Dasharna ( Sanskrit:दशार्ण ) was an

ancient Indian The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient India: Ancient India is the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times to the start of Medieval India, which is typically dated (when the term is still used) to th ...

janapada The Janapadas () (c. 1500–600 BCE) were the realms, republics (ganapada) and kingdoms (saamarajya) of the Vedic period on the Indian subcontinent. The Vedic period reaches from the late Bronze Age into the Iron Age: from about 1500 BCE to th ...

(realm) in eastern Malwa region between the Dhasan River and the

Betwa River The Betwa (Hindi: बेतवा, Sanskrit: वेत्रवती) is a river in Central and Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. It rises in the Vindhya Range (Raisen) just north of Narmadapuram in Madhya Pradesh and flows north ...

. The name of the janapada was derived from the , the ancient name of the Dhasan River. The janapada was also known as ''Akara'' and Rudradaman I in his Junagarh rock inscription referred to this region by this name.

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...

in his Meghaduta (''Purvamegha'', 24-25) mentioned the city of Vidisha as the capital of Dasharna. Other important cities of this janapada were Erakina and Erikachha. According to the Mahabharata, the queen of king Virabahu or Subahu of Chedi kingdom and the queen of king Bhima of

Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Maharashtra, proposed state of central India, comprising th ...

(the mother of Damayanti) were daughters of the king of Dasharna. Dasharna historical region

King Ashadhamitra of Dasharna

A brick inscription from

Erich The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, which commemorates the excavation of a tank, informs us about a king of Dasharna, Ashadhamitra as well as his ancestors. In this inscription, Ashadhamitra, who styled himself as a ''Senapati'' is named as the son of ''Senapati'' Mulamitra (who was also the king of Dasharna), the grandson of ''Senapati'' Aditamitra and the great-grandson of Senapati ''Shatanika''. Recently, a coin of Ashadhamitra has been discovered where he described himself as an ''Amatya'' and the king of Dasharna.Bhandare, S. (2006). ''Numismatics and History: The Maurya-Gupta Interlude in the Gangetic Plain'' in P. Olivelle ed. ''Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE'', New York: Oxford University Press, , pp.77,90

King Ashadhamitra of Dasharna

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