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0079 The Pulse of Asia : vol.1
アジアの鼓動 : vol.1
The Pulse of Asia : vol.1 / 79 ページ(カラー画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000233
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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 out-
line 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 deep-
ening of the channel at the head of the gorge of Baramula,
where, it should be remembered, the river would encoun-
ter 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 south-
ward in winter. In time, however, the climate moder-
ated, 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