Prithivishena I

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Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

Pedigree of Vakatakas[1]

Prithivishena I (350–400 AD) was a ruler of the Nandivardhana-Pravarapura branch of the Vakataka dynasty. He was the son and successor of Rudrasena I, the founder of the branch.

Variants

History

Despite the expansion of the Guptas during this time, the Vakatakas under Prithivishena seem to have retained considerable influence in Central India. Two inscriptions from the Bundelkhand region, found at Nachna or Nachne-ki-Talai in the old Jaso State and at Ganj in the old Ajaigarh State, refer to a local king named Vyaghradeva who claims to have been a vassal of the Vakataka king Prithivishena.[2]There is some controversy over whether the Vakataka king "Prithivishena" mentioned in these inscriptions is Prithivishena I or Prithivishena II, who ruled several generations later. D.C. Sircar considers it most likely that Vyaghradeva was a vassal of Prithivishena I because the paleographical peculiarities of the Nachna and Ganj inscriptions are more similar to earlier Vakataka inscriptions, and also because it was the Guptas and not the Vakatakas who the overlords of the Bundelkhand region in the late fifth century when Prithivishena II was supposed to be ruling. A.S. Altekar likewise maintains that Vyaghradeva was a vassal of Prithivishena I and not Prithivishena II.[3][4]

One of the most important events of Vakataka history took place during the later part of Prithivishena's reign when his son Rudrasena II married the Gupta princess Prabhavatigupta.[5] This marriage secured an alliance between the two most powerful royal houses in India at the time. It was probably the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II who proposed the marriage of his daughter to the Vakataka prince, as he desired a cooperative ally on his southern border while his armies were operating in Malwa and Gujarat.[6]

Prithivishena's contemporary to the south was his cousin Vindhyasena of the Basim or Vatsagulma branch of the Vakataka dynasty. The relationship between the two branches of the dynasty appears to have been quite cordial at this time, with the main branch headed by Prithivishena probably enjoying a nominal overlordship over the Vatsagulma branch.[7]Prithivishena likely provided material aid to Vindhyasena as the latter carried out the conquest of the Kuntala country, and thus the rulers of the main branch came to be known as "lords of Kuntala."[8]

In later Vakataka inscriptions, Prithivishena is described as a righteous conqueror and possessing the qualities of straightforwardness, honesty, humility, compassion, and purity of mind.[9] He was called a dharmavijayin ("one who becomes victorious through virtue") and was compared to the epic hero Yudhishthira of the Mahabharata. Like his father Rudrasena I, Prithivishena was also a worshipper of Shiva.[10] Prithivishena probably lived to old age and had a large family, for the Vakataka inscriptions describe him as a patriarch surrounded by sons and grandsons.[11]

Upon his death, he was succeeded by his son Rudrasena II.

नचने की तलाई

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[12] ने लेख किया है ...नचने की तलाई (AS, p.477) बुंदेलखंड, मध्य प्रदेश में स्थित एक ऐतिहासिक स्थान है। वाकाटक वंश के महाराज पृथ्वीसेन के दो अभिलेख इस स्थान पर गुप्त कालीन ब्राह्मी लिपि में अंकित पाये गए हैं। इस स्थान से प्राप्त पहले अभिलेख में केवल महाराज पृथ्वीसेन का उल्लेख है और दूसरे में इनके सामंत व्याघ्रदेव का। अभिलेखों में व्याघ्रदेव द्वारा किसी मंदिर, कूप या तड़ाग आदि के बनवाए जाने का उल्लेख है, जिसमें अभिलेख का पत्थर जड़ा रहा होगा।

External links

See also

References

  1. Dr Naval Viyogi: Nagas – The Ancient Rulers of India/General Index of Nagas, The Ancient Rulers of India, p.338
  2. D.C. Sircar (1997). Majumdar, R.C. (ed.). The Classical Age (Fifth ed.). Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 179.
  3. A.S. Altekar (1960). Yazdani, Ghulam (ed.). The Early History of the Deccan. Oxford University Press. p. 173.
  4. Altekar (2007), p. 101
  5. Singh, Upinder (2009). A history of ancient and early medieval India : from the Stone Age to the 12th century. New Delhi: Pearson Longman. p. 482. ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9.
  6. Altekar (2007), pp. 101–102.
  7. A.S. Altekar (2007). Majumdar, R.C.; Altekar, A.S. (eds.). The Vakataka-Gupta Age. Motilal Banarsi Dass. p. 100. ISBN 9788120800434.
  8. Altekar (1960), p. 172
  9. Singh, Upinder (2009). A history of ancient and early medieval India : from the Stone Age to the 12th century. New Delhi: Pearson Longman. p. 482. ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9.
  10. Sircar (1997), p. 178
  11. Altekar (1960), pp. 171–172
  12. Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.477