ABSTRACT
A striking feature of the origin of the land and the people of Kashmir is the legends with which they are enfolded. Moreover, some conclusions drawn from them now concur with scientific interpretations treating some of those legends as facts. For instance, the narratives about the origins of the Valley almost invariably refer to its having been a vast lake formed from the waters of melting snow on the mountains encircling it. The oldest legend known as the "Nilamatpurana" describes how the "demon" Jalodhbhava, meaning "water-borne" and dwelling in the lake, caused misfortunes to neighbouring areas by devastations and how the lake was drained on Brahma's command and the demon slain after a fierce combat, the tribes then settling on the land. Geological surveys support the legend that Kashmir was at least mostly occupied by a vast lake. The legend goes further that the drainer was called Kashyapa, and hence the reclaimed land was named Kash-yap-mar and eventually Kashmir. The Kashmiris, in their own tongue, frequently call it "Kashir".
