LOWER COURSE OF THE VITASTA. 
109 
1899.] 
under King Lalitaditya had led to an increase of agricultural produce. 
But these works were apparently neglected under his feeble successors, 
and disastrous floods, followed by famines, became again frequent. In 
Avantivarman’s time Suyya , a man of conspicuous talents but low 
origin, offered to remedy these troubles. Receiving the king’s assent 
for his scheme and the necessary means, he set about regulating the 
course of the Vitasta with a view to abetter drainage of the whole Valley. 
Omitting legendary details with which evidently popular tradition has 
embellished Suyya’s story, the course adopted was briefly the following. 
The operations commenced in Kramarajya at the locality called 
Yaksadara where large “ rocks which had rolled down from the moun¬ 
tains lining both river banks,” obstructed the Vitasta. 1 We 
have already when describing the Vitasta Valley route, referred to 
Yaksadara, the present Dyar^gul, as a spur projecting into the river-bed 
some three miles below the commencement of the Baramula gorge. Its 
rocky foot forms the first rapid of the river. By removing the obstruct¬ 
ing rocks the level of the river was lowered. Then a stone-dam was 
constructed across the bed of the river, and the latter thus blocked up 
completely for seven days. During this time “ the river-bed was cleared 
at the bottom, and stone walls constructed to protect it against rocks 
which might roll down.” 8 The dam was then removed, and the river 
flowed forth with increased rapidity through the cleared passage. 
I must leave it to competent engineering opinion to decide to what 
extent and at which point of the Baramula gorge the operations so far 
described were practicable with the technical means of that age. What 
follows in Kalliana’s account is so matter-of-fact and so accurate in 
topographical points, that a presumption is raised as to the previous 
statements also resting, partially at least, on historical facts. 
Wherever inundation breaches were known to occur in times of 
flood, new beds were constructed for the river. One of these changes 
in the river-bed affected the confluence of the Vitasta and Sindhu, and 
this is specially explained to us in v. 97-100. The topographical indi¬ 
cations here given by Kalhana are so detailed and exact that they 
enabled me to trace with great probability what I believe to have been 
the main course of the Vitasta before Suyya’s regulation. 
70 . Kalhana describes to us successively the position of the old and 
Change of confluence the new confluence relative to certain temples 
of Vitasta and situated at the village of Trigrami and other 
Sindhu. points on the river-banks. Most of these struc¬ 
tures I have been able to identify, and a close examination of the 
1 See v. 87 sqq. 
2 Compare v. 92 sq. 
