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The Kashmir Timeline

The Nilamata Purana

The oldest text about Kashmir's origins, rituals and sacred places.

Text placard

No freely licensed photograph of this exhibit was found, so it is shown as text.

The Nilamata Purana tells how the Valley was once a lake called Satisar, home to a demon, until the sage Kashyapa had it drained and made the land fit to live in. It also describes festivals, rituals and the sacred springs of the Nagas, the serpent deities of Kashmir's waters.

Facts

  • Kalhana used the Nilamata as one of his sources.
  • Many Kashmiri place names ending in nag, such as Verinag and Kokernag, reflect the Naga springs it describes.
  • Geologists agree that the Valley floor was once a lake, although far longer ago than any human memory.