Contribution of Kashmir into Indian Art and Culture

Kashmir’s geographical location partly explains is cultural history. Its relative isolation, might explain the originality of Kashmiri thought. Apart from Abhinavagupta’s works, the following works are also the remarkable contributions made by the people of Kashmir to the Indian culture.

• Charaka is well known as the “father of medicine”. He has authored the medical treatise, the Charaka Samhita. It is a Sanskrit text on Ayurveda.
• Kalhana’s Rajtarangani documents the history of Kashmir. Rajatarangini is believed to be written in about 1150, provides a narrative of successive dynasties that ruled Kashmir
• In the 14th century the sufis in Kashmir had introduced the traditions of love, amity and compassion; most celebrated being Sheikh Noor-ud-Din alias Nund Rishi alias Almadar-e-Kashmir and others such as Lal Ded, Habba Khatoon, Mehjoor. They professed that God is one and omnipresent. Only through total submission one can comprehend Him.
• A book called Yoga Vasishtha from Kashmir in the field of cosmology and science is a book of instruction on the nature of consciousness, it has many fascinating passages on time, space, matter and cognition. It summarizes Indian ideas of physics, available to us through a variety of sources.
• Kashmir has been an important centre for the development and spread of Buddhism, Many famous Buddhist Tantric teachers were associated with Kashmir.
• Sarangadeva, the author of Sangita Rathnakara, was probably a Kashmirian. He belonged to the 13^th His book is considered to be an important work on music and the first modern book on music.
• Kalidasa, the Shakespeare of India, the master-mind and admittedly the greatest poet of Sanskrit, is believed to be from Kashmir by some Sanskrit scholars.
• Bhallata has written Beellata-sataka in 108 stanzas, dealing with morality and conduct. He who flourished under King Sankaravarman (883-902) of Kashmir. His work is cited by Abhinavagupta, Ksemendra, Kuntala and Mammata.

Finally, Kashmir has been a great seat of learning. Shaivite philosophers like Abhinavagupta and Vasugupta propounded a new theory on Shaivism. Sanskrit scholars like Panini and Patanjali lived in Kashmir.