<P> According to the Mahabharata, the Kambojas ruled Kashmir during the epic period with a Republican system of government from the capital city of Karna - Rajapuram - gatva - Kambojah - nirjitastava., shortened to Rajapura, which has been identified with modern Rajauri . </P> <P> Later, the Panchalas are stated to have established their sway . The name Peer Panjal, which is a part of modern Kashmir, is a witness to this fact . Panjal is simply a distorted form of the Sanskritic tribal term Panchala . The Muslims prefixed the word peer to it in memory of Siddha Faqir and the name thereafter is said to have changed into Peer Panjal . According to legend, Jammu was founded by Hindu King Raja Jambu Lochan in the 14th century BC . During one of his hunting campaigns he reached the Tawi River where he saw a goat and a lion drinking water at the same place . The king was impressed and decided to set up a town after his name, Jamboo . With the passage of time, the name was corrupted and became "Jammu". </P> <P> Nilmata Purana (complied c. 500--600 CE) contains accounts of Kashmir's early history . However, being a Puranic source, it has been argued that it suffers from a degree of inconsistency and unreliability . Kalhana's Rajatarangini (River of Kings), all the 8000 Sanskrit verses of which were completed by 1150 CE, chronicles the history of Kashmir's dynasties from mythical times to 12th century . It relies upon traditional sources like Nilmata Purana, inscriptions, coins, monuments, and Kalhana's personal observations borne out of political experiences of his family . Towards the end of the work mythical explanations give way to rational and critical analyses of dramatic events between 11th and 12th centuries, for which Kalhana is often credited as India's first historian . During the reign of Muslim kings in Kashmir, three supplements to Rajatarangini were written by Jonaraja (1411--1463 CE), Srivara, and Prajyabhatta and Suka, which end with Akbar's conquest of Kashmir in 1586 CE . The text was translated into Persian by Muslim scholars such as Nizam Uddin, Farishta, and Abul Fazl . Baharistan - i - Shahi and Haidar Mailk's Tarikh - i - Kashmir (completed in 1621 CE) are the most important texts on the history of Kashmir during the Sultanate period . Both the texts were written in Persian and used Rajatarangini and Persian histories as their sources . </P> <P> Earliest Neolithic sites in the flood plains of Kashmir valley are dated to c. 3000 BCE . Most important of these sites are the settlements at Burzahom, which had two Neolithic and one Megalithic phases . First phase (c. 2920 BCE) at Burzahom is marked by mud plastered pit dwellings, coarse pottery and stone tools . In the second phase, which lasted till c. 1700 BCE, houses were constructed on ground level and the dead were buried, sometimes with domesticated and wild animals . Hunting and fishing were the primary modes of subsistence though evidence of cultivation of wheat, barley, and lentils has also been found in both the phases . In the megalithic phase, massive circles were constructed and grey or black burnish replaced coarse red ware in pottery . During the later Vedic period, as kingdoms of the Vedic tribes expanded, the Uttara--Kurus settled in Kashmir . </P>

Who is known as the first kashmiri historian