Ganapati Naga

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Ganapatinaga (गणपतिनाग) (310-344 AD) was a Nagavanshi king of Bharashiva family in Nava Naga dynasty.[1] He was one of the rulers of forest countries in Aryyavartta defeated by Samudragupta (A.D. 335-76). The first part is Ganapati and the second is 'naga', which signifies that the king belonged to the Naga dynasty. He probably ruled at Mathura.[2] [3]

Variants of name

Jat clans

History

Dr Naval Viyogi[4] writes about the Re-establishment of Nagas in Kantipuri: The Bharsivas, in the later days of imperial Kushanas or about 150 A.D. reached Kantipur on the Ganges, they performed there Ashwamedha and coronations at or near Banaras where is located the place known as Nagwa, the present site of the Hindu University seems to be associated with their name. From Kantipur, they moved westwards under Virasena, who strikes coins extensively and whose coins are found from Ahichchhatra, regains Padmavati and Mathura.

Ganapati Naga was King of a Bharashiva family in Nava Naga dynasty. Nava Naga (year 27 on his coin) was founder of the Nava Naga Dynasty (140-170 AD) of Bharsiva. Virasena (Year 34 on Coin) was founder of Mathura and Padmavati Branches. (170-210 AD). [5]

Nava Nagas Rulers at Kantipuri: [6]


Nava Nagas Rulers at Padmavati:[7]

The Naga Rulers of Padmavati

There were many potteries and coins of the 'Naga' kings, ancient temples and monuments discovered during excavations in the village.

During 3-4th centuries AD Nagas became powerful in Central India. The Nagas had their main centres at Kantipuri (modern Kutwar, Morena district), Padmavati (Pawaya, near Gwalior) and Vidisa. The coins of the Nagas have been discovered in thousands from these places and preserved at Gwalior Museum.[8]

Dilip Kumar Ganguly[9] writes that ....The Nagas established their rule at Vidisha, Padmavati (modern Padam Pawaya, Mathura and Kantipura, which has been identified by KP Jayaswal as Kantit between Mirzapur and Vindhyachal, but located more properly at Kutwal or Kutwar in Morena district Madhya Pradesh.

The existence of several Naga principalities, as alluded in Puranas, is strikingly attested by Samudragupta's Allahabad pillar Inscription which mentions Nagadatta, Nagasena, Ganapatinaga, and Nandi, all Naga princes among the kings of Aryavarta slain by Samudragupta. Several Naga coins have been discovered from places like Kutwar (Morena), Narwar (Shivpuri) and Padam Pawaya (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Padam Pawaya has yielded the largest number of such coins, including those of Bhimanaga, Devanaga, Brihaspatinaga, Ganapatinaga, Skandanaga, Vasunaga, Vyaghranaga, Prabhakarnaga, Bhavanaga, Ravinaga, Vibhunaga and Vrishabha.

Dr Naval Viyogi[10] writes that ....The Nagas had, under the evident pressure of the Kushanas left Padmavati. We have the definite statement in the Puranas that Vinvasphani ruled at Padmavati and ruled upto Magadha. [11] Therefore, we may take it that about 80-100 AD the Naga dynasty takes shelter, away from the trunk road between Mathura and Vidisa, into the inner jungles of the central provinces. [12]

The Bharsivas, re-issuing from the jungles of Hoshangabad and Jabalpur seem to have reached the Ganges through Baghelkhand. They established their capital at Kanti or Kantipuri. [13] Now it is a large mud fort about a mile long on the Ganges. The fort was destroyed in the muslim period and the king's seat was removed into the neigbouring hills at Vijaypur and at Manda, where the family, now in two branches: resides. The local tradition at Kanti is that long before 'the Gahadwala' the fort belonged originally to the Bhar Kings. The 'Bhar' kings here are evidently a corruption of the 'Bharsiva' kings [14] or Bharshiva.

Dr Naval Viyogi[15] writes that ....The Bharsivas, in the later days of imperial Kushanas or about 150 A.D. reached Kantipuri on the Ganges, they performed there Ashwamedha and coronations at or near Banaras where is located the place known as Nagwa, the present site of the Hindu University seems to be associated with their name. From Kantipuri, they moved westwards under Virasena, who strikes coins extensively and whose coins are found from Ahichchhatra, regains Padmavati and Mathura.

It is stated in the Vayu and Brahmand Puranas that rule of Navanaga was not only confined to Samayukta Prant alone but also to the east and the western Bihar also because their capital was in Mathura as well as in Champavati-Bhagalpur. [16]

The Puranas, give to the Padmavati and the Mathura Nagas or in view of the Vishnu, to the Padmavati, Kantipuri-Mathura Nagas,-seven successions. This is fully borne out by the names gathered from the coins and inscriptions.

Dr Naval Viyogi[17] writes that ....According to Vakataka [18] inscriptions (Fleet G I. PP-237) Gautamiputra, son of the Emperor Pravarsena and father of Rudrasena I, did not succeed, but Rudrasena I, both as the grand-son of Pravarsena and as the grandson of the Bharsiva-Maharaja Bhavnag, succeeded. The Nava Naga ruled from three capitals Padmavati, Mathura and Kantipuri. But Rudrasena I ruled from Purika.

Sometimes before Samudragupta, (335-375 AD) the Naga kings were ruling over Eran. As,[19] Padmavati, Kantipuri and Mathura were three centres of their rule, the Eran- Vidisa was fourth. Naga coins have been recovered in a very large number from this region. All these four kingdoms were inter-related with each other and perhaps, they all unitedly encountered the attacks of Kushanas and Scythians and pushed them back from their motherland.

Chandragupta died in 335 AD and was succeeded by his son Samudragupta, a tireless conqueror. He took the kingdoms of Shichchhatra and Padmavati early in his reign. He then took the Kingdom of Kota and attacked the tribes in Malavas, the Yaudheyas, the Arjunayanas, the Madras and the Abhiras. By his death in 380, he had incorporated over twenty kingdoms into his realm, his rule extended from the Himalayas to the river Narmada and from the Brahmaputra to the Yamuna. He gave himself the titles King of Kings and World Monarch. He performed Ashwamedha yajna (horse sacrifice) to underline the importance of his conquest.

In Gupta Inscriptions

Tej Ram Sharma[20] writes that....He was one of the rulers of forest countries in Aryyavartta defeated by Samudragupta. The first part of the name is is Ganapati and the second is 'naga', which signifies that the king belonged to the Naga dynasty. He probably ruled at Mathura.

L. 21 of Allahabad Stone Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta (A.D. 335-76) includes Ganapatināga among forest country rulers who were defeated by Samudragupta.

(L. 21.)-Who abounded in majesty that had been increased by violently exterminating Rudradeva, Matila,Nāgadatta, Chandravarman,Ganapatināga,Nāgasena,Achyutanandin, Balavarman, and many other kings of (the land of) Āryāvarta;-who made all the kings of the forest countries to become (his) servants;
२१. रुद्रदेव-मतिल-नागदत्त-चन्द्रवर्मा-गणपतिनाग-नागसेनाच्युत-नन्दि-बल-वर्म्मा-द्यनेकार्य्यावर्त्त-
राज-प्रसभोद्धरणोद्धृत-प्रभाव-महत:4 परिचारकीकृत-सर्व्वाटविक-राजस्य

Jayaswael[21] KP gives an account of political organization of Bharsivas as follows -

"The system of the Naga government was a federation consisting of (1) tree mam monarchial Naga families, one of which, the Bharasiva, was the imperial leader (chief), with a number of gubernatorial families under him, (2) a number of republics. Two branches at Padmavati and Mathura were set up by the Bharsivas, with distinguishing dynastic titles of their own. The Padmavati dynasty had the official designation the Taka Bansha, which is given in the Bhavasataka a book dedicated to Ganapati-Naga. The Mathura family had the official title-the Yadu-Bansha which is mentioned in the drama Kaumudimahotsava writtten about the same time as the Bhavasataka. The two titles incidentally furnish ethnological data of the Nava Nagas .... Padmavati family was thus a sovereign family, and their subordination to the Bharsiva was evidently of an Imperial type. The Mathura family and the family to which Nagadatta (father of Maharaja Mesvara Naga of the Lahore seal) beelonged and who ruled somewhere in Ambala district probably at the old capital Shrughna, seem to have been under the direct control of the Bharsiva. There was a ruling family near Indrapura (Indorkhera) in the district of Bulandshahar. As regards Bharsivas they had their two centres, Kantipuri and Padmavati. The Mathura family never minted any coin but the Padmavati family did so from the beginning to the end. They were thus a sovereign family." It is obvious Bharsivas were racially -Yadavas and of Taka Bansha . Political confederacy system was their peculiarity. [22]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Dr Naval Viyogi: Nagas, the Ancient Rulers of India, p.333
  2. ↑ The Vakatka-Gupta Age by R. C. Majumdar and A.S. Altekar. p. 141
  3. ↑ Tej Ram Sharma: Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions/Names of Feudatory Kings and High Officers,p. p.38,S.No.2
  4. ↑ Dr Naval Viyogi: Nagas, the Ancient Rulers of India, p.333, 334
  5. ↑ Dr Naval Viyogi: Nagas, the Ancient Rulers of India, p.333, 334
  6. ↑ Dr Naval Viyogi: Nagas, the Ancient Rulers of India, p.333, 334
  7. ↑ Dr Naval Viyogi: Nagas, the Ancient Rulers of India, p.333, 334
  8. ↑ K. D. Bajpai:The History of Gopāchala, p.24
  9. ↑ History and Historians in Ancient India, By Dilip Kumar Ganguly, p.28
  10. ↑ Nagas: the Ancient Rulers of India, p.332
  11. ↑ V.P. (Wilson) II P-659.
  12. ↑ Jayaswal KP. P-16.
  13. ↑ Jayaswal KP. P-29.
  14. ↑ ibid
  15. ↑ Nagas: the Ancient Rulers of India, p.333
  16. ↑ 25. Jayaswal KP. P-32.
  17. ↑ Nagas: the Ancient Rulers of India, p.334
  18. ↑ Jayaswal KP. P-17.
  19. ↑ Jayaswal KP. P-15.
  20. ↑ Tej Ram Sharma: Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions/Names of Feudatory Kings and High Officers,p. p.38,S.No.2
  21. ↑ Jayaswal KP., "History of India" PP 33-34.
  22. ↑ Dr Naval Viyogi: Nagas, the Ancient Rulers of India, p.335

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