Lost Shangri La: Glimpses of Ancient Kashmir

The Land of Kashmir, celebrated as paradise on earth for its scenic beauty, has an equally enchanting historical and cultural past: this is the place symbolising India’s cultural unity, where different cultures have prospered at different times, where scholars from all over India and the distant lands of Mesopotamia, Persia and China converged to imbibe learning in ancient times. The author, S. Sapru here unravels the glorious past of Kashmir; he discusses its importance as the centre of Sanskrit learning in the bygone eras; its achievements in music, dance, drama, sculpture, language and literature, and philosophy — marked by the artistic and literary contributions of eminent men like Jayaditta, Bhatta, Jayadhara, Pingala and Abhinavagupta. Referring to various historical works and combining facts with legend, folklore and impressions from oral traditions, he presents a graphic picture of life and times in the valley in the past that deals with a range of themes like the land’s mythology, statecraft, trade links, urban centres, tax system, system of crime and punishment and an ancient tourist’s impressions of the valley. Through a smooth‑flowing narrative that makes the book extremely readable, the author points out that there is more to Kashmir than the present‑day spate of violence; the land and its people have an essential ‘Indianness’ common to other people of India and Kashmir’s links with the rest of India cannot be severed.