Nag Sen of Milind Panho

Rivers wheather in India or elsewhere have always nurtured rich civilizations and cul tures. Chinab and Marwa rivers of Kastwär which find mention in Rig Veda's Nadi Sukt. indicates the antiquitarian value of this region. River Chinab and its many tributaries have carved out main high land vallys which have been ideal places for meditation and hermitage for the men of spirtuality.

Buddhism was prevelant in these moun tain valleys is indicated by many place names including that of Nag Seni in Kashtwar asso ciated with the celeberated Buddhist Mcnk and Philosopher Nag Sen, who, according to Milind Panho, defeated the great Indo-Bact rian king Menander in a religious discussion and made him a devote Buddhist around 2nd Century B.C.

Buddhism in Ancient India seems to have travelled from its seat of Political power in the west i.e. Sakla (Sialkot) and Kashmir up along the course of Chandrabhāga and its tri butaries into the Sivalak hills of Jammu and Himalyan middle mountains and further up into Lahul, Pangi, Ladakh and Tibet regions.

In the present Monograph an attempt has been made to evaluate the ancient antiquity of mountain Valleys of Chinab, particularly that of Kashtwär and, and its contribution to the evolution of Buddhism in the light of Nag Sen's biographical sketch.

Dr P. K. Kaul is a research scholar of repute having to his credit 27 years of research experience, in the diverse feilds of humanities and social sciences. His area study pertains to the hill region of Jammu. Basicaly a science graduate and therefore, with a logical vision he is a teacher of Hindu working as a Professor in Govt. College Jammu. His works include research publications in Linguistics, Folklore, History and Culture, Antiquity and Archaeology of the interior Himalayan region of Jammu as well as Hindi poetry. His style is both impressive and convincing.

Rivers whether in India or elsewhere in the world have always played a prominent role in the evolution of various civilizations and cultures. Himalayan middle mountains and Shivälik hill region of Jammu, drained by mighty river Chinab and its various tributaries, which have carved out many mountain valleys, provide adequate material for the study of history and culture of the people inhabiting them, but unfortunately, very little efforts have so far been made in this direction. Chinab and Marwa rivers of Kastwär find mention in Rigveda by the name of Asikanya and Marutvridhä. Asikanya literally means, the daughter of the sword. The historians of Alexander have named it Arkisine i.e.river of ill omens. This Greek word for this river is no doubt derived from the Vedic term Asikanya and as the history confirms, it proved to be a river of ill omen and the daughter of the sword, not only for Alexander, who during his invasion of India had a tough time in the hill region drained by Chinab, but also for another Indo-Scythian King Menander, who was defeated in a historic religious discussion with Nag Sen, the illustrious son of the Chinab Valley, and who's biographical sketch forms the subject-matter of the present study.

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