Karkotas

Karkotas refers to the Karkota dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Kashmir region in the northwestern Indian subcontinent during the early medieval period. The dynasty is known from inscriptions, coins, and literary sources and is generally dated to roughly the 7th through the 9th centuries CE. The best-documented ruler is Lalitaditya Muktapida, who is described in various sources as expanding Kashmir’s influence across northern India and even into Central Asia, though modern historians debate the exact extent of this reach.

The Karkotas are typically associated with the capital at Parihasapura and with a policy of patronage toward Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries, as well as support for scholars and artisans. This era witnessed continued trade along Kashmir’s routes to the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia, aided by relative political stability and a strong agrarian base. The dynasty’s decline in the late 9th century led to fragmentation and the rise of later Kashmir polities.

In historiography, the term Karkota is used to denote both the dynasty as a whole and its individual rulers, and it appears in inscriptions, coins, and mytho-historical narratives. The legacy of the Karkota period is associated with cultural florescence in temple architecture, sculpture, and the literary and religious life of medieval Kashmir.