AWANTIWARMAN (855-833 A.D)

Consolidation rather than expansion was the corner stone of the policy of king and to achieve this objective, he took measures which mostly aimed at creating new avenues of employment for his subjects. Agriculture being the primary occupation of the people received all attention of the king and every effort was made to bring more land under cultivation.

To save the country from the menace of floods, the king lavishly financed the schemes devised to drain water from low-laying areas of the valley.Suyya, a man humble origin,was provided with enormous wealth to execute his novel scheme of clearing rock-slip at Khadanyar which had blocked the flow of water from the valley. He threw coins in the river and ,thereby attracted the attention of people who while searching the coins cleared the slit from the river which in modern times is being done by dredging machines. It was genious of Suyya that a large tract of marshy land was converted into cultivable land when he changed the confluences of Sind and Vitasta from Parihaspura to Shadipora. New irrigation canals were constructed and old water courses were arranged systematically.

Administrative machinery worked as a team and members of council enjoyed confidence of their monarch. He would always depend upon the advice and guidance of scholars whom he liberally patronized.Shivist philosophy received a new dimension at the hands of Vsagupta who laid emphasis on Advaiti Tattva-Idealistic Monism rather than dualistic teaching

Avantiwarman was a great builder too.The massive temples at Awantipora (28kms south-east of Srinagar) are known for their grandeur and masonry work of the times.