Mahishmati (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: Māhiṣmatī) was an ancient city in present-day central India. It was located in present-day
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
, on the banks of
Narmada River, although its exact location is uncertain.
It is mentioned in several ancient texts, and is said to have been ruled by the legendary
Haihaya
The Heheya Kingdom (also known as Haihaya, Haiheya, Heiheya _sa.html" ;"title="nowiki/> sa">हैहय was a kingdom ruled by the Yadava people, who claimed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. One of the mo ...
ruler
Kartavirya Arjuna
Kartavirya Arjuna ( sa, कार्तवीर्य अर्जुन, ; also known as Sahasrabahu Arjuna or Sahasrarjuna) was a king of an ancient Haihayas kingdom with capital at Mahishmati which is on the banks of Narmada River in the ...
. Mahishmati was the most important city in the southern part of the
Avanti kingdom, and later served as the capital of the
Anupa Kingdom. The city may have flourished as late as until 13th century, as indicated by a
Paramara
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either th ...
inscription.
Identification
The following things are known about Mahishmati's location:
* It was located on the banks of the
Narmada river.
* It was located to the south of
Ujjayini
Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujj ...
, and north of
Pratishthana, on the route connecting the two cities (according to ''
Sutta Nipata
The ' () is a Buddhist scripture, a sutta collection in the Khuddaka Nikaya, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism.
Sections
The ''Sutta Nipāta'' is divided into five sections:
Uraga Vagga ("The Chapter on the Serpent")
Cūla Vagg ...
'').
Patanjali
Patanjali ( sa, पतञ्जलि, Patañjali), also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra, was a Hindu author, mystic and philosopher. Very little is known about him, and while no one knows exactly when he lived; from analysis of his works it i ...
mentions that a traveler starting out from Ujjayini saw the sunrise at Mahishmati.
* It was located in the
Avanti kingdom, and at times was a part of a separate kingdom near Avanti. It replaced Ujjayani as the kingdom's capital for a brief period. It also served as the capital of the other kingdoms that separated from Avanti, such as
Anupa
Anupa (literally, watery tract) is an ancient Indian region roughly corresponds to the areas around ancient Mahishmati city in the present-day Madhya Pradesh. The Vayu Purana mentions a janapada (realm) of Anupa, located on the ''Vindhyaprishth ...
.
* Avanti was divided into two parts by the
Vindhyas
The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...
. Ujjayini was located in the northern part, while Mahishmati was located in the southern part.
Several cities in
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
, located along the Narmada river, are claimed to be the ancient Mahishmati. These include:
;
Mandhata
Mandhata, also called Shivapuri or Mahismati, Capital of Awanti Mahajanpad Omkareshwar, is a riverine island in the Narmada river in Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh, India. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on the southern part of the i ...
or
Omkareshwar
Omkareshwar ( IAST: ''Ōṃkārēśvar'') is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in Mandhata, nearby Khandwa city in Khandwa district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. ce ...
:
F. E. Pargiter, and G. C. Mendis, among others, identify Mahishmati with the Mandhata island (
Omkareshwar
Omkareshwar ( IAST: ''Ōṃkārēśvar'') is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in Mandhata, nearby Khandwa city in Khandwa district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. ce ...
).
: According to Pargiter, the description of Mahishmati in ''
Raghuvamsa'' makes it clear that it was located on an island. Moreover, ''
Harivamsa
The ''Harivamsa'' ( , literally "the genealogy of Hari") is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 16,374 shlokas, mostly in the '' anustubh'' metre. The text is also known as the ''Harivamsa Purana.'' This text is believed to ...
'' states that the founder of Mahishmati was
muchukunda
In Hindu history, Muchukunda (), the son of King Mandhata, and brother of Ambarisha, is an Ikshvaku ( Suryavamsha) king.
Battle with the asuras
Once, in a battle, the devas were defeated by the asuras. Tormented by arrows, they sought help from ...
, the son of
King Mandhata
Mandhatra ( sa, मान्धातृ, ), also rendered Mandhatri, is a king of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He is the son of Yuvanashva, as cited in the Mahabharata. He marries Bindumati, the daughter of Yadava king Shashabindu. Ac ...
.
: A 1225 CE inscription of the Paramara king
Devapala has been found at Mandhata. It records the grant of a village to
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
s, and states that the grant was made while the king was staying at Mahishmati.
;
Maheshwar
Maheshwar is a town, near Khargone city in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh state, in central India. It is located on State Highway-38 ( Khargone city-Barwaha- Bandheri Highway),13.5 km east of National Highway 3 (Agra-Mumbai highway) a ...
:
HD Sankalia,
PN Bose and
Francis Wilford,
among others, identify Mahishmati with present-day Maheshwar.
: Pargiter criticises this identification, stating that the Bramin priests of Maheshwar claimed their town as the ancient Mahishmati on basis of similar-sounding names, in order to glorify their town.
; Other obsolete identifications
: Writers such as
Alexander Cunningham
Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly ...
,
John Faithfull Fleet
John Faithfull Fleet C.I.E (1847 – 21 February 1917) was an English civil servant with the Indian Civil Service and became known as a historian, epigraphist and linguist. His research in Indian epigraphy and history, conducted in India over ...
and Girija Shankar Agrawal identified
Mandla
Mandla is a city with municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The city is situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and ...
as the location of ancient Mahishmati. However, this view is no longer considered as accurate by the modern scholars.
:
B. Lewis Rice
Benjamin Lewis Rice (17 July 1837 – 10 July 1927), popularly known as B. L. Rice, was a British historian, archaeologist and educationist. He is known for his pioneering work in deciphering inscriptions, especially in Kannada, and in Sansk ...
identified Mahishmati as a location in the former
Mysore State
Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's capital. ...
(present-day
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 ...
). His argument was based on ''Mahabharata'', which states that Sahadeva crossed the Kaveri River on his way to Mahishmati. However, besides the
southern Kaveri, there is a
smaller Kaveri, which meets Narmada near Mandhata.
Mentions in ancient literature
Sanskrit texts
The Sanskrit epic
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
mentions the attack of
Rakshasa
Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma whe ...
king
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...
on Mahishmati.
The ''
Anushasana Parva
Anushasana Parva ( sa, अनुशासन पर्व, IAST: Anuśāsanaparva) or the "Book of Instructions", is the thirteenth of eighteen books of the Indian Epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has 2 parts and 168 chapters.Ganguli, K.M. (18 ...
'' states that
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku (Sanskrit ; Pāli: ) is a legendary king in Hindu mythology. He is described to be the first king of the Kosala kingdom, and was one of the ten sons of Shraddhadeva Manu, the first man on the earth. He was the founder and first king of ...
's son Dashashva was a king of Mahishmati. It goes on to mention that the
Haihaya
The Heheya Kingdom (also known as Haihaya, Haiheya, Heiheya _sa.html" ;"title="nowiki/> sa">हैहय was a kingdom ruled by the Yadava people, who claimed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. One of the mo ...
king
Kartavirya Arjuna
Kartavirya Arjuna ( sa, कार्तवीर्य अर्जुन, ; also known as Sahasrabahu Arjuna or Sahasrarjuna) was a king of an ancient Haihayas kingdom with capital at Mahishmati which is on the banks of Narmada River in the ...
ruled the entire earth from his capital Mahishmati (13:52).
He was killed by
Bhargava Rama
Bhargava () or Bhṛguvamsha refers to a Brahmin race or dynasty that is said to have been founded by the legendary Hindu sage, Bhrigu.
Legend
In Hinduism, the Bhargavas are the purohitas, the family priests, of the daityas and the danavas ...
.
''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
'' mentions Mahishmati as part of a kingdom distinct from the Avanti kingdom.
The ''
Sabha Parva
Sabha Parva, also called the "Book of the Assembly Hall", is the second of eighteen books of Mahabharata.van Buitenen, J. A. B. (1978) ''The Mahabharata: Book 2: The Book of the Assembly Hall; Book 3: The Book of the Forest''. Chicago, IL: Univer ...
'' (2:30) states that the
Pandava
The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...
general
Sahadeva
Sahadeva (Sanskrit: सहदेव) was the youngest of the Pandava brothers, the five principal protagonists of the epic ''Mahabharata''. He and his twin brother, Nakula, were blessed to King Pandu and Queen Madri by invoking the twin gods Ash ...
attacked Mahishmati, and defeated its ruler Nila.
Mahismati was protected by Agni, due to his matrimonial relationship with the king's daughter. Agni even granted the unmarried women of Mahismati liberty of not staying with only one husband forever, and moving about freely. King Nila of Mahishmati is mentioned as a leader in the
Kurukshetra War
The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...
, rated by
Bhishma
Bhishma (Sanskrit: भीष्म, , ), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, played an integral role in Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War mentioned in the Hindu epic M ...
as a ''Rathi''. His coat of mail had blue colour (Mbh 5:19,167).
''
Harivamsha
The ''Harivamsa'' ( , literally "the genealogy of Hari") is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 16,374 shlokas, mostly in the '' anustubh'' metre. The text is also known as the ''Harivamsa Purana.'' This text is believed to ...
'' (33.1847) names the founder of Mahishmati as Mahishmant, a king who was the son of Sahanja and a descendant of
Yadu
This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions.
From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern p ...
through
Haihaya
The Heheya Kingdom (also known as Haihaya, Haiheya, Heiheya _sa.html" ;"title="nowiki/> sa">हैहय was a kingdom ruled by the Yadava people, who claimed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. One of the mo ...
. At another place, it names the city's founder as
Muchukunda
In Hindu history, Muchukunda (), the son of King Mandhata, and brother of Ambarisha, is an Ikshvaku ( Suryavamsha) king.
Battle with the asuras
Once, in a battle, the devas were defeated by the asuras. Tormented by arrows, they sought help from ...
, an ancestor of
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
. It states that he built the cities of Mahishmati and Purika in the
Rksha mountains.
The ''
Raghuvamsa'' states that Mahishmati was located on the Reva river (Narmada), and was the capital of the
Anupa
Anupa (literally, watery tract) is an ancient Indian region roughly corresponds to the areas around ancient Mahishmati city in the present-day Madhya Pradesh. The Vayu Purana mentions a janapada (realm) of Anupa, located on the ''Vindhyaprishth ...
country.
Another account states that
Kartavirya Arjuna
Kartavirya Arjuna ( sa, कार्तवीर्य अर्जुन, ; also known as Sahasrabahu Arjuna or Sahasrarjuna) was a king of an ancient Haihayas kingdom with capital at Mahishmati which is on the banks of Narmada River in the ...
conquered Mahishmati city from
Karkotaka Naga, a Naga chief and made it his fortress-capital.
[Pargiter, F.E. (1972) ]922
__NOTOC__
Year 922 ( CMXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Summer – Battle of Constantinople: Emperor Romanos I sends Byza ...
''Ancient Indian Historical Tradition'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.265-7
Pali texts
The Buddhist text ''
Digha Nikaya
Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal.
Hi ...
'' mentions Mahishmati as the capital of Avanti, while ''
Anguttara Nikaya'' states that
Ujjaini
Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain ...
was Avanti's capital. The ''Maha-Govinda Suttanta'' also states that Mahishmati as the capital of Avanti, whose king was one Vessabhu. It is possible that the capital of Avanti was transferred from
Ujjayani to Mahishmati temporarily.
The ''
Dipavamsa'' mentions a territory called Mahisa, describing it as ''Mahisa-ratta'' ("Mahisa country"). The ''
Mahavamsa'' describes this region as a
mandala
A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
, calling it ''Mahisha-mandala''. The 5th century Buddhist scholar
Buddhaghosa
Buddhaghosa was a 5th-century Indian Theravada Buddhist commentator, translator and philosopher. He worked in the Great Monastery (''Mahāvihāra'') at Anurādhapura, Sri Lanka and saw himself as being part of the Vibhajjavāda school and in t ...
terms this territory variously as ''Rattham-Mahisham'', ''Mahishaka-mandala'' and ''Mahishmaka''.
John Faithfull Fleet
John Faithfull Fleet C.I.E (1847 – 21 February 1917) was an English civil servant with the Indian Civil Service and became known as a historian, epigraphist and linguist. His research in Indian epigraphy and history, conducted in India over ...
theorized that Mahishmati was the capital of this region, which was named after a tribe called "Mahisha". This appears to be same as "Mahishaka", which is described as a southern kingdom (that is, south of the
Vindhyas
The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...
and the Narmada) in the ''
Bhishma Parva
The Bhishma Parva ( sa, भीष्म पर्व), or ''the Book of Bhishma,'' is the sixth of eighteen books of the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. It is the only Parva in Mahabharata where the main hero is not Arjuna but is rather Bhishma an ...
'' of the ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
''.
The ''
Sutta Nipata
The ' () is a Buddhist scripture, a sutta collection in the Khuddaka Nikaya, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism.
Sections
The ''Sutta Nipāta'' is divided into five sections:
Uraga Vagga ("The Chapter on the Serpent")
Cūla Vagg ...
'' states that when Bavari's disciples traveled from
Pratishthana to Ujjayani, Mahishmati was one of the cities on the route. The inscriptions at
Sanchi
Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen, Raisen town, dist ...
mention that pilgrims from Mahishmati visited the
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
at Sanchi.
Epigraphic records
During the 6th and 7th centuries, Mahishmati may have served as the capital of the
Kalachuri Kingdom.
Rulers of some 11th and 12th century kingdoms in present-day South India claimed Haihaya ancestry. They indicated their claimed place of origin with the title "Lord of Mahishmati, the best of the towns".
Mahishmati appears to have been a flourishing city in as late as the 13th century. A 1225 CE inscription of the
Paramara
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either th ...
king
Devapala mentions that he stayed at Mahishmati.
In popular culture
The
story
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
of the ''
Baahubali film series'' is set in a
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
alized version of the kingdom.
References
{{reflist
Ancient Indian cities