Because of its geographical isolation, Kashmir has been a self -contained cultural entity. it evolved a faith peculiar to itself - Trikka Darshan, or three streams of thought. In Dev-Bani Sanskrit, the Trikka is represented by luminaries such as Abhinava Gupta and Achariya Mamat, but, in the Kashmiri language, its authentic exponent is Lalla, the great mystic of the 14th century, who is the first recognised poet of Kashmir. A tapestry of faith and ritual, Trikka is essentially a glorification of the female principle, the cult of Shakti. Lalla's world - view, here, is revealing :

" I, Lalla, happened to enter the garden of bliss, and I was dazzled by what I encountered, Shiva in eternal embrace with Shakti."