Devasena () was a ruler of the Vatsagulma branch of the

Vakataka dynasty The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the ...

. He was the son and successor of Sarvasena II. The reign of Devasena seems to have witnessed a resurgence of the power and influence of the Vatsagulma Vakatakas, and the Ajanta inscriptions speak of King Devasena in glowing terms. Unlike his predecessors Pravarasena II and Sarvasena II, who bore the simple title of ''mahārāja'', Devasena revived the title of ''dharmamahārāja'' which had last been used by

Vindhyashakti II Vindhyasena (), also known as Vindhyashakti II, was a ruler of the Vatsagulma branch of the Vakataka dynasty. He was the son and successor of Sarvasena I. Vindhyasena seems to have enjoyed quite a long reign, as he issued a charter from his ca ...

. It is possible that Devasena had expanded his kingdom south into

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, for some of his copper plates were discovered in the Bidar district of northern Karnataka. In the east, Devasena established relations with the rising power of the Vishnukundins, giving his daughter in marriage to the Vishnukundin king Madhavavarman II Janashraya. The reign of Devasena is also notable for the Hisse-Borala stone inscription. This inscription, which contains the date of year 380 of the

Saka era The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. Hist ...

(corresponding to 457/58 CE), is the only record that provides a firm chronological basis for Vakataka dynastic history. The inscription was discovered about 10 kilometers south of Devasena's capital of Vatsagulma (the present-day

Washim Washim (Vatsagulma) is a city and a Municipal Council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Washim is the district headquarters of Washim district. Etymology Washim was known earlier as Vatsagulma and it was the seat of powe ...

) and records the construction of a water storage tank by a nobleman named Svamilladeva. The tank was named Sudarshana, which was also the name of a reservoir built by the children of Prabhavatigupta in her honor, and was possibly inspired by the famous Sudarshana lake of

Junagadh Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. Literally ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. Ajay Mitra Shastri believes that Svamilladeva himself originally hailed from Gujarat and employed the Saka calendar era in the Hisse-Borala inscription due to the long-standing usage of that calendar era in Gujarat. Devasena entrusted the administration of his kingdom to his minister Hastibhoja, who was both able and popular. We later also find Hastibhoja's son Varahadeva employed as the minister of

Harishena Harishena () was the last known ruler of the Vatsagulma branch of the Vakataka dynasty The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extende ...

, the son and successor of Devasena.Bakker (1997), p. 34 Similarly, the noble Svamilladeva of the Hisse-Borala inscription is also encountered in Devasena's Bidar plates of his fifth regnal year and again in the Thalner plates of Harishena, where he is now employed as a ''dūtaka'' or liaison officer. It thus appears that the reign of Devasena saw the rise of several nobles and families to great status in the Vakataka court, and they continued to have influence in the reign of Harishena.

References

{{reflist Vakataka dynasty 5th-century Indian monarchs