkic ]. The Chinese histories discover Kushans as Yuezhi,
who at the beginning lived in the very western phase of Gansu in Northwest
China till they have been compelled to to migrate by means of the Xiongnu, a
confederation comprising different nomadic tribes of the place in around 177
BCE. Among this defeated mass, rose a department of tribe which defeated Greeks
in Bactria and got here to be regarded as Kushanas. In later Persian records
produced in Kashmir, the writers, rewriting older myths, have been to declare
that Kanishka (Kushanas) was once deputed by way of Prophet Solomon or Sulaiman
to rule Kashmir. The equal Sulaiman who had flown to Baramulla and cleared the
gorge to create the valley.
Kalhana mentions Abhimanyu I as the ruler of Kashmir after Kanishka. Under
Abhimanyu I, the native cult as represented in Nilamata-purana is restored.
However, Buddha noted as an avatar of Vishnu in Nilamata and celebrated. People
exercise Naga+Brahminical+Buddhist practices. In this era, Patanjali's
Mahabhasya used to be [re-]introduced in Kashmir by way of Chanda.
Far way from Kashmir, however round identical time, in East India, beneath
Pushyamitra Shunga (c. 185 – c. 149 BCE), a some thing comparable Brahmin
revival is happening. Buddhist texts mentions persecution. Mahabhasya will
become central.
Hiuen Tsiang ( 602 – 664 A.D.) mentions that in round 280 A.D (six hundred
years after the demise of Buddha) Kritiyas have been once more thrown out of
electricity in Kashmir through a warrior tribe. This time a Shakya clan king
arrived from Himatala [sue-shan-hai/under the snowy mountain] of Tukhara
[Central Asia, central Bactria] to re-establish Dharma in Kashmir.
Shakya/Sakas, at first Scythians from Central Asia, was once the identical
tribe to which belonged Buddha. This clan of Shakya used to be beforehand pushed
out of Shakya territory and into Bactria in the course of Buddha's time with
the aid of King Virudhaka of Kosala. Virudhaka's mom used to be daughter of a
Shakya man and a slave women. Virudhaka claimed the Kosala empire by way of
overthrowing his father and then intending to annihilate the Shakya clan as a
punishment for defrauding him of his legitimacy, for they despatched a slave
born to marry a Kosala royalty.
This King of Himatala and his warriors got here in hide of merchants to
Kashmir. After beheading the king in court, he surpassed over the us of a to
monks and left. Krityas come to hate the Dharma all the greater as greater than
as soon as they had been defeated.
Hiuen Tsiang mentions that neighbouring kings held the Kashmiri Nagas in scorn,
they refused alliance with them. He provides that they referred to as them,
Ki-li-to, translated as Kritya. He says that Kashmir at the time used to be
once more in manage run of Kritiyas and for this reason Dharma (Buddhism),
flourishing however used to be in decline.
Hiuen Tsiang used to be hosted in Kashmir with the aid of King Dwilabhavardhan
(600- 636 A.D.) founder of Karkota dynasty. Karkota title coming from title of
a legendary Naga serpent deity (a title one amongst many cited in Nilamata).
Durlabhavardhana is stated to have been the son of Naga. Thus this is viewed to
be the begin of the rule of Naga Karkota dynasty. Coins exhibit him as
"Durlabhadeva". We have additionally perchance a reference to
Dwilabhavardhana in a word of the Chinese annals, which point out Tu-lo-pa as a
king of India who managed the route from China to Ki-pin i.e. the Kabul valley
someplace between 629-647. Hiuen Tsiang exceptionally files that Taksasila
(Taxila, now in Rawalpindi district Punjab of Pakistan) was once already in ruins
in with the aid of this time. He writes that Ursaor/Hazara, Simhapura or the
Salt vary with smaller hill-states of Rajapuri and Parnotsa (modern Punch), had
no impartial rulers, however had been tributary to Kashmir. Interestingly,
Rajatarangini tells us that at this time Vaisnavism had a vast presence in
Kashmir amongst royals. Under Karkota one temple of Shiva used to be
constructed or renovated. Mahabhasya used to be as soon as once more revived
underneath Jayapida (751-782 A.D.) of Karkota dynasty.
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