Arunāsva (also known as Aluonashun in Chinese sources and as Arjuna) was the governor of Tirabhukti (modern north

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

) who later usurped the throne of

Kannauj Kannauj (Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: ) is an ancient city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar palika, Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Ut ...

. He had been the governor of Tirhut and a minister at the court of Harsha and usurped the throne after his death, succeeding the

Pushyabhuti dynasty The Pushyabhuti dynasty (IAST: Puṣyabhūti), also known as the Vardhana dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Thanesar in northern India during the 6th and 7th centuries. The dynasty reached its zenith under its last ruler Harshav ...

. He is known for repulsing an invasion launched by the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

of the

Rashidun Caliphate The Rashidun Caliphate () is a title given for the reigns of first caliphs (lit. "successors") — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali collectively — believed to Political aspects of Islam, represent the perfect Islam and governance who led the ...

Reign

The historian, Yogendra Mishra, was of the view that Arunasva was likely a prince related to the

Maukhari dynasty The Maukhari dynasty (Gupta script: , ''Mau-kha-ri'') was a post-Gupta Empire, Gupta dynasty who controlled the vast plains of Ganges, Ganga-Yamuna for over six generations from their capital at Kannauj, Kanyakubja. They earlier served as vassa ...

who had established a base of operations for himself in the region of Tirhut where he served as a governor for

Harshavardhana Harshavardhana (Sanskrit: हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647) was an emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns, and the younger brother of Rajya ...

. After emperor

's death, he usurped the throne and became the new king of

including his former possessions in Tirabhukti. He was the emperor's former minister. In 648, the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

's emperor Tang Taizong sent

Wang Xuance Wang Xuance (, fl. 7th century) was a Chinese diplomat, military general, and travel writer. In 643 CE he went on a pilgrimage to India, together with Li Yibiao. Due to Tibet's aggressive stance, which threatened both Chinese and Indian states, ...

to India in response to emperor Harsha having sent an ambassador to China. However once in India he discovered Harsha had died and the new king Aluonashun (supposedly Arunāsva) attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinates. This led to Wang Xuance escaping to Tibet and then mounting a joint of over 7,000 Nepalese

mounted infantry Mounted infantry were infantry who rode horses instead of marching. Unlike cavalry, mounted infantry dismounted to fight on foot. The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Editio ...

and 1,200 Tibetan

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

and attack on the Indian state on 16 June. The success of this attack won Xuance the title of the "Grand Master for the Closing Court." (Note that this is not a prestigious title, only in the 5th rank of Tang's nine-rank official system) He also secured a reported Buddhist relic for China. 2,000 prisoners were taken from Magadha by the Nepali and Tibetan forces under Wang. Tibetan and Chinese writings document describe Wang Xuance's raid on India with Tibetan soldiers. Nepal had been subdued by the Tibetan emperor Songtsen. The Indian pretender was among the captives. The war happened in 649. Taizong's grave had a statue of the Indian pretender. The pretender's name was recorded in Chinese records as "Na-fu-ti O-lo-na-shuen" (Dinafudi is probably a reference to Tirabhukti).

References

Indian royalty {{India-royal-stub Kings of Kannauj Usurpers Tang dynasty diplomats History of Uttar Pradesh 7th century in India 7th-century Indian monarchs History of Bihar