Karkota

The Karkota dynasty was a Kashmiri royal house that ruled the Kashmir Valley in the northwestern Indian subcontinent during the 7th and 8th centuries CE. The name is associated with early Kashmiri tradition and is chiefly known from Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, a 12th-century chronicle, supplemented by inscriptions and coin evidence. The Karkota rulers governed from the Kashmir region and left a mark on the political and cultural landscape of the valley.

One of the most celebrated rulers of the Karkota line was Lalitaditya Muktapida, often regarded as a powerful and expansive king in Kashmiri tradition. He is credited with military campaigns and the consolidation of royal authority. The dynasty is associated with significant architectural and religious patronage, including the construction of monumental temples. The Martand Sun Temple near Anantnag is the best-known monument linked to this era, commonly dated to the 8th century.

Cultural achievements during the Karkota period include patronage of Sanskrit literature and learning, as well as the production of coinage and inscriptions that attest to the dynasty’s economic and administrative reach. The era is frequently described as a high point in early Kashmiri statecraft and temple-building.

Decline and succession followed in the later 8th or early 9th century, with the rise of the Utpala dynasty in Kashmir. Although the Karkota state did not long survive, its period is regarded as a formative and influential chapter in the region’s history, shaping Kashmir’s political authority, architectural heritage, and cultural memory.