Pushyabhuti dynasty
Pushyabhuti dynasty (Vardhana dynasty) | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
c. 500–c. 647 CE | |||||||||||||||||||
Empire of Harsha", and neighbouring polities.[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
Capital | Sthanvishvara (modern Thanesar) Kanyakubja (modern Kannauj) | ||||||||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||
• Established | c. 500 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 647 CE | ||||||||||||||||||
|
The Pushyabhuti dynasty (
Etymology and name
According to
Some modern books describe the dynasty as "Vardhana", because the names of its kings end with the suffix "-vardhana". However, this may be misleading as the names of kings of other dynasties also end with this suffix.[3]
Origins
No concrete information is available about the origins of the dynasty. Harshacharita by the 7th century poet Bana gives a legendary account of their origin, naming Pushyabhuti as the dynasty's founder. According to this legend, Pushyabhuti lived in the Srikantha janapada (modern Kurukshetra district), whose capital was Sthanvishvara (modern Thanesar). A devotee of Shiva, Pushyabhuti became involved in a tantric ritual at a cremation ground, under the influence of Bhairavacharya, a teacher from "the South". At the end of this ritual, a goddess (identified with Lakshmi) anointed him the king and blessed him as the founder of a great dynasty.[6] The Pushyabhuti mentioned in Bana's account appears to be a fictional character, as he is not mentioned in the dynasty's inscriptions or any other source.[7]
During Prabhakarvardhan's rule this dynasty became prominent. His son Harshvardhan further expand Vardhan kingdom in his rule.
The writings of Xuanzang and an 8th century Buddhist text, the Arya-manjushri-mula-kalpa suggest that the dynasty belonged to the Vaishya caste.[9][10]
History
The Pushyabhuti dynasty originally ruled a small area around their capital Sthaneshvara (
According to the Harshacharita, after Prabhakara's death, the king of Malava attacked Kannauj, supported by the ruler of Gauda. The Malava king killed Graha-Varman, and captured Rajyashri.[14] Bana does not mention this king, but historians speculate him to be a ruler of the Later Gupta dynasty.[15] Prabhakara's elder son Rajya-Vardhana defeated the Malava ruler, but was killed by the Gauda king.[16]
The Harshacharita further states that Prabhakara's younger son
Harsha eventually made Kanyakubja (modern Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh) his capital,[4] and ruled till c. 647 CE. He died without an heir, leading to the end of the Pushyabhuti dynasty.[19]
Rulers
The following are the known rulers of the Pushyabhuti or Vardhana dynasty, with estimated period of reign (
- List of Rulers–
Ruler | Reign (CE) | Notes |
---|---|---|
Pushyabhuti | ~500 | |
Nāravardhana | 500–525 | |
Rājyavardhana I | 525–555 | |
Ādityvardhana | 555–580 | |
Prabhākaravardhana
|
580–605 | |
Rājyavardhana II
|
605–606 | |
Harṣavardhana
|
606–647 |
See also
References
- ^ CNG Coins
- ISBN 0226742210.
- ^ a b D. C. Ganguly 1981, p. 240.
- ^ a b Baijnath Sharma 1970, p. 89.
- ^ Max Deeg 2016, p. 99.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, pp. 78–79.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, p. 80.
- ^ ८. मोर्य समर्ज्यानंतरची राज्ये [8. Kingdoms after Maurya empire]. Itihas Va Nagarikshastra Iyatta Sahavi [History and Sociology class sixth] (in Marathi) (5th ed.). Mudra vibhag, Pathyapustak madal, Pune, India: Maharashtra rajya pathyapustak nirmiti va abhyaskram sanshodhak mandal, Pune. 2021. p. 39.
- JSTOR 44147825.
This probably explains the emergence of Pushyabhuti, a Vaisya by caste and a Saiva by faith, as its ruler
- ^ Y. Krishan; Indian History and Culture Society (1986). Essays in Indian History and Culture. Indian History & Culture Society. p. 167.
yuan Chwang, who remained in Inda for approximately thirteen years (c. A.DD. 630-44) tells us that Harshavardhana was of 'Fe ishe'(bais) extraction. The Āryamanjuśrimulakalpa also clearly states that the Pushyabhutis belonged to the vaisya caste. According to Tripathi, the suffix ' bhūti ' additionally indicates that Pushyabhuti, the founder of the family was a vaisya
- ISBN 978-81-85832-26-5.
Female bust Vardhana, 7th Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh Stone, 67 x 41x 27 cm Acc . No. 51.97 National Museum, New Delhi The present sculpture is a surviving upper portion of a female figure from Gwalior region.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, p. 79.
- ^ Sastri, Hirananda (1931). Epigraphia Indica Vol.21. pp. 74–80.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, p. 81.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, p. 82.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, pp. 85–86.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, p. 87.
- ^ Hans Bakker 2014, p. 88.
- ^ a b Sukla Das 1990, p. 2.
- ^ Upinder Singh 2008, p. 562.
- Vardhana attribution by the Indian Museum in New Delhi, see label of the lion capital
- Vardhana attribution by the Indian Museum in New Delhi, see label of the lion capital
- ^ Ronald M. Davidson 2012, pp. 38–39.
Bibliography
- Baijnath Sharma (1970). Harṣa and His Times. Sushma Prakashan. OCLC 202093.
- D. C. Ganguly (1981). "Western India in the Sixth Century A.D.". In OCLC 34008529.
- ISBN 978-90-04-27714-4.
- Max Deeg (2016). "The Political Position of Xuanzang: The Didactic Creation of an Indian Dynasty in the Xiyu ji". In Thomas Jülch (ed.). The Middle Kingdom and the Dharma Wheel: Aspects of the Relationship between the Buddhist Saṃgha and the State in Chinese History. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-32258-5.
- Ronald M. Davidson (2012). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-50102-6.
- Sukla Das (1990). Crime and Punishment in Ancient India. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978-81-7017-054-9.
- Upinder Singh (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0.