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Rashtradhipatis of Pravarasenapuram: The Ashta Bhairavas of Kashmir

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. Kashmir, in it’s separate identity from the Gandhara mahajanapada was controlled from it’s conventional capital of Puranadisthan (Pandrethan), currently situated to the south of present day Srinagar. Kalhana, mentions in his 12th century epic Rajatarangini, that the 5th ruler of the Gonanditya dynasty sought to construct a new capital for the kingdom. Mentioned as “Sri Pravarsena” in many Indian texts, Pravarsena II was a probable Huna king, who ruled the kingdom somewhere around the middle of 2nd Century AD. He founded a new capital in the land tracts between the Lake “Mahasarit” (Dal Lake) and river Vitasta. Named Pravarapura or Pravarasenapuram, the city was planned in an exceptional manner. On the northern bank of the Mahasarit, he developed an alluring garden and named it as Shalimar. “Shalimar” is a Samskrit term meaning “abode of love”. It was this place, which was resurrected by Mughal Emperor Jahangir in accordance with Islamic architecture and is still known as Shalimar