Kalhana s Rajatarangini is the oldest and fullest record of Kashmir history. Sir Stein, recognising the inestimable value of the only work of its kind, succeeded in publishing the critical edition of the text as early as 1892 which is reprinted here as Vol.III of this 3-volume set. Later he followed this illustrious venture by presenting a fully annotated translation of the Chronicle, in 2 volumes, reprinted as Vol I and Vol. II here, the former containing the translation of the first seven Tarangas of the original Sanskrit and the letter that of the remaining eighth Taranga. The translation is preceded by a comprehensive and scholarly Introduction in which Stein has endeavoured to elucidate in the first place the data which can be gathered as regards the person of Kalhana, his family and the milieu in which he lived. In the second chapter (of the Introduction) the author has examined as closely as our available materials would permit, the objects and methods which guided Kalhana in the composition of his work, the sources he used for it, and the form which he gave to his narrative.

Since 1947-48, when India and Pakistan fought their first war over Kashmir, it has been reduced to an endlessly disputed territory. As a result, the people of this region and its rich history are often forgotten. This short introduction untangles the complex issue of Kashmir to help readers understand not just its past, present, and future, but also the sources of the existing misconceptions about it. In lucidly written prose, the author presents a range of ways in which Kashmir has been imagined by its inhabitants and outsiders over the centuries—a sacred space, homeland, nation, secular symbol, and a zone of conflict. Kashmir thus emerges in this account as a geographic entity as well as a composite of multiple ideas and shifting boundaries that were produced in specific historical and political contexts.