Naga Datta

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Naga Datta (नागदत्त) was a Nagavanshi king of Bharashiva family in Nava Naga dynasty. He was father of Maharaja Mahesvara Nag of the Lahore seal and belonged to the Mathura Nagavanshi family, who ruled somewhere in Ambala district probably at the old capital Shrughna, which seem to have been under the direct control of the Bharsiva.

Variants of name

• Nāgadatta
• Nagadatta

Jat clans

• Nagil - They are said to be descendants of Nagavanshi King Naga Datta.

History

Tejram Sharma gives details about the kings of Aryavarta defeated by Samudragupta. According to Panini, a polysyllabic name was sometime shortened in order to express affection. Thus in the case of names ending in 'ila' we find:

Devila being derived from Devadatta;

Yajnila and Yajnadatta;

Makhila from Makhadeva;

Agila from Agnidatta ;

Satila from Svatidatta;

Nagila from Nagadatta, and

Yasila, Yakhila from Yaksadatta. Similarly

Matila can be formed from Matideva or Matidatta.

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Tejram Sharma writes about Nagadatta (No. 1, L. 21) : One of the kings of Aryavartia defeated by Samudragupta. The first part is Naga which refers most likely to 'a holy serpent' and the second is 'datta' meaning given. Thus the full name may mean 'born by the grace of a Naga'. D.C. Sircar takes the compound as a Caturthi Tatpurusa instance meaning 'dedicated to a Naga'. However, the compounds are usually taken as Tritiya Tatpurusa instances. The names do not indicate towards bali but such names as Gurudatta, Sivadatta and Nagadatta may exhibit reverence to Guru, Siva or Naga by whose worship or blessings the son was born which is attested to by tradition of such names.

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Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta mentions about King Matila (मतिल) in Line 21 (No. 1, L. 21) which says:

"(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;"

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Dr Naval Viyogi refers to KP Jayaswal who 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 written 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 Mahesvara Nag of the Lahore seal) belonged 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.

References

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