40 
ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF KAS'MIR. 
[Extra No. 2 , 
zing in its stead the Apabhramsa or Kasmirl form, as well as be could. 
There are in fact a few instances in which we have indications of such 
a metamorphosis. Thus we find the same local name spelt either 
Bhaleraka or Baleraka in the Chronicle, and a village which Kalhana 
calls Ghoramulaka , referred to by Abhinanda, the author of the Kadam- 
barlkathasara (first half of 9th century), as Gauramulaka. 1 It is difficult 
to avoid the conclusion that we have here varying attempts to reproduce 
in a Sanskritic garb original Apabhramsa names. But these cases are 
very rare indeed, and even in them other explanations of the different 
spellings are possible. 
These observations apply with nearly the same force also to other 
local names recorded in the Chronicle, such as those of mountains, 
streams, passes, etc. The great majority of these names must have 
very early found their place in official documents or, as we shall see 
below, in the Sanskrit legendaries or Mahatmyas of the numerous 
Tirthas. If any of them are in reality adaptations of Prakrit or Apa- 
bhram^a forms, their quasi-official use is yet likely to have originated 
a long time before the date of Kalhana. 
Even to the present day the local nomenclature of Kasmir, whether 
in the Valley or in the mountains, shows throughout an unmistakeably 
Sanskritic character. This is most clearly illustrated by the constant 
recurrence of such terms as -pur or par ( < pura), -mar (< matha), 
-9hdm (< a&rama), -koth (< kotta), -gam or gom (< grama), -kund a l 
(< kundala), -vor (< vata), in village names; of -sar (< saras), 
-nambal (< nadvala), nag (< naga) in names of lakes, marshes, etc, ; 
of -van ( < vana), - nar , (< nada), -marg (< mathika), -gal (< galika), 
brgr (< bhattarika), -vath (< patha) in designations of alpine localities, 
peaks, passes, etc.; -kul (< kulya), -khan (< khani) in names of streams 
and canals. 
The Sanskrit etymology of the specific names preceding these terms, 
is even in their modern phonetic form very often equally transparent. 
At an earlier stage of the language the Apabhramsa names must have 
approached the corresponding Sanskrit forms much more closely. 
The reproduction of the popular names in a Sanskrit form could have 
then but rarely been attended with much difficulty or doubt. We may 
hence safely assume that the Sanskrit forms recorded by Kalhana 
represent in most cases correctly the original local names, and in the 
remainder cannot differ much from them. 
23. The later Sanskrit Chronicles which were composed with the 
distinct object of continuing Kalhana’s work, 
furnish valuable supplements to the topogra¬ 
phical information contained in the latter. 
Later Sanskrit 
Chronicles. 
I Compare notes viii. 1861, and vii. 1239; viii. 2410. 
