Himatala ［雪山下王］ (;  Sessenge-ō): A ruler of the ancient kingdom of Tukhāra in northern India about six hundred years after Shakyamuni Buddha’s death. According to The Record of the Western Regions, Hsüan-tsang’s record of his travels through Central Asia and India in the seventh century, King Krita of Kashmir persecuted Buddhist monks and suppressed Buddhism. Hearing this, Himatala, a devout patron of Buddhism, marched on Kashmir at the head of three thousand warriors. He selected five hundred to accompany him to the palace. There, on the pretense of offering gifts, they approached the king and killed him with swords they had hidden in their robes. While Himatala banished Krita’s high-ranking officials for their offense, he secured peace for the people, made offerings to the monks, and built temples for their sake. After that, Buddhism prospered again in Kashmir.