17. History of Kashmir. 



By Pandit Anand Koul. 



PART J.— PREHISTORIC PERIOD, 



Purana says that Kashyapa had two wives 



Kadru and Vinata, the former being the mother 



with 



each other for supremacy. Ultimately it was decided among 

 them that their supremacy should be decided in a wager, 



whoever lost 



The 



wager took the following form: A horse was brought and 

 Vinata was asked the colour of the animal by Kadru. Vinata 

 said it was white, as it really was, whereupon Kadru got her 

 sons, the snakes, to cover the horse with themselves so that 

 it might look black. After this it was brought closer and 

 Vinata was again asked to say what its colour was. Vinata had 

 to say then that it was black. As this showed a failure on the 

 part of Vinata, the wager is said to have been won bv Kadru, who 



claimed her 



maid 



After this Kadru used Vinata as a conveyance, riding her in 



fashion 



treated in 



manner by the sons of Kadru. Kadru said if Vinata' s sons 

 brought Amrita, she and her children would be released from 

 this bondage. Garuda, son of Vinata, brought some Amrita 

 and gave it to Kadru, whereupon both the mother and her 

 children were released of the bondage. To retaliate the ill- 

 treatment, Garuda began to eat up all the snakes that came by 

 his way. 1 



Basuki, a son of Kadru, invoked the aid of Vishnu who 

 used to be carried by Garuda, so that the latter would desist 

 from the above practice. Vishnu advised Basuki to go to a 

 place called Satisar, which was principally inhabited by Shiva, 

 and thereby avoid Garuda. He was further advised in migrating 

 thus to choose Nilanag, the most intelligent of them, as their 

 king. Thereupon Nilanag and Basuki with many others came 



isar to live there permanently. Nilanag chose a place 

 was than nallod VpH and now called Verinaer. Another 



which 



ace chosen by him 

 ch is even now called 



The word Nag means both a spring and a snake. All 

 springs in Kashmir are associated with a presiding snake. It 



l See also Mahabharata, Adi Parba, sections xvi to xxxvii. 



