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Yashodharman ( Gupta script: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) (r. 515 – 545) was a ruler of
p.31
/ref> Only one more Gupta inscription is known after that date, a land grant in the area of
Twin monolithic pillars at
p.145
/ref>Foreign Influence on Ancient India by Krishna Chandra Saga
p.216
/ref> Yashodharman thus conquered vast territories from the Hunas and the Guptas,Tribal Culture, Faith, History And Literature, Narayan Singh Rao, Mittal Publications, 200
p.18
/ref> although his short-lived empire would ultimately disintegrate between c. 530–540 AD.
{{Authority control 6th-century Indian monarchs History of Malwa
Yashodharman ( Gupta script: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) (r. 515 – 545) was a ruler of 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 syno ...
, in central 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 ...
, during the early part of the 6th century. He probably belonged to the Second Aulikara dynasty
The Second Aulikara dynasty (Late Brahmi script: ''Au-li-ka-rā'') was a royal dynasty that ruled over the Malwa plateau, and at its peak under Yashodharman Vishnuvardhana controlled a vast area, consisting of almost all of Northern India and p ...
. He conquered much of the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
between c. 530-540 AD according to Mandsaur pillar inscription.
History
Towards the end of the 5th century, India came under attack from theHunas
Hunas or Huna (Middle Brahmi script: ''Hūṇā'') was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered the Indian subcontinent at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. The Huna Kin ...
. Yashodharman and possibly the Gupta emperor, Narasimhagupta
Narasimhagupta (Gupta script: ''Na-ra-si-ṅha-gu-pta'') Baladitya was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of North India. He was son of Purugupta and probably the successor of Budhagupta.
Defeat of the Hunas
According to the Chinese monk Xuanza ...
, defeated a Huna army and their ruler Mihirakula in 528 AD and drove them out of India.
Three inscriptions of Yasodharman have been found in Mandsaur
Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers ...
. One of these, the Mandsaur stone inscription of Yashodharman-Vishnuvardhana
The Mandsaur stone inscription of Yashodharman-Vishnuvardhana, is a Sanskrit inscription in the Gupta script dated to about 532 CE, on a slate stone measuring about 2 feet broad, 1.5 feet high and 2.5 inches thick found in the Malwa region of India ...
is of samvat 589 (532 AD).
Mandsaur stone inscription of Yashodharman-Vishnuvardhana (532 AD)
The Mandsaur stone inscription of Yashodharman-Vishnuvardhana was written in 532 AD, and records the construction of a well by a person named Daksha in Dashapura (modernMandsaur
Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers ...
, also often spelled Mandasor
Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Temple is lo ...
), during the rule of Yashodharman. The inscription mentions the victories of local ruler Yasodharman
Yashodharman (Gupta script: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) (r. 515 – 545) was a ruler of Malwa, in central India, during the early part of the 6th century. He probably belonged to the Second Aulikara dynasty. He conquered much of the Indian subco ...
(and possibly Chalukya
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...
ruler Vishnuvardhana
Vishnuvardhana (r. 1108–1152 CE) was a king of the Hoysala Empire in what is today the modern state of Karnataka, India. He ascended the Hoysala throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I in c.1108. Originally a followe ...
) over Northern and Eastern kingdoms. These kingdoms are not further specified, but it is known that Yashodhaman occupied most of the territories of the Alchon Huns
The Alchon Huns, ( Bactrian: αλχον(ν)ο ''Alchon(n)o'') also known as the Alchono, Alxon, Alkhon, Alkhan, Alakhana and Walxon, were a nomadic people who established states in Central Asia and South Asia during the 4th and 6th centuries C ...
or Hunas
Hunas or Huna (Middle Brahmi script: ''Hūṇā'') was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered the Indian subcontinent at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. The Huna Kin ...
to the north, and the most of the territories of the Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...
to the east following his victories.Indian Esoteric Buddhism: Social History of the Tantric Movement by Ronald M. Davidsop.31
/ref> Only one more Gupta inscription is known after that date, a land grant in the area of
Kotivarsha
Bangarh is an ancient city situated in Gangarampur, West Bengal, India. Bangarh was the ancient city which was the administrative centre of Kotivarsha Vishaya (territorial division), itself part of the wider administrative unit of Pundravardh ...
( Bangarh in West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
) by the last Gupta emperor Vishnugupta. The victory against the Alchons Huns is also described in the Mandsaur pillar inscription of Yashodharman
The Mandasor Pillar Inscriptions of Yashodharman are a set of Sanskrit inscriptions from early 6th-century discovered at an archaeological site at the village of Sondani (सोंधनी), about 4 kilometers south of Mandsaur (Mandasor) in nort ...
.Hans Bakker
Hans T. Bakker (born 1948) is a cultural historian and Indologist, who has served as the Professor of the History of Hinduism and Jan Gonda Chair at the University of Groningen. He currently works in the British Museum as a researcher in project ...
50 years that changed India (Timeline)
Mandsaur pillar inscription of Yashodharman (515–550 AD)
Twin monolithic pillars at Sondani
Sondani (सोंधनी), also Sondhni, is a small village at a distance of about 4 km from Mandsaur situated on Mahu-Nimach Highway towards Mahu.
Victory monuments (525 CE)
The spot is famous for a series of monuments with inscriptions ...
in Mandsaur District
Mandsaur district is a District of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Mandsaur is the administrative headquarters of the district.The ancient pashupatinath temple is situated in Mandsaur. Large quantities of opium are produced in ...
were erected by Yasodharman as a record of his victory. In a part of the Sondani inscription
The Mandasor Pillar Inscriptions of Yashodharman are a set of Sanskrit inscriptions from early 6th-century discovered at an archaeological site at the village of Sondani (सोंधनी), about 4 kilometers south of Mandsaur (Mandasor) in nort ...
, Yasodharman
Yashodharman (Gupta script: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) (r. 515 – 545) was a ruler of Malwa, in central India, during the early part of the 6th century. He probably belonged to the Second Aulikara dynasty. He conquered much of the Indian subco ...
thus praises himself for having defeated king Mihirakula
Mihirakula (Gupta script: , ''Mi-hi-ra-ku-la'', Chinese: 摩酰逻矩罗 ''Mo-hi-lo-kiu-lo''), sometimes referred to as Mihiragula or Mahiragula, was the second and last Alchon Hun king of northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent betwee ...
:
Territory
In Line 5 of the Mandsaur pillar inscription, Yashodharman claims he vanquished his enemies and now controls the territory from the neighbourhood of the (river) Lauhitya ( Brahmaputra River) to the "Western Ocean" (WesternIndian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
), and from the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
to mountain Mahendra.Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol p.145
/ref>Foreign Influence on Ancient India by Krishna Chandra Saga
p.216
/ref> Yashodharman thus conquered vast territories from the Hunas and the Guptas,Tribal Culture, Faith, History And Literature, Narayan Singh Rao, Mittal Publications, 200
p.18
/ref> although his short-lived empire would ultimately disintegrate between c. 530–540 AD.
References
External links
{{Authority control 6th-century Indian monarchs History of Malwa