Panduvamshis Of Mekala

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Find spot Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...

s of the inscriptions of the Panduvamshis of Mekala" width="350" height="350" zoom="5" latitude="21.25" longitude="81.63"> The Panduvamshis (

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 ...

: Pāṇḍuvaṁśī) or Pandavas (

: Pāṇḍava) were an Indian dynasty that ruled the historical Mekala region in present-day

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

state of India, during the 6th and the 7th centuries. The Panduvamshi kings, who were

Shaivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

s, claimed descent from the legendary

Pandavas 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 ...

and also claimed to be members of the

lunar dynasty The Lunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''Som ...

. They may have been

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...

feudatories, and may have been related to the

Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala The Panduvamshis (IAST: Pāṇḍuvaṁśī) or Pandavas (IAST: Pāṇḍava) were an Indian dynasty that ruled the historical Dakshina Kosala region in present-day Chhattisgarh state of India, during the 7th and the 8th centuries. They may have ...

, but this cannot be said with certainty.

Period

The dynasty's inscriptions are dated in the regnal years of the kings, instead of a

calendar era A calendar era is the period of time elapsed since one ''epoch'' of a calendar and, if it exists, before the next one. For example, it is the year as per the Gregorian calendar, which numbers its years in the Western Christian era (the Coptic ...

. Therefore, various historians have determined the dynasty's period of reign based on other evidence. A stanza in the Bamhani inscription of the Panduvamshis contains the word "''narendra''", which has been interpreted as a veiled reference to the

Vakataka 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 th ...

king Narendrasena by some scholars. Based on this inscription, epigraphist Bahadur Chand Chhabra theorized that Narendrasena was the overlord of the Panduvamshi king Bharatabala. This theory is corroborated by the fact that the inscriptions of Narendrasena's son Prithvisena II state that his father's commands were obeyed by the lords of

Kosala The Kingdom of Kosala (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indian kingdom with a rich culture, corresponding to the area within the region of Awadh in present-day Uttar Pradesh to Western Odisha. It emerged as a janapada, small state during the late Ve ...

, Mekala and

Malava 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 synony ...

. According to Chhabhra, the inscription does not allude to Narendrasena's overlordship in "equivocal terms", because Bharatabala's acknowledgement of Narendrasena's suzerainty was nominal, and Mekala was practically an autonomous state. Based on Narendrasena's date, Chhabra dated the ascension of the first Panduvamshi king Jayabala to c. 400 CE. According to this theory, the Panduvamshis ruled during the 5th century. Historian

Ajay Mitra Shastri Ajay Mitra Shastri (5 March 1934 – 11 January 2002) was an Indian academic, historian and numismatist associated with the Nagpur University. Early life and education A. M. Shastri was born on 5 March 1934 at Guna in Central India Agency, ...

disputes Chhabra's theory, stating that the word "''narendra''" (literally "king") in the dynasty's inscriptions refers to the Panduvamshi king Shurabala alias Udirnavaira, not the Vakataka king Narendrasena. Shastri points out that the Bamhani inscription was issued by Udirnavaira, not Bharatabala; the inscription mentions that feudal chiefs fell at the feet of Udirnavaira, which suggests that Udirnavaira considered himself a paramount ruler. According to the Bamhani inscription, Bharatabala's queen Lokaprakasha came from the Amaraja ''kula'' (family) of Kosala. Earlier scholars variously identified this family as Panduvamshis of Kosala, Sharabhapuriyas and Shuras, all of which ruled the

Dakshina Kosala Dakshina Kosala (IAST: Dakṣiṇa Kosala, "southern Kosala") is a historical region of central India. It was located in what is now Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh along with some parts of Western Odisha. At its greatest extent, it may have al ...

region. However, these identifications are no longer considered tenable after the discovery of an inscription of a ruler named Vyaghraraja. The Malhar inscription of Vyaghraraja describes him as a member of the Amararya ''kula'', which seems to be same as the Amaraja ''kula''. Based on the epigraphic evidence, the inscriptions of the Panduvamshis of Mekala cannot be dated earlier than the late 6th or early 7th century. Shastri places Jayabala to c. 500-525 CE. He theorizes that Jayabala and his son Vatsaraja acknowledged

suzerainty, and Vatsaraja's son Nagabala asserted sovereignty after the decline of the Guptas.

Territory

The Panduvamshis ruled the historical Mekala region, which covered the area around the

Maikal Hills The Maikal Hills are range of hills in the state of eastern Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh India. The Maikal Hills are an eastern part of the Satpuras in Kawardha District of Chhattisgarh and Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, overlooking th ...

, whose name derives from the word ''Mekala''. The core Panduvamshi territory included parts of the present-day

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 ...

Shahdol Shahdol is a city in Shahdol district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Shahdol district, The total geographical area of the district is . Demographics India census A census is the procedure o ...

, and Bilaspur districts. The location of the dynasty's capital is not certain, as its inscriptions do not mention the place of their issue. Historian

V. V. Mirashi Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi (1893–1985) was a Sanskrit scholar and a prominent Indologist of the 20th century who hailed from Maharashtra, India. He was an expert of his times on stone and copper inscriptions and the coinage of ancient India. ...

theorized that it was located at present-day

Bandhavgarh Bandhavgarh National Park is a national park of India, located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh, with an area of , was declared a national park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993. The current core area is spread ov ...

. Mirashi connected the Panduvamshis to an earlier dynasty whose inscriptions have been found at Bandhavgarh. These inscriptions mention ''Mahasenapati'' (military general) Bhadrabāla and his son Vaishravana, whom Mirashi speculated to be the ancestors of Jayabala. However, Mirashi's theory is based on incorrect reading of the name "Bhadrabāla" as "Bhadrabala". Moreover, there is strong evidence to connect the Bandhavgarh chiefs with the Magha kings, who formed a distinct dynasty. Therefore, Mirashi's conjecture is not tenable. Historian K. D. Bajpai believed that the capital was located at present-day Malhar, which according to Bajpai, was known as Sharabhapura in the ancient period. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this theory either.

Political history

The early rulers of Mekala may have been feudatories of the Guptas or the

s. The

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

state that seven kings ruled Mekala for seventy years; this may be a reference to the Panduvamshis of Mekala. The dynasty's inscriptions state that its founder Jayabala was born in the lineage of the

, and also describe the family as ''somasya vamsha''. Like the Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala, the Panduvamshis of Mekala were known as both "Pandava" and "Soma-vamsha" (

). He bore the titles ''rājan'' ("king") and ''kṣitipati-tilaka'' ("foremost among the ruling chiefs"). Jayabala's son and successor Vatsaraja bore the titles ''kṣitiśa'' and ''nṛpati'' ("king"). The Bamhani inscription describes him as ''Vatseshvara'' (lord of Vatsa); this seems to be a comparison to the famous

Vatsa Vatsa or Vamsa (Pali and Ardhamagadhi: , literally "calf") was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (great kingdoms) of Uttarapatha of ancient India mentioned in the Aṅguttara Nikāya. Location The territory of Vatsa was located to the south o ...

king

Udayana Udayana, (Devanagari: उदयन) also known as Udayanācārya (Udyanacharya, or Master Udayana), (circa 975 - 1050 CE) was an Indian philosopher and logician of the tenth century of the Nyaya school who attempted to devise a rational theol ...

, who was also said to be a descendant of the Pandavas. The inscription contains vague references to Vatsaraja's military victories. For example, it states that he "assailed the enemies by the valour of his own arms and made the gardens attached to the houses of his enemies teem with wild beasts". The next ruler Nagabala was a son of Vatsaraja and Drona-bhattarika. According to the Panduvamshi inscriptions, he bore the title ''

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

'', which suggests that he was more powerful than his predecessors: it is possible that the preceding kings were feudatories, and Nagabala attained a sovereign status. The Bamhani inscription describes him as a

who was devoted to the

brahmanas The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

s, various gods, and the supreme divinity. It also contains vague references to his military exploits, describing the movements of his horses and elephants. Bharatabala, Nagabala's son from Indra-bhattarika, also bore the title ''Maharaja''. He was also known as Indra, and the dynasty's inscriptions compare him to the deity

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

in the destruction of his enemies, and to the deity

Agni Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...

(fire) in brilliance. His birth from Indra-bhattarika is compared to the birth of Shiva's son

Kartikeya Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

from

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

. The Malhar inscription equates him to the legendary emperor Bharata. These descriptions suggest that he achieved significant military successes against his enemies. Like his father, the Bamhani inscription describes him as a Shaivite devoted to brahamanas etc., and vaguely refers to his military exploits. The inscription states that he received gifts of gold during ritual sacrifices. It names his queen as Lokaprakasha (although, according to one interpretation, this is not a name, but a descriptive word, meaning "world-renowned".) It describes the queen as ''amaraja-kulaja'', which has been variously interpreted as "born in a divine family" or "born in the Amaraja family". The queen was born in Kosala, which can be identified as Dakshina Kosala in this context. It compares the queen to the sacred river Jahanvi (that is,

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

), and states that she became world-renowned by performing religious duties and because of her sons and grandsons. Bharatabala was succeeded by Shurabala alias Udirnavaira, his son from queen Mahadevi. Shurabala's Malhar inscription describes him as a Shaivite devoted to brahamanas etc., like his predecessors. His inscriptions state that he "uprooted his enemies", and several feudal chiefs subjugated by him fervently rubbed his "lotus-like feet".

Decline

An inscription issued by the ''

samanta Samanta was a title and position used in the history of the Indian subcontinent between 4th and 12th centuryThe Journal of the Bihar Research Society, Volumes 69-70, p.77 to denote a vassal or tributary chief. The term roughly translates to ''neig ...

'' (feudatory ruler) Indraraja has been discovered at Malga in Chhattisgarh. Although the inscription does not name Indraraja's overlord, it is similar to the Bamhani and Malhar inscriptions issued by Udirnavaira, in terms of content, script, language, and style. It was inscribed by Dronaka, and the inscriptions of Udirnavaira were inscribed by Mihiraka; both Dronaka and Mihiraka were sons of the goldsmith Ishvara. These evidences suggest that Indraraja was related to Udirnavaira, although the nature of this relationship is not certain. Indraraja's title (''samanta'') suggests that he owed allegiance to the Panduvamshis, but the omission of the overlord's name in the inscription suggests that he had become somewhat independent. Historian Ajay Mitra Shastri speculates that he flourished in a period when the Panduvamshi power was declining after the end of Udirnavaira's reign, but he had not become strong enough to completely renounce the Panduvamshi suzerainty.

Possible successors

The Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala, a later dynasty, rose to power in an area adjacent to Mekala around Udirnavaira's time. Its kings also claimed descent from the legendary Pandavas, and claimed to belonged to the lunar race. It appears that this new dynasty was related to the Panduvamshis of Mekala, but there is no concrete evidence to establish this with certainty. The two dynasties were different in several ways. Only one king of the Dakshina Kosala dynasty is known to have a name ending in "-bala", while all but one kings of the Mekala dynasty had names ending in -"bala". The copper-plate inscriptions of the Dakshina Kosala dynasty are composed in prose, and are inscribed in "box-headed" characters (although some private stone inscriptions from their reign are inscribed in "nail-headed characters"). On the other hand, the inscriptions of the Mekala dynasty are composed in a mixture of prose and verse, and are inscribed in "nail-headed" characters. The Dakshina Kosala rulers prefixed the word "mahat" to their names, which was not a practice among the Mekala rulers. Lastly, the Dakshina Kosala rulers were Vaishnavites, unlike the Mekala rulers, who were Shaivites. Some of these differences are explainable. For example, the use of the "box-headed" characters and the "mahat" prefix can be attributed to the influence of the Sharabhapuriyas, who preceded the Panduvamshis in the Dakshina Kosala region. It can be argued that the later Panduvamshis adopted Vaishnavism. However, the inscriptions of the Dakshina Kosala kings do not mention the Mekala rulers, although they contain a detailed description of their dynasty. The Dakshina Kosala family may have been a collateral branch of the Mekala family, but this cannot be said with certainty in absence of concrete historical evidence.

Rulers

The known rulers of the dynasty, with estimates of their reign by historian A. M. Shastri, are as follows: * Jayabala, c. 500-525 * Vatsārāja; queen Drona-bhattarika * Nāgabala; queen Indra-bhattarika * Bharatabala alias Indra; queen Lokaprakasha * Shurabala alias Udirnavaira (IAST: Śūrabala Udīrṇavaira), c. 600-?

Inscriptions

The following inscriptions issued during the reign of the Panduvamshis of Mekala, all in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

language, have been discovered.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{ref end Dynasties of India History of Chhattisgarh