Mayurasharma
| Mayurasharma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founder of Kadamba dynasty | |
| Reign | c. 345 – c. 365 CE |
| Successor | Kangavarma |
| Dynasty | Kadamba |
| Kadamba dynasty |
|---|
Mayurasharma or Mayuravarma (reigned 345–365 CE), a native of
Kadamba Kingdom of Banavasi, the earliest native kingdom to rule over what is today the modern state of Karnataka, India.[1][2] 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, 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.[3]
Early life
_at_Talagunda.JPG)
The Talagunda
Kannadiga Dravidian family inducted into the Brahminic fold as was popular in the medieval times.[6] The Gudnapur inscription further confirms Mayurasharma's parentage and that he acquired the character of a Kshatriya.[1]
Legends
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
Jain 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.[7]
Birth of a kingdom
According to the Talagunda inscription, Mayurasharma went to
Pallavas to pursue his Vedic 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.[8]
The inscription vividly describes the event thus:
That the hand dextrous in grasping the kusha grass, fuel and stones, ladle, melted butter and the oblation vessel, unsheathed a flaming sword, eager to conquer the earth[9][10]
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
Havyaka Brahmins claim descent from these early Brahmin settlers of the 4th century called the Ahichatra Brahmins or the Ahikaru/Havikaru.[16]
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
- ^ a b c Kamath (2001), p30
- ^ a b Moraes (1931), pp9-10
- ^ Ramesh (1984), p2, pp10-11
- ^ Rice in Moraes (1931), p15
- ^ a b Ramesh (1984), p3
- ^ 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)
- ^ Moraes (1931), pp7-8
- ^ Ramesh (1984), p6
- ^ Kamath (2001), p31
- ^ Moraes (1931), p15
- ^ George M. Moraes and Nilakanta Sastri in Kamath (2001), p31
- ^ According to Professor Kielhorn who deciphered the Talagunda inscription, the extent of his kingdom may have been up to Premara or ancient Malwa in central India (Moraes 1931, p16)
- ^ Moraes (1931), p16
- ^ From the Chandravalli inscription of Mayurashrama (Kamath 2001, p31)
- ^ from the Halasi plates of Kakushtavarma, great-grandson of Mayurasharma (Moraes 1931, p17)
- ^ Kamat, Jyotsna Dr. "Havyaka Brahmins". Kamat's Potpourri. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
References
- ISBN 81-206-0595-0
- Suryanath U. Kamath, Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002) OCLC 7796041
- K.V. Ramesh, Chalukyas of Vatapi, 1984, Agam Kala Prakashan, Delhi