India has been a land of many great kings and warriors. Lalitaditya Muktapida was also one of the most powerful Kings of the Karkota dynasty of Kashmir. Sadly to say, many of us have not heard about this great king despite he was Indian King. the story of this great warrior is never taught to students. When teachers can teach us the story of the Mughal empire, why they can not teach us the story of a brave king “Lalitaditya Muktapida”? We thought to bring the untold story of Lalitaditya Muktapida before you. Today we are going to tell you about Alexander of Kashmir.
I mentioned Alexander of Kashmir because he was one of the most powerful Kings of Kashmir that India has ever produced. He defeated many Islamic invaders during his reign. He saved Kashmir from plundering and always helped innocent and poor people. King Lalitaditya ruled over Kashmir for 37 years from 724 to 761. Under his rule, literature, science, art, architecture, and culture flourished. That is the reason why his rule is considered a golden period in Kashmir. And due to his great conquests, scholars have called him Alexander of Kashmir and he was also known as a world conqueror.
According to Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, the Karkota dynasty was founded in 625ce by King Durlabhvardhana and Lalitadiya was the fifth ruler of this dynasty. He recruited several Chinese soldiers and generals in his army which helped him capture parts of central Asia, Afghanistan, and Punjab. Lalitaditya defeated the central Indian king Yashovarman and then headed towards the eastern and southern parts of India. Due to his large army, he managed to subjugate many kings from all over the country.
He also established several towns and maintained the dynasty’s traditional capital at Srinagar. Since he was a great conqueror, his kingdom spanned from Uzbekistan to the Sundarbans. Islamic invaders wanted to have complete control over Kashmir as Kashmir was a prosperous region but Lalitaditya defeated Junaid and Islamic invaders and did not let them fulfill their dream. Lalitaditya also defeated the Momin of Uzbekistan four times and killed him the 5th time. His braveness stopped the Muslim Kingdoms from attacking Kashmir. Kashmir has always been a center for Hindu learning research science and Hindu architecture and King Lalitaditya has also encouraged all Hindu arts and sciences. He commissioned great shrines in Kashmir like the famous Martand Sun Temple. He also built many great schools and institutes in Kashmir. His empire was bigger than the Mughal empire, but after his death, all temples and schools were destroyed by Islamic invaders and as a result, his empire shrunk.
He was not only a great king of Kashmir but also a great son of India who showed the world what a Hindu king was. A Hindu king is a king who never destroys the culture of the places that he conquers, he does not rape and pillage and murder innocents. He follows the principle of war. A Hindu king never attacks from behind. A Hindu King never backs out from his promises and fights till his last breath. A Hindu King is Noble.
This is the true story of Kashmir and that is the reason why Kashmir has always been an integral part of Hindu civilization. Whoever wants to isolate Kashmir from India will be defeated every time. Lalitaditya Muktapida is counted among the greatest kings of Kashmir. During his reign, He did many works for the welfare of the people. Sadly, very few know about such a great King. Our motto is to bring more such great stories before the public and make them aware of such great kings.
