THE FOUNDATION OF KASHMIR WAS LAID BY AN EMPEROR OF BIHAR

THE FOUNDATION OF KASHMIR WAS LAID BY AN EMPEROR OF BIHAR

16-MARCH-ENG 10

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------During a session at the Nalanda International Literature Festival held in Rajgir, Kashmiri writer Kshama Kaul expressed her views with remarkable candor regarding Kashmir's history, democracy, and the anguish of displacement. While participating in a discussion on the theme "Dialogue and Democracy," she drew attention to a historical fact, noting that the city of Srinagar in Kashmir was founded by Emperor Ashoka, whose capital was Pataliputra—known today as Patna.

She remarked that the bond between Kashmir and Bihar dates back thousands of years. Emperor Ashoka entrusted the governance of Kashmir to his son, Jalauka, who accorded equal respect to both Shaivite and Buddhist traditions within the region. According to her, this stood as a magnificent historical exemplar of religious tolerance and the democratic spirit—a legacy that the current generation has all but forgotten.

The writer also paid tribute to Kashmir's illustrious intellectual heritage, citing scholars such as Adi Shankara, Abhinavagupta, and Jayanta Bhatta. She observed that Kashmir—once a land of profound knowledge and philosophy—has today become a tragic saga of displacement and suffering.

As she spoke on the contemporary state of democracy and dialogue, Kshama Kaul’s anguish was palpable. She asserted that when an individual is stripped of their motherland and identity, mere "paper dialogue" cannot deliver justice. Referring to the massacres and displacement that occurred in Kashmir, she lamented that many Kashmiris today are compelled to live as refugees within their own country, yet their suffering has failed to even spark a serious national-level debate.

During her address, she paid homage to the soil of Bihar, describing it as an invaluable repository of knowledge, contemplation, and intellectual discourse. In her view, the people of Bihar embody a remarkable synthesis of both intellectual prowess and diligence.

In a historical context, it was noted that during the reign of Emperor Ashoka (268–232 BCE), the region known today as Bihar served as the epicenter of the Magadha Empire. Administered from its capital, Pataliputra, this vast empire extended to the foothills of the Himalayas in the north, the Bengal region in the east, the Son River in the west, and the Vindhya Range in the south. During the Mauryan era—under the reigns of Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka—Magadha's dominion expanded northwestward to the Hindu Kush mountains, encompassing regions such as Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat in present-day Afghanistan.

According to historians, the Magadha Empire—once so vast and influential—has today fragmented into numerous administrative entities. Over the course of time, various new states and regions emerged, having separated from the original territory of Bihar.

A message was also conveyed from the podium that allowing the historical grandeur of any society to crumble merely into ruins is a tragedy. Even today, the remnants of ancient universities and civilizations seem to narrate the saga of their past glory; yet, rather than prioritizing their restoration and preservation, they are frequently reduced to mere subjects of political debate.

The speakers asserted that reviving the glory of history remains an arduous task unless the traditions of literature and intellectual discourse are strengthened. Literature possesses the power to transform societal mindsets and steer them in new directions; consequently, its role in rekindling the memory of history and culture is of paramount importance.