Lalitaditya the Great 

Jammu and Kashmir Administration has decided to install the statue of the great Kashmiri king Lalitaditya Muktapida in the premises of the ancient Martand temple in Kashmir. It has also directed the Department of Culture to protect, conserve and restore the ancient Martand Sun Temple. This is indeed a welcome decision. Lalitaditya is among the best rulers that were ever produced. Famous world renowned historian of Kashmir, Kalhana has termed Lalitaditya as “World Conqueror”. He extended the boundaries of his empire beyond Kashmir into Central Asia and mainland India to consolidate the gain of his conquests. He well understood the importance of the frontiers for the good governance and welfare of his people. It is not only the Kalhana’s Rajatarangini that highlights the role of this greatest king of Kashmir but the Chinese annals also mention him with great respect. This can be verified from the New Book of Tang. It is a chronicle of the Tang dynasty of China. Al Beruni, a Persian scholar also mentions Lalitaditya in his chronicles. Lalitaditya enjoyed strategic military relations with the Chinese rulers .Lalitaditya’s governance was based on keeping the enemies away from  the boundaries of Kashmir and he made it possible due to his superior armed prowess that was indeed matchless. It enabled him to defeat many rulers who posed a challenge to his might. He was a brilliant military strategist who strategized by evaluating the strength and weakness of his enemies. It is not that he only indulged in warfare but he was a brilliant tactician as well. He was a foremost statesman. He defeated Yashovarman and consolidated his power in Kanyakbuja. Lalitaditya reached up to Kalinga and Gauda. Thus hoisted his flag and registered the victory of his Kashmirian Kingdom. He crossed the oceans and islands. Besides the mainland India to reinforce his writ. It is impossible to sum up his conquests in a limited space .His empire acted as the bulwark against the intended invasions of enemies from across the Himalayas into India. He not only saved his people in Kashmir from the emerging fissiparous tendencies across the Sindh but upheld the integrity of the ancient civilizational India. He shaped the Northern Frontiers of India and simultaneously Sanskritised them. It is only after the end of his empire that Kashmir started witnessing invasions and subversive activities that are having a regressive impact till now. End of his empire led to De-Sanskritization of Kashmir as the Northern Frontiers were breached by the enemies. This resulted in the movement of the invaders and subversives to other parts of India as well. Lalitaditya acted as the shield to safeguard the civilizational moorings of India. Policy makers have rightly internalised the importance of Lalitaditya in the annals of the military history of India and his role in defining the Greater India. There is no doubt about the fact that Lalitaditya Muktapida is the “Father of India’s National Security” who foresaw the importance of India as a nation having secure Northern Frontiers and strong internal security. His role in constructing the Martand Sun Temple in Kashmir during his golden rule speaks volumes about his internalisation of the civilizational values. This temple is a magnificent testimony to his understanding of art, history, shastras and architecture. It must be remembered that Martand is not a mere temple as it is located in the area that is known as Martand Kshetra(Martand Region).Martand is one of many names of the Sun God in Sanskrit. As Sun is considered to be the visible God giving light and energy to all species and life forms. Scientifically and as per ancient scriptures the Martand Kshetra has a special significance in terms of curing deadly diseases. Lalitaditya only reinforced this claim by constructing the matchless Sun Temple at Martand. But the wave of regression led to the destruction and vandalisation of this temple due to iconoclasm. By installing the statue of Lalitaditya; besides conserving and restoring the Martand Temple to its original glory will be a tribute to the Kashmiri contribution to the Indian nation building in terms of upholding the Northern Frontier in the Himalayas and continuing the Sanskrit tradition represented by the Martand. Lalitaditya is often termed as Alexander of India. This is a wrong comparison. Alexander’s conquest of India is doubtful. So are his victories. It has been contested historically. Lalitaditya cannot be compared to Alexander. As Lalitaditya was never defeated during his conquests. While Alexander was. This is a subversive narrative and it must be contested. If Lalitaditya Muktapida has to be eulogised then there is only one way to do it. And that is to call him as “Lalitaditya the Great”. Every Indian must be proud of this world conqueror who upheld the civilizational moorings of India across lands and oceans.