Utpala dynasty

Utpala dynasty was a Kashmiri kingdom which ruled over the Kashmir region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent from 9th to 10th century CE. The kingdom was established by Avanti Varman, ending the rule of Karkota dynasty in 855 CE. The cities of Avantipur and Suyapur were founded during the reign and many Hindu temples dedicated to both Vishnu and Shiva and Buddhist monasteries were built, notable of which is the Avantiswara and Avantiswami temples. The Rajatarangini, an 11th-century work by Kalhana, was aimed at sketching an outline of Kashmir's history since ancient times, and did discuss the Utpala dynasty over the fifth book. He depended on a variety of material including earlier historical works, dynastic genealogies, inscriptions, coins and Puranas. The work has a contested repute of being the only pre-modern work in Sanskrit resembling positivist notions of history; however, its accuracy is disputed — Zutshi and other scholars find the poem to be a blend of "mythical, political, social, spiritual, and geographical" narratives, which aimed at defining Kashmir as an idealized ethical space. Nonetheless, historical accuracy increases drastically from the fourth book onward, starting with the narration of Karkota dynasty; the book—typically the critical edition by Aurel Stein—has been heavily cited to reconstruct Kashmiri history. Coins issued by all major rulers have been located. Cippatajayapida, the last significant ruler of the Karkota dynasty was murdered in around 840. Subsequently, his maternal uncles — Padma, Utpala, Kalyana, Mamma, and Dharma — gained considerable power and engaged in an internecine warfare to retain complete control of the empire, whilst installing puppet kings belonging to the Karkota lineage. Tribhuvanapida's son, Ajitapida was nominated by Utpala immediately after Cippatajayapida's death. A few years afterwards, Mamma waged a successful battle against Utpala, and installed Anangipida. Three years later, Utpala's son Sukhavarman rebelled successfully and installed Utpalapida, a son of Ajitapida.