Gilgit, the Darada of the Kashmir chronicles, is a string of valley chiefdoms on the upper Indus and the Gilgit river that Kashmir raids and is raided by and that no Kashmiri king holds.
Its Buddhist period ended with the end of the Palola Shahis and its Muslim period begins in the fourteenth century with the Trakhane of the late lists. In 1200 it is a Shina-speaking and Burushaski-speaking country of oasis villages, canals and passes (Hunza, Nagar, Yasin, Punial, Ishkoman, Astore, Chilas), with Buddhist rock carvings and the memory of the Gilgit manuscripts, the birch-bark Buddhist texts of the fifth century and after.
Who he is
- Name
- Not known by name; no ruler is attested for 1200
- Title
- Rulers (ra, rajas) of Gilgit
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Family
- The Patola Shahi (Palola Shahi) dynasty of Gilgit, devout Vajrayana Buddhists, is attested in the seventh and eighth centuries; the Trakhan dynasty is named for 'a celebrated Ra named Trakhan, who reigned about the commencement of the fourteenth century' and 'flourished until 1421 when Raja Torra Khan assumed rulership' (Wikipedia, Gilgit); the legend of Azur Jamshid and Shri Badat is a late tale.
- Confidence
- low
No coin or inscription supports a Gilgit king of 1200: the campaign board says 'name no ruler here'. Hunza's tradition puts the founding of its independent principality 'around 1200' (Wikipedia, Hunza), with its first definite dates from 1750.
What it holds
- the Gilgit oasis
- Hunza and Nagar (Burusho)
- Yasin, Punial and Ishkoman
- Astore, Chilas, Darel and Tangir (Shina republics)
Allies and rivals
Kashmir (raids and counter-raids); Baltistan to the east; Chitral and Kafiristan to the west (the Persia map's hill peoples record).
How things stand that morning
Self-governing valleys; no event is dated.
Military
No army is recorded and no number is known.
Places of note
- Gilgit: Oasis and old fort site.
- Hunza (Baltit and Altit): Burusho principality; Baltit later capital.
Where the sources disagree
- The campaign board entry gilgit-dard-country gives 'The Loharas of Kashmir' as the power. That label is wrong for this place: Kashmir ends at the Zoji La, and the Dard valleys of Gilgit govern themselves and no ruler is attested for 1200 (see the Guge record, first note, for the six board places).
- The Persia map's record Kafirs and Dards covers 'the Dard valleys of Gilgit and Chilas' as a self-governing hill people with realm outside and low confidence; this record is the Tibet sheet's version for the part on its ground. The Gilgit valley itself lies near the west edge of this sheet (Gilgit is at 74.3 E and the frame ends at about 73.7 E); only Yasin and Gupis lie beyond the frame.
Evidence: Late lists, the Gilgit manuscripts (fifth to eighth centuries) and Wikipedia's accounts.
"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.
On the map: Near the west edge of the sheet, 60 to 100 km inside the frame; drawn from the places that lie inside it, not as an outline.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia (English): Gilgit
- Wikipedia (English): Hunza (princely state)
- Wikipedia (English): Baltistan
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.