Mayurasharma or Mayuravarma (reigned 345–365 C.E.), a native of
Talagunda
Talagunda is a village in the Shikaripura taluk of Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Many inscriptions found here have provided insights into the rise of the Kadamba Dynasty.
History
Talagunda was earlier known as Sthanaku ...
(in modern
Shimoga district
Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view ...
), was the founder of the
Kadamba Kingdom of
Banavasi
Banavasi is an ancient temple town located near Sirsi in Karnataka. Banavasi was the ancient capital of the Kannada empire Kadamba that ruled all of modern-day Karnataka state. They were the first native empire to bring Kannada and Karnataka t ...
, the earliest native kingdom to rule over what is today the modern state of
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 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
[Kamath (2001), p30][ Moraes (1931), pp9-10] Before the rise of the Kadambas, the centres of power ruling the land were outside the Karnataka region; thus the Kadambas' ascent to power as an independent geo-political entity, with
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
, the language of the soil as a major regional language, is a landmark event in the history of modern Karnataka with Mayurasharma as an important historical figure. The earliest Kannada language
inscriptions are attributed to the Kadambas of Banavasi.
[Ramesh (1984), p2, pp10-11]
Early life
![Talagunda Pillar inscription (455-460 AD) at Talagunda](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Talagunda_Pillar_inscription_%28455-460_AD%29_at_Talagunda.JPG)
There are several legends and tales that describe the progeny of the Kadamba family. One legend states the family descended from a three-eyed, four-armed being called ''Trilochana Kadamba'' who sprang to life from the drops of sweat from the forehead of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
falling at the roots of a
Kadamba tree
''Neolamarckia cadamba'', with English common names burflower-tree, laran, and Leichhardt pine, and called kadam or cadamba locally, is an evergreen, tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia. The genus name honours French naturalist Jean- ...
. Another legend states Mayurasharma was born of
Rudra
Rudra (; sa, रुद्र) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Ru ...
(a form a Shiva) and the mother earth under an auspicious ''Kadamba'' tree and that he was born with a third eye on his forehead. According to yet another tale, Mayurasharma was born to the sister of a
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
Muni under a ''Kadamba'' tree. It appears that all these legends evolved so as to present the founder of the kingdom as a demi-god.
[ Moraes (1931), pp7-8]
The Talagunda
inscription
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the w ...
of 450 is considered the most reliable source of information about the family of Mayurasharma and the origin of the Kingdom. The inscription is known to be free of legends, giving a realistic and true account of the Kadamba line of kings.
[Rice in Moraes (1931), p15] According to the inscription, Mayurasharma was a ''Vaidika''
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 (gur ...
scholar and a native of Talagunda. He was the son of Bandhushena, grandson of his ''guru'' (teacher) Veerasharma and a student at the ''Agrahara'' (place of learning) in Talagunda.
[Ramesh (1984), p3] The inscription confirms the family is named for the ''Kadamba'' tree that grew near the family home. It is further claimed that they were a
Kannadiga
The Kannada people or Kannadigaru IAST">nowiki/>IAST:_Kannadadavaru_or_Kannadigas_(English_term).html" ;"title="IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowiki/>IAST: Kannadadavaru or Kannadigas (English term)">IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowik ...
Dravidian family inducted into the Brahminic fold as was popular in the medieval times.
[There is no sound historical basis or inscriptional evidence to prove a northern origin or a southern migration of the ancestors of the Kadambas ( Moraes 1931, p17)] The Gudnapur inscription further confirms Mayurasharma's parentage and that he acquired the character of a Kshatriya.
Birth of a kingdom
According to the Talagunda inscription, Mayurasharma went to
Kanchi
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its templ ...
the capital of the
Pallavas to pursue his
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
studies accompanied by his ''guru'' and grandfather Veerasharma. Kanchi was an important ''Ghatikasthana'' (centre of learning) at that time. There, having been humiliated by a Pallava guard (horseman), in a rage Mayurasharma gave up his Brahminic studies and took to the sword to avenge his insult.
[Ramesh (1984), p6] The inscription vividly describes the event thus:
It can be said that the rise of Mayurasharma against the Pallava hold over the Talagunda region was actually a successful rebellion of Brahmins against the domination of the
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...
power as wielded by the Pallavas of Kanchi. Thus was born, in a moment of righteous indignation, the first Kingdom native to present day Karnataka region.
Other scholars however feel Mayurasharma's rebellion was well timed to coincide with the defeat of Pallava Vishnugopa by the southern invasion of
Samudragupta
Samudragupta (Gupta script: ''Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta'', (c. 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of the dynasty. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the ...
of northern India.
George M. Moraes
George Mark Moraes (11 May 1905 – April 1994) was a renowned historian, author, writer and professor from Goa. He has over 29 historical and research works to his name which were published in 74 publications and 542 library holdings. He is ...
and Nilakanta Sastri in Kamath (2001), p31 Mayurasharma first succeeded in establishing himself in the forests of Shriparvata (possibly modern
Srisailam
Srisailam is a census town in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Srisailam mandal in Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the district headquarters Nandyal, from Kurnool, and ...
in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
) by defeating the Antharapalas (guards) of the Pallavas and subduing the
Banas of Kolar. The Pallavas under Skandavarman were unable to contain Mayurasharma and recognised him as a sovereign in the regions from the Amara ocean (western ocean) to Prehara (
Malaprabha river
The Malaprabha River (Kannada ಮಲಪ್ರಭಾ ನದಿ) is a tributary of the Krishna River and flows through the state of Karnataka in India. It rises in the Western Ghats at an elevation of in the state's Belgaum district. The rive ...
).
[According to Professor Kielhorn who deciphered the Talagunda inscription, the extent of his kingdom may have been up to ''Premara'' or ancient ]Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...
in central India ( Moraes 1931, p16) Some historians feel that Mayurasharma was initially appointed as a commander (''dandanayaka'') in the army of the Pallavas, as the inscription uses such terms as ''Senani'' and calls Mayurasharma ''Shadanana'' (six-faced god of war). However, after a period of time, availing himself of the confusion caused by the defeat of Pallava Vishnugopa by Samudragupta (from the Allahabad inscriptions), Mayurasharma carved out a kingdom with Banavasi (near Talagunda) as his capital.
[ Moraes (1931), p16] It is also known that in other battles, Mayurasharma defeated the Traikutas, Abhiras, Sendrakas, Pallavas, Pariyathrakas, Shakasthana, the Maukharis and Punnatas.
[From the ]Chandravalli
Chandravalli is an archaeological site located in the Chitradurga district of the state of Karnataka, India. The region is a valley formed by three hills, Chitradurga, Kirabanakallu and Jolagudda.Amalananda Ghosh (1990), p97 It is a semi-arid r ...
inscription of Mayurashrama (Kamath 2001, p31) To celebrate his successes, Mayurasharma performed many horse sacrifices and granted 144 villages (known as ''
brahmadeya
Brahmadeya (Sanskrit for "given to Brahmana") was tax free land gift either in form of single plot or whole villages donated to Brahmanas in the early medieval India. It was initially practiced by the ruling dynasties and was soon followed up by t ...
s'') to Brahmins of Talagunda.
[from the Halasi plates of Kakushtavarma, great-grandson of Mayurasharma ( Moraes 1931, p17)] With an effort to rejuvenate the ancient Brahminic faith and to perform the royal rituals and the related functions of the government, Mayurasharma invited learned ''Vaidika'' Brahmins from
Ahichatra
Ahichchhatra ( sa, अहिच्छत्र, translit=Ahicchatra) or Ahikshetra ( sa, अहिक्षेत्र, translit=Ahikṣetra), near the modern Ramnagar village in Aonla tehsil, Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, India, was th ...
. The
Havyaka Brahmins claim descent from these early Brahmin settlers of the 4th century called the Ahichatra Brahmins or the Ahikaru/Havikaru.
In popular media
* Mayurasharma was the
protagonist in the 1975 Kannada film ''
Mayura'' starring
Rajkumar. The story is a depiction of the early years of conflict with the Pallava rulers and Mayurasharma's eventual ascension to the Kadamba throne.
* Literature : The famous Telugu writer, poet and scholar, a Jnanapeeth recipient, Padmabushan
Visawanatha Satyanarayana wrote the story of Mayura Sharma as a novel named Kadimi Chettu'' ' (Literal translation: The Kadamba Tree) in Telugu.
Notes
References
*
George M. Moraes
George Mark Moraes (11 May 1905 – April 1994) was a renowned historian, author, writer and professor from Goa. He has over 29 historical and research works to his name which were published in 74 publications and 542 library holdings. He is ...
(1931), ''The Kadamba Kula, A History of Ancient and Medieval Karnataka'', Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, Madras, 1990
* Suryanath U. Kamath, '' Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present'', Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002)
* K.V. Ramesh, ''Chalukyas of Vatapi'', 1984, Agam Kala Prakashan, Delhi
External links
Kadambas of Banavasi , Dr. Jyotsna Kamat
{{Karnataka topics
Year of birth unknown
365 deaths
Kadambas
Hindu monarchs
People from Shimoga
4th-century Indian monarchs