Emperor of Kashmir Lalitaditya - The Great

by Sanjay Sonawani

He built the largest empire after Ashoka. He constructed massive edifices which defy the vagaries of time and stand out even today. He drove away the Arabs from northwestern India and conquered the far out Tokharistan (North Hindukush). He controlled the international trade routes from Tokharistan to China by repeatedly defeating the then powerful Tibet. He checkmated China with his diplomacy. He routed the great Yashovarman of Kannauj and established own rule in half of India. And yet the history quite ungratefully ignored him. He is the eighth century Emperor of Kashmir Lalitaditya Muktapida.

Renowned author and historian Sanjay Sonawani brings to light the life and times of the exemplary king of Kashmir after a painstaking research. The book adds one more feather in the cap of Sarhad and Chinar Publishers in their relentless efforts for people to people bonding with Kashmir.

Genres: History

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Sanjay Sonawani is famous author from Maharashtra, have penned over 79 books in Marathi. He is a social activist as well and has been promoting "One World: One Nation" concept for better tomorrow since last 10 years.

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biography on Emperor Of Kashmir Lalitaditya.

[Archana Rawle · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of Kashmir

Good book on history of a king who is all but unknown to people of India. Must read for all those interested in the history of subcontinent and of Central Asia .

[Aryaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

A below average book.

[Barun Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read about the possible historic achievements of this Emperor of Kashmir about whom there is very little material taught. It is possible a lot was achieved during the time of this Emperor but his empire wilted away the moment he died and the lack of literary material to prove his achievements does make one think what if...?

[Sumit · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝙇𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖’𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨.






⛰️Indian history is filled with many great kings and emperors whose names had been lost/erased with the span of time and the Emperor of Kashmir Lalitaditya Muktapida is one such name about whom we barely know/ heard anything. This book originally written in Marathi by Sanjay Sonawani & translated into English by Prashant Talnikar is a small endeavor to explore Lalitaditya's life and time.

⛰️The history of Lalitaditya is very significant for the Indian subcontinent. It throws light on the connection India had with the rest of the world and the nature of her political and social relationships with it. Moreover, we come to know how he not only drive the Arab invaders away from India but also successfully prevented the then-powerful Tibet empire from extending its influence to India; how he extended the boundaries of his Kashmiri empire to the north of Hindukush and Pamir ranges, controlled the Skill routes and outwitted then superpowers China through diplomacy and his military power

⛰️From a geographical point of view, Lalitaditya's empire is greater than the Mughal empire. He not only conquered the northwest Indian territories to expand his kingdom, he, in fact, built an empire that included large parts of central and eastern India. He even crossed the mighty Himalayas in the north to establish his supremacy in the region and also built a great city called Parihaspur and constructed countless temples and Buddhist stupas during his reign all over his empire, the remains of these great edifices can be seen even today, reminding us of the grandeur of their times.

⛰️In spite of all these, history is silent about Lalitaditya, since he did not rule this extended empire for long, nor did he make any inscriptions (if he had not been found yet). However, the evidence of this great emperor can be still found in the records of China, Tibet, and other countries of central Asia, which the author had thoroughly researched and shed the layers of myths associated with this enigmatic emperor, to draw a reasonable historical accurate timeline of his life. Some detailed maps supporting his research could have made the reading experience more memorable.

⛰️Overall, Emperor of Kashmir Lalitaditya was an outstanding read. Looking at his stupendous successes even in times of global political turmoil, he is easily considered the 2nd great emperor India has produced after Emperor Ashoka. I'm surprised our school books don't even mention him. Highly recommended.


𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)