Eight hours I sat concentrated to find out one single point. I learnt much but wasn't able to find the one point I wanted - what is the name of the kingdom which sits across the mountains in Tibet extending from Manasarovar to Kashmir. I learnt much about that area,

but not the name. That is the land of Kinnaras(Kim Nara?) and Kimpurushas(Kim Purusha?, it's called Manasa Khanda(the land of Manasa Sarovara) and is the land of Yakshas and Rakshasas(a Nepali historian translates it as Ya-Khasa and Ra-Khasa) with

Kubera being their ruler(Gandharvas as well), Kinnaras guarded Yaksha gold mines, and combined with Kubera's wealth, it became Suvarnadesa (but, it's not the formal name), there is a reference to Khasa kingdom and Khasa castes spread all the way from Nepal to Kashmir,

there is a reference to a Kirata kingdom under Subahu, someone called it Strirajya, but what's it's name, no clue. In fact, I came across a book yesterday which disproves the myth that the four rivers of Bon - Sutlej, Indus, Brahmaputra and Karnali emerge from the same area,

the implication is clear - people believed all four rivers originated from the same area. Manasa Sarovara is referred to even in the earliest of Hindu scriptures. The number of routes the book gives to reach the Holy Lake is a proof of it's popularity and mainstreamed position.

On the other hand, Tibetan sources called it mNgari, a book on Kumaon calls it gNari. Spelling mistake? Then, there is an extensive discussion over a Strirajya which many writers unanimously place it in NW and not NE of India. But, Huein Tsang places it in NE -> Suvarna Gotra.

Another book talks about Kulinda/Kuninda and their merging with Yaudheyas. They derive their name from Kalindi - Yamuna by virtue of staying in the upper reaches of the river. The reference to Herodotus's ants comes again - in Mahabharata. They are referred to, along with Khasas.

Round and round and round - finally, it's the same three references which everyone is using. But, here, they are talking about tribes like Kulindas. But, who rules them? Why is there no reference to Zhangzhung till now?

And something which caught my eye - desperate to prove the western accounts of ants as big as dogs chasing people who steal their gold, they talked about Tibetan Mastiffs. But, what's special in them? They look like lions. (Kimpurusha - the lion headed half humans?)

But, the author is guarded. There are some names, he refuses to call them Khasa, but then, doesn't name the kingdom. It's not as if it's a small kingdom not worth bothering about...

Looks like I took a snapshot of the page because I was too lazy to note it down in the night...
https://twitter.com/cbkwgl/status/1291992471560388608

And then, there is a certain Rupati. Rupati, the youngest son of Satanika and the grandson of King Janamejaya became the king of Western Tibet (Zhang Zhung) around 3050-3000 BCE. There is another Rupati I came across, a Kaurava warrior who fled into the hills after Mahabharata.

Now, compare this with the founding legend of Bashahr - it was founded by Lord Krishna's son Pradyumna. Same area, same timeframe. Notice, that is when Kalhana's Rajatarangini also starts - Lord Krishna killed the second king of Kashmir Damodara. Meaning it's a bigger legend.

Finally, something is making sense here. Himavat, eh?

What is this Brahma Kanwar story?

Meru?

Now, there is a detailed exposition trying to rationalize the concept of Stri Rajya.

Pandukeshwar is the last Indian village. Going by the fact that Katyuris emerged at the time Tibetan Empire collapsed, are we saying they were also beneficiaries?

On Nanda Devi. It is to be noted that Vasudeva, the founder of Katyuris is a Buddhist.

Whether the borderlands were a part of Zhangzhung or not, the point is, they are well integrated with the trade networks.

Well, this is new. We know that this marriage happened and the reverse marriage destroyed Zhang Zhung...

Really a good hint. He is not a king of Uttarakhand. And he is not a god.
https://twitter.com/Har54519901/status/1292024905198759938

So, it's Paun-Raja. And the ease with which they used the words Shanshun makes one wonder if it is the word used even in India. By the way, I never came across this much political information anything over Zhang Zhung as what I am seeing in this Hindi page.

English is searchable. Hindi isn't, that much. The article below. https://www.kafaltree.com/paun-raja-of-jageshwar-and-tantra-worship/

There is one very incongrious thing I am noting with regard to Uttarakhand. The assumption with the historians is, there is zero discussion over the impact of what happened on the other side of Himalayas over the local incidents in Uttarakhand.

An impression is given as if Khasas percolated down the Himalayas till almost Sikkim. Did they come by the hills or by the Ngari plains? Khasa and Kuninda dealt with gold dust but there they are supposed to rule the plains of India, advancing towards the hills.

But, the main thing here is Katyuris. Where did they come from, no clue. When did they start? Either 750 AD or 850 AD. Did anything tectonic happen in India to warrant the growth of a powerful kingdom? We know of Islamic Invasions which weren't powerful enough and

we know of the Kannauj Triangle and it wasn't devastating enough. On the other hand, the founder of the kingdom is said to be a Buddhist. If he is a Buddhist and not a Hindu, where did he come from? Besides, two major incidents happened at 750 AD and 850 AD -

in 750, Zhangzhung collapsed and the Bon religion was persecuted. Did anyone flee across the mountains into Uttarakhand? We know for sure that Songtsen Gampo crashed through the hills, reaching almost Badrinath. Did he impose Buddhism there? Is it even possible?

Now, who is this Paun Raja who is an ancestor for the Katyuris? And now, let's assume the dynasty was formed around 850 and not 750. What happened then? Nothing in India but Tibetan Empire collapsed. It took almost 150 years for Tibet to have a semblance of order.

And then, there was an even brutal persecution of the Bon - it was a physical slaughter of Bon teachers. Naturally, they will flee towards Uttarakhand or Nepal(their strongholds are in Manasarovar area). Now, that's not the end of the thing.

Katyuri inscriptions are found even in Pandukeshwar, considered the last village before Tibet. Again the question comes, how did they deal with their neighbours? And this story of Nanda Devi, who is the family goddess for the Katyuris but is married in Tibet?

And on the other hand, we have this Khasa kingdom which flexed it's muscles as far as Guge itself. Why not Katyuris? And then, we have a Nagaraja who came from Khari Pradesa and founded the Khasa kingdom. Here, we have a Buddhist Vasudeva who founded Katyuri kindom.

Are both the legends refering to the same person? Remember, Manasarovara is the residence of a powerful Naga king. But, there is a problem here. There is too much flux between 750 AD and 1000 AD because of which the whole narrative changed to the extent that from the outside,

it's hard to distinguish between Bon and Buddhism - Bon was influenced to that level. The language is lost, their cities are lost Indian side of the hills became more mainstream Hinduized (with Kings slowly behaving as if they are from a different race than that of the locals) -

besides, the land is hardy and sparsely populated, and probably will never be given the importance it should be given. We won't get much information over Zhangzhung - but the real question is, why don't we even know the name of the kingdom?