THE VALE OF KASHMIR 41
defined bed " which the river has cut in recent times, and is evidently still deepening, from the outlet of the lake to the head of the gorge.
Putting aside all unnecessary details, the following outline of events appears to fit the legends and facts related in the last few paragraphs. Long ago, in prehistoric times, the basin of Kashmir contained a lake much larger than that of to-day. The lake was partially drained by the deepening of the channel at the head of the gorge of Baramula, where, it should be remembered, the river would encounter only unconsolidated deposits. After this, or at this very time, the climate was so cold, or the winter snows were so abundant and lasted so long, that the country could be inhabited only in summer by nomads who migrated southward in winter. In time, however, the climate moderated, and Kashmir became the abode of a permanent and prosperous agricultural community. At the height of its prosperity, a new difficulty appeared. By reason of the building up of the bottom of the gorge near Baramula, the lake began to expand again, and to overwhelm inhabited villages. Many attempts were made to remedy matters, and success was finally attained, after which the river itself was able to deepen its channel, instead of letting itself be checked by the waste brought in by its tributaries.
The size of the legendary lake of the earliest traditions suggests at first thought that the water supply then was larger than at present. This is not necessarily so; the lake would be most likely to expand in a dry epoch. It is not a question of water supply, as in the case of salt lakes in enclosed basins, but simply of how the Jhelum.
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