Bhim Lat

Author of this article is Laxman Burdak लक्ष्मण बुरड़क

Bhim Lat or Bijayagadh Stone Pillar Inscription at Bayana

Maharaja Vishnuvardhan, Jat ruler of Malwa, had defeated the Huna ruler Mihirkula in 528 AD. As a symbol of victory, there is an inscription on pillar of Maharaja Vishnuvardhan in Bayana town in Bharatpur district, which is known as ‘Bhim Lat’. This pillar shows the extent of his rule up to Bayana. According to CV Vaidya the period of Jat rulers in Malwa is 500-641 AD.

Bijayagadh inscription

The Bijayagadh Stone Pillar Inscription of Vishnuvardhana, locally known as Bhīm kī Lāţ, was erected at Bayana in Bharatpur district for having perfection been attained in samvat 428 on the fifteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight of (the month) Phâlguna. The line 3 of Bijayagadh Stone Pillar Inscription of Vishnuvardhana reads as:

"(Line 3.)-On the ceremony of the pundarîka-sacrifice (having been performed), this sacrificial post has been caused to be set up by the Varika, the illustrious Vishnuvarhana whose royalty and name are well established,-who is the excellent son of Yashôvardhana; (and) the excellent son’s son of Yashôrâta; (and) the excellent son of the son’s son of Vyâghrarâta, - for the purpose of increasing (his) splendour, sacrifices, religion, welfare (in the other world), prosperity, fame, family, lineage, good fortune, and enjoyment".

The Bijayagadh Stone Pillar Inscription of Vishnuvardhan shows that Yasodharman, the father of Vishnuvardhana, was a king of Virk gotra. Thakur Deshraj and CV Vaidya have concluded that the inscription of Bijaygarh and Mandsaur prove that Yasodharman, the ruler of Malwa, was a Jat king of the Virk gotra.

The victory of Yasodharman is mentioned in the sentence “Ajay Jarto Hunan” in the grammar of Chandra of the fifth century. This mention in the phrase sentence अजय जर्टो हुणान or “Ajay Jarto Huṇān”, refers to the defeat of Huns by the Jats under the leadership of Yasodharman.

Comments by Dr SS Rana

Without going into the question of Jat identity of Yashodharman, a few observations are called for in the light of material available in the Stone Inscription of Aulikara ruler Prakashadharman discovered from village Risthal in Sitamau tehsil of Mandsaur district in Madhya Pradesh.

• 1.This inscription leaves no scope for the speculation about the identity and family of Aulikara Yashodharman, such as his relationship in any way with Vishnuvardhana of the Bijaygarh Pillar Inscription, whose father's name is given as Yashovarman (not same as Yashodharman).
• 2. Vishnuvardhana was another name (namaparam) of the same ruler (narapati sa eva) of Yashodharman as clearly stated in his Mandsaur Stone Slab Inscription of Malava year 589 =532 A.D. The practice of the same king having more than one name is well known. Chandragupta II had another name Devaraja as we know from the Sanchi Inscription of his time.
• 3. The known date of Yashodharman viz. Malava year 589=A.D.532 falls considerably remote from the year 428 (in all probability of Malava year ) being the date of the Bijayagarh Inscription.
• 4.The Risthal Inscription gives a vivid description of the victory of Prakashadharman over the Huna chief Toramana. So even if we accept the reading jartah to mean jat it remains an open question whether it was Prakashadharman (the father) or Yashodharman (the son) who was in the mind of Chandragomin, when he gave an example of recent past tense (LANG LAKARA) in ajayajjarto (ajayat+Jartah) Hunan. We are not in a position any more to take it for granted that here is a reference to Yashodharman alone. We have to prove it with evidence.

• 5. C.V. Vaidya and Thakur Deshraj were old stalwarts. They had no access to the above information (The Risthal Inscription), nor had our pioneer B.S. Dahiya. Let us rewrite the concerned part of history. --Drssrana2003

See also

• The Rissthal Inscription of Prakashadharman

External links

• Bijayagadh Stone Pillar Inscription of Vishnuvardhana
• Mandasor Pillar Inscription of Yashodharman
• Mandasor Stone Inscription of Aulikara king Prakashadhaman

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