166 
ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF KAS'MIR. [Extra No. 2, 
The site of Pandrethan or Puranadhisthana has already been fully 
noticed. About two miles higher up the river lies Pand^chuk village, 
with some ancient remaius and the traces of a stone bridge-head, pro¬ 
bably of late date. The old name of the place is unknown. We pass 
next by the river the village of Simpor. This may retain the name of 
►Simhapura, founded by King Jayasimha in Kalhana’s time. 1 
Less than two miles to the north-west of Simpor lies the village of 
Zevan , the ancient Jayavana. It was correctly identified already by 
Prof. Biililer on the basis of the happy and exact description given of it 
by Bilhana. 2 The poet mentions in this “ place of high-rising monu¬ 
ments ” the “pool filled with pure water, sacred to Taksaka, lord of 
snakes.” This pool still exists in the Taksaka Naga which is visited 
annually by the pilgrims to Harsesvara. 8 
The mention made by Kalhana in his history of Narapura of the 
pilgrimage to the Taksaka spring proves that in old times it must have 
enjoyed great reputation as a separate Tirtha. It is in fact the only 
Kasmir Naga which is distinctly mentioned in the Tirtha list of the 
Mahabharata (iii. lxxxii. 90). Abu-1-Fazl records the interesting fact 
that this spring was populary held to be the place whence the culti¬ 
vation of saffron flourishing in this neighbourhood originated. 41 In 
Akbar’s time the cultivators, undoubtedly Muhammadans, still wor¬ 
shipped at this fountain at spring time. It was customary to pour 
cow’s milk into it to secure a good omen for the success of the crop. 
We see that the Taksaka Naga long retained his importance with the 
cultivators as a local divinity. 
About two miles to the north-east of Zevan we come on gently 
Khonamusa rising ground to the village of Khuntmoh. It 
is, as already stated above, the ancient Khona¬ 
musa, famous as the birthplace of Bilhana. The latter in the Vikramaii- 
kadevacarita gives an enthusiastic description of the charms of his rural 
home. 6 The saffron fields which Bilhana mentions extend close to the 
lower of the two separate hamlets which form the village. In the 
upper hamlet is a sacred spring called’ Damodaranaga with some sculp¬ 
tured funeral.Steles and a few fragmentary inscriptions. 
On the hill-side above the village issues another Naga which under 
1 See Rdjat. viii. 2443 note. 
8 Compare Report , pp. 5 sq. ; Rdjat. vii. 607 note ; Vikram. xviii. 70. 
s See Rdjat. i. 220 note. 
* See Am-i-ATcb., ii. p. 358. 
6 For a detailed and accurate account of the position and remains of Khonamu$a, 
see Prof. Bugler’s Report , pp. 5 sq. The identity of Khun^moh with the Khona¬ 
musa of Rdjat. i, 90, was first pointed out by Gen. Cunningham, Anc, Geogr., p. 98. 
