Kulu, India

History

Historical references about the Kullu valley date back to ancient Hindu literary works of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. During Vedic period several small republics known as "Janapada" existed which were later conquered by the Nanda Empire, Mauryan Empire, Shunga Empire, Gupta Empire, Pala Dynasty and Karkoṭa Empire. After a brief period of supremacy by King Harshavardhana, the region was once again divided into several local powers headed by chieftains, including some Rajput principalities, these principalities were later conquered by Mughal Empire, Maratha Empire, Sikh Empire.

The Buddhist pilgrim monk Xuanzang visited the Kullu Valley in 634 or 635 CE. He described it as a fertile region completely surrounded by mountains, about 3,000 li in circuit, with a capital 14 or 15 li in circumference. There were some twenty Buddhist monasteries, with about 1,000 monks, most of whom following the Mahayana tradition. There were also some fifteen Hindu temples, and both faiths occupied the region. There were meditation caves near the mountain passes inhabited by both Buddhist and Hindus. The country is said to have produced gold, silver, red copper, crystal lenses and bell-metal. In 1650, during the reign of ruler Jagat Singh of Kullu, Raghunath Temple was established after Pandit Damodar (a priest) took the idol of Shri Rama from Ayodhya's Tretanath Temple to Kullu.

From the History section of Kullu on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.