148 
ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF KAS'MlR 
[Extra No. 2, 
that the hill was carried to its present position by Durga who had taken 
the shape of a S'arika bird. The goddess is supposed to have thus closed 
a gate of the Daityas dwelling in hell. This legend is alluded to already 
in the Kathasaritsagara. 1 
Another ancient designation of the Har a parvat is ‘ Hill of Pra- 
dyumna ’ ( Pradyumnapitha,-giri,-6ikhara , etc.), often found in the 
Chronicles and elsewhere. 2 The Kathasaritsagara accounts for the 
origin of this name by a story which connects the hill with the love of 
Usa and Aniruddha, the son of Pradyumna. Kalhana mentions a 
Matha for Pasupata mendicants vdiich King Ranaditya built on the hill. 
The eastern slopes of the latter are now occupied by extensive buildings 
connected with the famous Ziarats of Muqaddam Sahib and Akhun 
Mulla Sbah. It is probable that these Muhammadan shrines have taken 
the place of Hindu religious buildings, as at so many old sites of 
Kasmir. 
Close to the foot of the southern extremity of the hill lies a rock 
which has from ancient times received worship as an embodiment of 
Ganesa, under the name of Bhimasvamin. A legend related by Kalhana 
connects this ‘ Svayambhu ’ image with Pravaraseua’s foundation of 
S'rinagar. 8 From regard for the pious king the god is there said to 
have turned his face from west to east so as to behold the new city. 
The rock is covered by the worshippers with so thick a layer of red 
lead that it is not possible to trace now any resemblance to the head of 
the elephant-faced god, still less to see whether it is turned to the west 
or east. In fact, if we are to believe Jonaraja, the rock image has 
subsequently changed its position yet a second time. This Chronicler 
relates that Blnmasvamin from disgust at the iconoclasm of Sikandar 
Butsliikast has finally turned his back on the city. 4 This last turn 
would, no doubt, most satisfactorily account for the present amorphous 
look of the sacred rock. 
There is nothing in the Chronicles that would lead us to assume 
that the hill of S'arika was ever fortified in Hindu times. The great 
bastioned stone-wall which now encloses the hill and the ground 
around its foot (Nagar-nagar), was built by Akbar as an inscription 
still extant over the main-gate proclaims. 6 The fort which now crowns 
the summit of the hill, is of even more modern origin. 
■j * 
1 See lxxiii. 107 sqq. 
8 See Rajat. iii. 460 note. 
f See iii. 352 note. 
4 See Jonar. (Ro. ed.), 766, 
6 Compare Fonrth Chron, 939 sqq. 
