196 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [April, 1910. 



is commonly believed that by removing the snake the water 

 can be made to disappear. 



Indra and his wife, Indrani, once came to Satisar for a 

 pleasure trip, where a demon, named Somagreh, became en- 

 amoured with Indrani and ran after her. Indra, however, killed 

 him. While the demon was excited his virus fell in the water 

 which was tended by the snakes, the result being Jalodbava, 

 wliich name means ' ' produced from water. * ' This Jalodbava 

 began to eat up men living on the banks of Satisar. 



According to Vijayeshvara Mahatma the extent of Kashmir 

 under water when it was known by the name of Satisar (Sati 

 meaning Parvati and Sar, lake) was 24 kos long and 12 kos wide. 

 The Nilamata Purana says that the places inhabited were Kon- 

 sarbal (in Deosar) and Harmukh (in Lar), the rest being under 

 water. Both these mountains are verv high. 



Kashyapa Muni came from the Deccan on a pilgrimage. 

 Hearing of this, his son, Nilanag (snake), went to receive him 

 at Kon Khel, a place near Hard war. Nilanag asked Kashyapa 

 to visit Vishnupad (in Deosar), a holy place. The first place 

 in Kashmir they reached was Maddar Desh, now known as Moh 

 in Deosar. The father asked the son the reason of there being 

 no habitations. The son said that Jalodbava, son of Somagreh, 

 was the cause of depopulation and that he did not pay any atten- 

 tion to his request to desist from doing so. The son asked for 

 his father's help in this. After bathing in Vishnupad, so called 

 up to the present time, Kashyapa with his son, Nilanag, went 

 to Brahma-loka, where were present Vishnu and Shiva, and 

 complained to them about Jalodbava having depopulated the 

 place. The three, i.e., Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, with Kas- 

 hyapa and his son , thereupon agreed to come to the spot and do 

 something to prevent the cause of complaint. They all came 

 to a place called Nao Bandan (a place still so called in Deo- 

 sar). Jalodbava, fearing some mischief, hid himself under 

 water. His exit was looked for by Brahma and others with a 

 view to kill him, but without any result. Ananta, an incarna- 

 tion of Vishnu, followed and produced a chasm in the mountains 

 near Baramulla to let out the water. After the water was let 

 out, Jalodbava was seen. He, however, caused darkness to 

 come over the country, whereupon Vishnu took the Sun and Moon 

 in his hands and thereby caused the darkness to disappear. 

 Jalodbava was again seen and his head was cut off by Vishnu. 

 After this Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Ananta went back to 

 their respective abodes. 



There is, however, another story in the shape of a tra- 

 ditionary legend as to the extinction of Jalodbava. After 

 letting out of water as mentioned before, Jalodbava hid himself 

 in a place which was a hollow having water in it. On this 

 Kashyapa invoked the aid of Durga, who taking the form of a 

 Mind went to the Sumira mountain and brought a portion of it 



