Sudasa

Sudasa (सुदास) was an Indo-Aryan tribal king of the Bhāratas, during the main or middle Rigvedic period (c. 14th century BCE).

Variants

• Sudas/Sudās (सुदास)

History

He led his tribe to victory in the Battle of the Ten Kings near the Paruṣṇī (modern Ravi River) in Punjab, defeating an alliance of the powerful Puru tribe with other tribes, for which he was eulogised by his purohita Vashistha in a hymn of the Rigveda. His victory established the ascendency of the Bhārata clan, allowing them to move eastwards and settle in Kurukshetra, paving the way for the emergence of the Kuru "super-tribe" or tribal union, which dominated northern India in the subsequent period.

Mention in Rigveda

Sudas is mentioned in Rigveda as the chief of Bharatas who conquered the ten-kings confederacy. It is further mentioned that the king replaced Visvamitra with Vashistha as his priest, thereby creating a rivalry between the two. The ten-kings, viz. Puru, Yadu, Turvasa, Adu, Druhyu, Alina, Paktha, Bhalanas, Siva and Vishanin, then revolted against Sudas but were defeated by him. He also fought Ajas, Sigrus and Yakshus soon after.

बिजनौर परिचय

बिजनौर नगर, पश्चिमोत्तर उत्तर प्रदेश राज्य, उत्तरी भारत में, दिल्ली के पूर्वोत्तर में गंगा नदी के समीप स्थित है। 1801 में इस नगर को ब्रिटिश ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी में शामिल कर लिया गया था।

जनश्रुतियों के आधार पर बिजनौर की प्राचीनता राम के युग के साथ भी जोड़ी जाती है, जिसका एकमात्र आधार चाँदपुर के निकट बास्टा में प्राप्त सीता का मंदिर है। कहा जाता है कि मंदिर-स्थल पर ही धरती फटी थी और सीताजी उसमें समा गई थीं।

कहा जाता है कि भारत का प्रथम राजा 'सुदास' इसी पांचाल देश का था।