Didda (c. 924-1003) was the **ruling Queen of Kashmir for nearly 50 years** (958-1003), first as regent then in her own right — **founder of the Lohara dynasty**. **Called "the Catherine of Kashmir" by historians**, she was politically ruthless yet a great patron of architecture and Buddhism. Kalhana's chronicle *Rajatarangini* (1148-49) gives her the longest treatment of any Kashmiri ruler.
**Among the most consequential female rulers of medieval India.**
Didda reduces to five — the number of Catherine of Kashmir.