234 AFOOT THROUGH THE 



Christian era, and is one of the first kings whose history 

 stands out clear of misty legends of demons and snakes, 

 goddesses and strong gods, was a Buddhist and made 

 himself famous by his wise laws and edicts, but his son 

 reverted to the worship of Siva, adopting once more 

 some of the practices of the earlier Nag or snake worship, 

 the traces of which are still to be found in the current 

 religion of the valley. Subsequently the rulers returned 

 to Buddhism, and history becomes misty till there 

 emerges the figure of the ferocious King Mihirakula 

 (515 A.D.), who framed moral codes of a trying nature 

 for his people, and rejoiced in law-breaking, as it gave 

 rise to "pleasant punishments." This Nero was 

 succeeded by Gopaditya, of good reputation, and various 

 other princes of small influence, among whom Mitrigupta 

 seems to have been amiable and charitable. 



Eventually Lalataditya came to the throne in 697, 

 and reigned thirty-seven years. We heard of him in 

 connection with the mighty temple of Martand, and 

 throughout his country he built buildings likely to out- 

 last anything their own age, though severely tried by 

 the fierce zeal of fanatics and the terrible powers of 

 Nature doing her worst with earthquake and flood. 

 He helped his people by bringing them water, and he 

 fed vast armies of them. He was a man of mighty deeds 

 and prodigious plans, and, having endowed his kingdom 

 with some of the grandest monuments of the known 

 world, catered for the wellbeing of his subjects, and, it 

 must be also admitted, horrified them by his cruelties 

 when intoxicated (for they seem to have been in the same 

 scale as his benefits when in sober mind), he departed, 

 in spite of prayers and entreaties, for Turkestan, to 

 conquer Central Asia, and there died, having bequeathed 



