106 
ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF KASHMIR. 
[Extra No. 2, 
The Ksiptika. 
temples and other structures of pre-Muhammadan date. Judging from 
their size and careful carving we can well picture to our mind the 
splendid appearance which the river-banks must have here presented in 
bygone days. 
The river within the city flows first in one long reach due north. 
Near the fourth bridge in the heart of the city, 
it makes a great bend and turns to the south¬ 
west. A canal which leaves the left bank of the river between the 
Shergarhi palace and the quarter of Kathul (Kasthila), and rejoins the 
river near the last bridge, allows boats to cut this great bend. It now 
bears the name Kut^kul, derived from the ancient designation of 
Ksiptikakulya . 1 The Ksiptika is often mentioned in the later portions 
of Kalhan.a’s Chronicle which relate the sieges of S'rinagar witnessed in 
his own time. It forms to this day the natural line of defence for that 
part of the city which occupies the left river-bank, and which could be 
successfully attacked only by crossing the Ksiptika. 2 No information 
is available to us as to the origin of this canal. Judging from its posi¬ 
tion it is likely to have been a natural side-channel of the river which 
was subsequently maintained or improved for the convenience of navi¬ 
gation. 
A few hundred yards lower down the Vitasta is joined on its left 
bank by a considerable river now known as 
the Dudgangtl , ‘ the milk Graiiga/ or C'hatstlcul , 
‘ the white stream.’ Its ancient name is given as Dugdhasindhu in 
Bilhana’s description of S'rinagar. 3 The Mahattnyas know it by the 
name of S'vetagangci , ‘the white Gaiiga,’ to which the alternative modern 
designation, Chats^kul, exactly corresponds. 4 * Its waters come from the 
central part of the Pir Pantsal Range round Mount Tatakuti, its chief 
sources being the mountain-streams marked as ‘ Sangsofed ’ (Sangsafed) 
and ‘ Yechara ’ on the map. The confluence of the Vitasta and Dud- 
gariga, opposite to the old quarter of Diddamatha, is still a Tirtha of 
some repute and is probably alluded to already by Bilhana. 6 
The Dugdhaganga. 
1 Ks. kul < Skr. Jculyd is the ordinary term for small streams or canals. 
2 For detailed evidence of this identification, see Rdjat. viii. 732 note. 
8 Vikramahkac. xviii. 7. 
4 See Vitastamdh. xxiij S'vetagahgdmdh., etc. Skr. sveta becomes in Ks. by 
regular phonetic conversion chuth, fern. cftotg®. 
The Nilamata curiously enough does not mention the Dudganga unless it is 
meant by Kfiranadi , 1281. The latter name, meaning ‘ the river of milk,’ is given 
to the Dudganga by a passage of the modern Yitastamahatmya, xxii. 
6 See Vikram. xviii. 22. 
