102 
ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF KASMIR. [Extra No. 2, 
The Ve&iu, frequently mentioned by its ancient name of Visoka in 
the Chronicles, the Nllamata and other texts, 1 
The Visoka. . ., ,, T . . ,, 
is a considerable river. It receives all tne 
streams coming from the northern slope of the Pir Panteal Range 
between the Sidau and Ban a hal Passes. Its traditional source is placed 
in the Kramasaras or Kons a r Nag Lake below the Peak of Naubandhana. 
The Nilamata, 271 sqq. relates a legend which identifies the Visoka with 
Laksmi and accounts for its name (‘ free from pain ’). The fine water¬ 
fall which is formed by the stream of the Kons a r Nag not far from 
the village of Sidau, is now known as Alir a bal. The Nilamata calls it 
Akhor bila ‘ the mousehole,' which may possibly be the origin of the 
modern name. 2 As soon as the Visoka emerges from the mountains, 
numerous irrigation canals are drawn from it which overspread the 
whole of the old Parganas of Karala (AtGvin) and Devasarasa 
(Div^sar). 
One of these canals is the SunQman * Kul which is mentioned in the 
Rajatarahginl by its ancient name of Suvarnamanikulya . 3 If the story 
of its construction by King Suvarna, reproduced from Padraamihira, 
could be trusted, we should have to ascribe to this canal a high anti¬ 
quity. It leaves the Visoka near the village shown as ‘ Largoo ’ on the 
map and rejoins it near the village of .Sd^vin (map ‘Arwin’). Another 
old canal, called Nandi (not shown on the map), leaves the Visoka near 
Kaimuli, the ancient Katimusa, and irrigates the land between the 
lower course of this river and the Vitasta. Its name is connected 
perhaps with that of the village Nandaka which is referred to in con¬ 
nection with Avantivarman’s drainage operations. 4 ’ The Visoka is 
navigable up to Kaimuli. 
The Rembydr 9 which joins the Visoka a little above Gambhlra- 
saihgama, we have met already before as the 
river uniting the streams from the Pir 
Pantsal and Rupri Passes. Kalb ana mentions it by its ancient name 
RamanyatavI when relating the legend of the burned city of Narapura. 5 
The Rembyar?' after leaving the mountains below Hiir^por flows 
divided in many channels within a wide and mostly dry bed of rubble 
and boulders. This strip of stony waste along the river attains a width 
of over two miles near the village of Tsuran (map ‘ Charran ’). 
The local legend referred to attributes the creation of this waste to 
The RamanyatavI. 
1 See Rdjat. iv. 5 note. 
2 Compare Nilamata, 27l sqq., and for Akhor bila, 283. 
8 See Rdjat. i. 97. 
4 See Rdjat. v. 85 note. 
6 8ee Rdjat. i. 263-265, note. 
