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The Kashmir Timeline

Period 3 of 12

The Karkota Dynasty

c. 625 to 855 CE

The Karkotas made Kashmir a regional power. Their best-known king, Lalitaditya Muktapida, built the Sun Temple at Martand and a new capital at Parihaspora. Kashmir's distinctive stone temple style, with trefoil arches and steep pyramidal roofs, matured in this period.

4 events · 6 exhibits

Events

  1. c. 625

    The Karkota dynasty begins

    Durlabhavardhana founded the Karkota dynasty, which would rule Kashmir for more than two centuries.

  2. c. 631

    Xuanzang studies in Kashmir

    The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang arrived in Kashmir around 631 and spent about two years there studying Buddhist texts with local teachers. His travel account is one of the earliest outside descriptions of the Valley.

    In the museumXuanzang

  3. c. 724 to 760

    Lalitaditya Muktapida reigns

    Contested

    Lalitaditya was the most powerful Karkota king. Kalhana describes military campaigns far beyond the Valley, as well as great building projects at home.

    In the museumLalitaditya MuktapidaMartand Sun TempleParihaspora

  4. 8th century

    The Sun Temple at Martand

    The great temple to the sun god Surya at Martand, on a plateau near present-day Anantnag, is attributed to Lalitaditya.

    In the museumMartand Sun Temple

In this wing

Further reading for this period

Books that cover this period. They are places to read further, not sources for any single sentence on this page.

  • Kalhana's Rajatarangini: A Chronicle of the Kings of KashmirM. A. Stein (translator), 1900
  • Ancient Monuments of KashmirRam Chandra Kak, 1933