90 
ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF KAS'MIR. [Extra No. 2, 
then as now the Kisanganga Valley about Gurez and the neighbouring 
territories to the north. From Kalhana’s description it is evident that 
this frontier fort stood on, or close to, the summit of a pass. Thanks to 
the indications of the Chronicle I was able to identify its site on the 
top of the Dudvlchut Pass. 1 2 The Pass (shown on the map by its ancient 
name Dugdhaghata ) is approached on the Kasmir side from the valley 
of the BandSpor stream, still known to the Brahmans by its old name 
Madhumatl. At the small village of Atavutli (map ‘ Atawat ’) a side 
valley is entered which is narrow and somewhat difficult below, but 
higher up widens. Its highest portion which forms the immediate ap¬ 
proach to the pass, is an open alpine valley kuown to the mountain 
shepherds as Vijje Marg. 
The term Marg which denotes any high alpine grazing ground fre¬ 
quented in the summer by herdsmen, is the modern Kasmiri equivalent, 
and direct derivative, of Skr. mathika. It designated originally the 
small shelter-lmts of stone or wood usually erected on such high 
plateaus or valleys by their summer occupants. 8 It is probably that 
Vijje Marg represents the Prajimathika which Kalhana mentions as the 
position occupied by the Kasmir forces during their unsuccessful siege 
of the fort. 
As a characteristic point it may be mentioned that the garrison 
depended for its water-supply on the storage of snow. This had become 
exhausted at the late summer season when the siege took place, but, 
luckily for the Darad defenders, was replaced by a fresh fall of snow. 
The latter is explained by the elevation of the pass which I estimated 
at about 11,500 feet. Snow-storms occur sometimes on the neighbouring 
Trdg a bal Pass so early as September. 
From the Dud^khut Pass an easy track over the ridge marked 
‘ Kiser ’ on the map leads down to Gurez, the chief place of the Valley. 
The latter corresponds probably to the Daratpuri of the Rajatarangini. 
The route over the Dud^khut, being very direct and comparatively 
easy during the summer, was much frequented by Dard traders until 
the recent construction of the ‘ Gilgit Transport Hoad.’ It was used by 
the Sikhs for military convoys until a disaster caused by an avalanche 
above Atavuth induced them to change it for the Trag a bal route. It 
also seems to have been mentioned to Baron Hug el . 3 * * In Muhammadan 
1 For detailed evidence regarding this location and a description of the site, see 
Bajat. vii. 1171 note. 
2 Skr. mathilcd is the diminutive of matha ‘ hut’, ‘ Sarai.’ The Ks. derivative 
of the latter term, mar, is still used regularly for the rude shelter-huts which are 
found on the higher passes particularly towards the north. 
s See Kaschmir, ii, p. 169. 
