An excellent conqueror, an adept warrior and a gift to Kashmiri civilization. This is the history of Lalitaditya Muktapida.
A good amount of what we know about Lalitaditya comes from the Rajatarangini (‘River of Kings’) composed by Kalhana, a renowned 12th century historian from Kashmir. We know that he ascended the throne of Kashmir (which, in the early 8th century, was being ruled by the Karkota dynasty) as the youngest son of his predecessor, King Durlabhaka. At that time, the relatively small Karkota Empire had sway over what is now Jammu and Kashmir along with parts of modern-day Punjab and Haryana. Lalitaditya’s ascension paved the way for a soon-to-come golden age in Kashmir. A peak of expansion and the birth of a new power on the subcontinent.
During most of his rule, Lalitaditya was known to have embarked on numerous aggressive campaigns. In fact, most of his rule centered around military conquest. Various Chinese, Turkish and Tibetan sources describe him as a very skilled warrior, adept at the art of warfare (however, some Chinese sources also mention that Kashmir was a vassal of the Tang Empire).
Lalitaditya began his conquests by defeating local kings of the subcontinent. He first took King Yashovarman of Kannauj down, allowing him to march further east and south. After subjugating several other kings in the north and east, Lalitaditya returned to Kashmir. According to German historian Hermann Goetz, Lalitaditya may have had sway over major parts of Central Asia and present-day Afghanistan during his rule. This vast landmass Kashmir once called its own only goes to show how great of a conqueror Lalitaditya was.
However, Lalitaditya’s various conquests are not what makes him worthy of a place in India’s heart.
Many people like to think that India was historically a weak nation; a nation that couldn’t stand up for itself under the threat of invasion. I have always believed that when united on a single front, Bharat was impenetrable. And I had reason to believe so.
Lalitaditya is believed to have allied with the then-subjugated King Yashovarman of Kannauj in defending his territory against both the Umayyad/Turkish invaders and the Tibetans at the same time. He fended off all the invasions and ended up employing Turkish mercenaries in his army. What a way to hand it to the invaders, huh?
Under Lalitaditya’s rule, many great architectural masterpieces were also commissioned. According to Kalhana, Lalitaditya built several great cities like Parihasapura (compared to Indra’s own abode in Kalhana’s words), Sunishchita-pura (believed to have been built prior to Lalitaditya’s first conquests) and Parnotsa. According to Kalhana, Lalitaditya also had a shrine built in every town, village, river, sea and island. He would even have images of the deity attendants fill the halls of the shrines, decked out in gold and silver. Many Buddhist shrines were also commissioned during Lalitaditya’s rule (e.g. multiple viharas/stupas in what is now Ushkur, J&K).
But the greatest of all his architectural achievements was none other than the Martand Sun Temple.
The Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Surya (the chief solar deity in Hinduism). Unfortunately, the temple was once destroyed by Sultan Sikandar Butshikan as a part of his vigorous efforts to convert Kashmiris to Islam. It is upsetting to know that we will never see this temple in all its original glory. One can only imagine what a beautiful temple this must have been in its heyday.
