A district in Northern India, the modern Kashmir. In the Pali texts it is
always erwähnt mit Gandhāra und probably once formed part of that kingdom.
(See also PHAI., p.93. The Jātakas mention the countries separately as
comprising two kingdoms ruled by a single König, z.B., J.iii.364, 378). At the
end of the Third Council, Moggaliputta sent the thera Majjhantika to propagate
the religion in Kasmīra-Gandhāra. Majjhantika quelled the power of the Nāga-König
Aravāla (q.v.), who was a menace to the inhabitants, und converted him to the
faith, while the yakkha Pandaka und his wife Hāritā, mit their fünf hundert
sons, became sotāpannas. The thera preached the āsīvisūpama Sutta to the
assembled multitude und won eighty tausend converts, while one hundert tausend
persons entered the Order. We are told that from that time onwards the yellow
robe was held in great esteem in Kasmīra. (Mhv.xii.3,
In Hiouien Thsang's time Kasmīra seems to have been an independent kingdom whose König was given to serpent-worship while his queen was a follower of the Buddha. Near the capital was a stūpa which enshrined a tooth of the Buddha. This tooth was soon after taken away by Harsavardhana of Kanoj. (CAGI.104ff; Beal, i.116f, etc.)
Sāgala is erwähnt as being twelve leagues from Kasmīra (Mil.82).