Kharavela
Encyclopedia
Khārabēḷa was the third and greatest emperor of the Mahāmēghabāhana Dynasty
of Kaḷinga (present-day Orissa
). The main source of information about Khārabeḷa is his famous seventeen line rock-cut Hātigumphā inscription
in a cave in the Udayagiri
hills near Bhubaneswar
, Orissa.
During the reign of Khārabēḷa, the Chedi
dynasty of Kaḷinga ascended to eminence and restored the lost power and glory of Kaḷinga, which had been subdued since the devastating war with Ashoka
. Kaḷingan military might was reinstated by Khārabēḷa: under Khārabēḷa's generalship, the Kaḷinga state had a formidable maritime reach with trade routes linking it to the then-Simhala (Sri Lanka), Burma (Myanmar), Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, Kamboja (Cambodia), Borneo, Bali, Samudra (Sumatra) and Jabadwipa (Java). Khārabēḷa led many successful campaigns against states of Magadha
, Anga
, Satavahana
s and the South India
n regions of Pandyan Empire (modern Andhra Pradesh
) and expanded Kaḷinga as far as the Ganges and the Kaveri.
Although religiously tolerant, Khārabēḷa patronised Jainism
.
at Udayagiri
caves, near the modern city of Bhubaneswar
. According to the inscription, Kharavela belonged to the Chedi
clan, and was a lineal descendant of the sage king Vasu. Apart from this eulogistic descent amounting to a myth, several historians have tried to speculate the origin of Kharavela. However, in absence of any material evidence to the converse, Kharavela has been accepted as being from an Oriya descent.
Etymologically, the name Kharavela is the Prakrit
transformation of Kṣāravēla "Salty shore".
In Northwestern India
, there is a clan of Jats named Khārvēl claiming descent from Kharavela during his north-western conquests. Similarly, Air has been stated as a clan that originated from a Nagavanshi
ruler named Airawat. However, deep and multi-disciplinary research is required to arrive at the exact origin of Kharavela.
This inscription, consisting of seventeen lines has been incised in deep cut Brahmi
script on the overhanging brow of a natural cavern called Hathigumpha (Oriya: ହାତୀଗୁମ୍ଫା) (Meaning in English: The Elephant’s Cave) in the southern side of the Udayagiri hills near present day Bhubaneswar
. The inscriptions date back to the 1st century BCE. It faces straight towards the rock Edicts of Ashoka
at Dhauli
, which is situated at a distance of about six miles.
The inscription was first discovered/noticed by A. Stirling in 1820 who published an eye copy of it in Asiatic Researches, XV , as well as, in his book titled “An Account, Geographical, Statistical and Historical of Orissa or Cuttack”. Thereafter, Indologist and Linguist James Prinsep
succeeded in deciphering the inscription. Subsequently, Princep’s reading along with a facsimile prepared by Kittoe was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society Bengal, VI (1837).
According to Princep, the referred personality in the Hatigumpha inscription was a king named Aira. Towards the end of 1871 CE, a plaster cast of the inscription was prepared by H. Locke, which is now preserved in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. Later, Alexander Cunningham
published this inscription in 1877 in the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarrum Vol. I, and in 1880 R. L. Mitra published a slightly modified version in the book Antiquities of Orissa, Vol. II.
The first authentic reading of the inscription is credited to historian Bhagwan Lal Indraji. Indraji presented the novel approach before the Sixth International Congress of Orientalists in 1885, which was widely accepted. Pandit Indraji was the first scholar to declare that the King referred to and eulogised in the Hathigumpha inscription was named Kharavela and not Aira. However, there are a large number of lacunae and faults (both syntactical and physical deformities) in the inscription, which obstruct its correct reading and the mutilated condition of the inscription has given the space for rival claims and given rise to controversies.
starts with a version of the auspicious Jain Namokar Mantra: नमो अरहंतानं [।।] णमो सवसिधानं [।।] for in Jainism
.
The body-text mentions that:
The inscription states that the Emperor Kharavela had a liberal religious spirit. Kharavela describes himself as:
“ सव पासंड पूजको सवदेवायतन संकार कारको ” (Prakrit
Language, Devanagari
script)
Translation: The worshiper of all religious orders, the restorer of shrines of all gods.
Besides the celebrated Hathigumpha inscription
of Kharavela, there are several other minor inscriptions
in the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves
, which were deciphered earlier by Prof. R. D. Banerjee during the years 1915-16 (Epigraphic Indica - XIII) and subsequently by B. M Barua (Indian Historical Quarterly-XIV). These minor inscriptions
pertaining to Emperor Kharavela have been engraved in Brahmi
script, Prakrit
language. Shri Sadananda Agrawal, historian, has given details and clarifications about those.
The internal evidence from the Hathigumpha inscription, reasonably places the date of emperor Kharavela’s reign in second half of the 1st century BC. An exact time bracketing has been unachievable at present. The exact time bracket of Kalingan emperor Kharavela will continue to be controversial so long any other corroborative evidences have not been discovered.
The Indian numismatist P.L. Gupta has suggested that the Hatigumpha inscription is from the 2nd century CE:
"The Hâthîgumphâ inscription refers in line 8 to a yavana-râja, who fled to Mathura when he realized the might of Khâravela. The name of the yavana-râja bears three letters, of which the second letter may be fairly read as ma or mi. It has been doubtfully restored as Dimita, meaning Demetrius
the Indo-Greek king. But as early as 1951, I thought it to be Vimaka, meaning Vima Kadphises
. The Patna Museum has a plaster cast of this inscription, which I personally examined when I was there as Curator. It confirms my suggestion."
There are some issues with this interpretation, since the stated facts are that the name consists of three letters, of which the second is mi or ma, and that the king is categorized as yavana, not kushan or tukhara, nor saka
or pahlava. It is otherwise unknown for a Kushan emperor to have been referred to as a yavana, and for Vima Kadphises
to be referred to as Vimaka (expanded from Vema/Vima). Also, there are palaeographic problems with dating the Hâthîgumphâ text so late as Wema Kadphises (Reign 90s-110s CE). The period of 1st century BC, or approximately contemporary with the Sanchi
inscriptions from the reign of the Satavahana
Satakarni
, has been preferred by Indic script specialists.
An article about Emperor Kharavela mentions about the rule of Kaswan
in 2nd century of Vikram samvat
. It has been mentioned in ‘Hathi Gumpha
and three other inscriptions’ (page 24) in Sanskrit
as under:
Sanskrit
- कुसवानाम् क्षत्रियानां च सहाय्यतावतां प्राप्त मसिक नगरम्
Translation: The city of 'Masiknagara' was captured with the help of 'Kuswan
' Kshatriya
s.
According to Sadananda Agrawal, interpretation of the city as Masikanagara is not well-supported. is commonly equated with the river Krishna coastal flowing in Andhra Pradesh. However, Krishna lies much to the south of Kalinga, and not west as averred in the epigraph (Devanagari
: पछिमदिसं). But there is another stream flowing to the west of Kalinga in Vidarbha
and known locally at present as Kanhan which flows about 17 km northwest of Nagpur
and joins the river Vena (Wainganga), and it is the combined flow of these two streams that is spoken as in our records.
The recent find of a seal belonging to the Asikajanapada
in course of intensive archaeological excavations at Adam (Nagpur district
) has solved also the problem of locating the historical Asikanagara whose king or and people became frightful at the arrival of Kharavela's army at , as per the Hatigumpha inscription. In view of the evidence of a highly prosperous city unearthed at Adam, Prof. A. M. Shastri is of the opinion that Adam itself represents the Asikanagara of Hathigumpha inscription. It is worth noting in the present context that a terracotta sealing having a legend, has been discovered from Adam, situated on the right bank of the river Wainganga, which reads Asakajanapadasa
(Devanagari
: असकजनपदस).
The Hathigumpha inscription tells us that again in his fourth regnal year Kharavela directed his invasion against the Satavahana
territory. In course of the campaign the army of Kalinga marched headlong against the Rathikas and Bhojakas who inhabited the western Deccan and whose chiefs might have been subordinates or vassals under Satavahana ruler Satakarni
.
It is quite likely that the Rathikas are to be located in southern Maharashtra
region and adjoining Karnataka
, Andhra Pradesh
where a large number of coins of some chiefs styled Mahārathi have been found in excavations. Likewise , as regards the Bhojakas, it is not impossible that they flourished in the region of Goa
and adjoining parts of Karnataka
where the Bhoja
Kings are found a few centuries later. As a result of this victory Kharavela’s suzerainty spread over the land from the eastern sea to western sea.
The eighth regnant year of Kharavela, three years after his war in western India, heard the war trumpets of Kalinga blowing in direction of the north.
Kharavela entered into the territory of Magadha and fought out important engagement with the army of that empire at Gorathagiri and stormed that outlying fortress which guarded Rajagrha
, the former capital of Magadha
. The strong fort was demolished and Rajagrha was put to great trouble.
Gorathagiri has been identified with the modern Barabar hill in the Gaya district
in Bihar
state. In the Sabhaparva of the Mahabharata
this hill has been referred to by the name Gorathagiri from where Giriv-Raja (Rajagrha
) the capital of Magadha
was surveyed by Krishna
, Bhima
and Arjuna
on the way of their campaign against Jarasandha
.
It is worth nothing here that two small inscriptions are found engraved in that hill, which read Gorathgiri and Goradhagiri respectively. While the former belongs to Asokan period the latter seems to be incised by one of the men who had accompanied Kharavela in this campaign.
It was by that critical time that one Yavana King (Indo-Greek) who was then in occupation of Mathura was advancing against Magadha
. The king's name has been read extremely doubtfully as "Dimita", and has been identified by many scholars with the famous Indo-Greek King Demetrius
, son and successor of Euthydemus
belonging to 2nd century BC.
In commemoration of this victory over the Indo-Greeks and age old enemy Magadha
, Kharavela constructed the great victory palace in Kalinganagari at a cost of thirty eight hundred thousand coins which stood to personify in all its grandeur the great victory a great conqueror.
The tenth year witnessed another expedition towards north. According to Hathigumpha inscription that year he caused his army much towards Bharatavarsha. Dr Sahu remarks:
“In the epigraphic records of India the name Bharatavarsha appears for the first time in Hathigumpha inscription. This name however, denoted to Northern India by that time.”
When the twelfth year of his reign dawned Kharavela marched against Uttarapatha
(Northwest India) with a vast army. This was his third onslaught against North India, forcing several chiefs to submission, who were very likely the Indo-Greeks. On his return from Uttarapatha Kharavela planned for the final encounter against Magadha and the Kalingan army encamped on the banks of the Ganges not far off Pataliputra. The people of Magadha were struck with terror at the sight of the elephants and horses and Brhaspatimitra, the king of Magadha was humbled by Kharavela and made the Magadhan king touch his feet. Many renowned scholars equate Brhaspatimitra with Pushyamitra, the founder of Sunga dynasty.
It is worth nothing in the present context that for recording the events of his reign Kharavela chose the Hathigumpha in the southern side of Udayagiri
hill which faces straight towards the Dhauli
hill bearing Rock Edicts of Ashoka
. In the former hill we find the inscription of the victory of Magadha
and in the latter that of the victory of Kalinga
. Kharavela’s inscription seems to have been intended to counter affect Asoka’s inscription.
Before his home ward march the monarch brought back from Magadha the greatest and by far the most significant war trophy to his home land was the Original Idol of Kalinga's Jain Tirthankar
s (Gods) Idol that adorned the spiritual realm of Magadha. This Kalinga Tirthankar
s (Jain God) was once the invaluable religious property of Kalinga but was carried away from Kalinga during the first wave of the northern invasion under Mahapadmananda emperor of Magadha
.
Dr. N.K.Sahu aptly remarks about his expeditions:
“Thus within a short span of ten years (form his 2nd to 12th regnal years.) Kharavela could achieve a series of brilliant victories extending his suzerainty from the North-Western part of India to the farthest extend in the South.“
He seems to have abandoned his throne in the 13th year of his reign, and was succeeded by his son Kudepasiri
.
Kharavela styles himself as
While the earliest scholar J. Princep and R. L. Mitra take the word Aira as the name of the king of Kalinga eulogised in the inscription, other few scholars are inclined to take the word as dynastic name and connected the ancestry of Kharavela with the puranic Aila
belonging to the lunar Kshatriya
dynasty. Bhagwan Lal Indraji is the first scholar to assert that the King whose activities are glorified in the inscription in named Kharavela.
It is a significant to note here that there is also no direct evidence in Hathigumpha inscription
to show that Kharavela belongs to Cedi Dynasty
. The only meaning conveyed by this expression is that Kharavela was the son of Cetarāja (Devanagari
: चेतराज).
There is a small crack in the stone above the letter ta (त) giving the impression of medial "i". This crack misled some eminent scholars like R.D. Banerji and D.C. Sircar to decipher the word as Ceti (Devanagari
: चेति) and this conjectural reading led the renowned scholars to hold the view that Kharavela belongs to Cedi dynasty
. But in no way this can be accepted. It is pertinent to note in this context that a small inscription is found engraved in the Mancapuri Cave where King Kudepasiri
(one of the successor of Kharavela) styled himself as Aira Maharaja Kalingadhipati Mahameghavahana (Devanagari
: ऐरे महाराजा कलिंगाधिपतिना महामेघवाहन).
The King Sada has also been styled himself as Maharaja Kalinga Mahisika Adhipati Mahameghavahana. Both Kudepasiri and Sada, happen to be the successors of Kharavela, have never been stated in their respective inscription to be belonging to Cedi dysasty. It is significant that the word Aira has not been prefixed with the name of Sada.
The Vahana ending dynastic (and personal) names were quite popular during the few centuries preceding. The meaning of Mahameghavahana is the great one riding on clouds. Dr. Sahu takes Maha as the prefix of Megha and opines: “Mahameghavahana literary means one whose vehicle is great cloud”.
In line 17 of the Hathigumpha inscription
Kharavela claims to have been descended from Rajarsi Vasu Kula. King Vasu recorded in Hathigumpha inscription can not be taken as Cedi king. It is pertinent to note in the context that in Mahabharata, Meghavahana as a dynastic name is found mentioned (Sabha Parva, XIV, 13) while the same epic preserves detailed accounts regarding the activities of Cedi dynasty. Cedi and Meghavahana have been flourished as two distinct dynasties since the early times, so both the dynasties should not be equated.
Cetaraja was the father of Kharavela and it seems probable that he was the immediate predecessor of Kharavela, belonging to be the second king in the Mahameghavahana line in Kalinga.
The line-7 of the Hathigumpha inscription indicates that the Queen of Vajiraghara (Chief Queen of Kharavela ?) gave birth to a son. Another inscription in the lower storey of the same caves informs us that it had been executed by the Aira Maharaja Kalingadhipati Mahameghavahana Kudepasiri. In this cave another inscription is incised which reveals the name of Kumara Badukha. It is to be noted here that Kumara Badukha has not assumed any royal title. Badukha is brobably Prakrat form of Burdak
. However, it is difficult to be sure of the relationship between Kharavela and Kudepasir. As no available record speaks any thing more about prince Badukha, he stands an obscure figures, in history but seems to be the son or brother Kudepasiri.
Mahiska country denoted the modern coastal Andhra (Guntur – Krishna region) which was apparently added to the Mahameghavahana kingdom at least during the reign of Maharaja Sada.
The Sada rule came to an end during end 1st century / early 2nd century AD. On basis of above discussion we can say that Kharavela belonged to Mahameghavahana dynasty and the Genealogical chart of can be given as under:
district in Uttar Pradesh
, India
, who originated from mahapurusha Lala
(लल). The famous Panjtar stone inscription, now in (Pakistan
), written in the year 122 of Saka ara, referse to one “ Lala
, the protector of the Kushana dynasty of Maharaja Kanishka
”. This Lal
a, was a Lalli
“Jat” It also refers to the gift of two trees by one Moika in the eastern region of “ Kasua”. That last word Kasua is the same as Kasuan
the name of the Kushana clan (and territory) which is still existing.
R. D. Banerjee has identified Vayiraghara with Wairagarh in present Chanda district of Maharastra, because in some medieval inscription this place is found referred to as Vayirakara. However, Dr. M. K. Sahu identifies this place with Vajradantadesa mentioned in the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana.
King Kharavela is known to have two queens. Line-15 of the Haithgumpha inscription refers to the queen of Simhapatha, who was very likely his second queen. Simhapatha may be same as Simhapura which was the capital of Kalinga during the rule of the Matharas in the 4th century. The place is identified with modern Singupuram in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
and home to the city's first mall. With the rise of industry, in particular IT and higher education, the history of ancient Kalinga
and in particular Kharavela is being revived as Orissa's golden age.
Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty
The Maha-Megha-Vahana Dynasty was an ancient ruling dynasty of Kalinga after the decline of the Mauryan Empire. The third ruler of the dynasty, Kharavela, conquered much of India in a series of campaigns at the beginning of the common era.-External links:...
of Kaḷinga (present-day Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
). The main source of information about Khārabeḷa is his famous seventeen line rock-cut Hātigumphā inscription
Hathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
in a cave in the Udayagiri
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Orissa, India. The caves are situated on two hills Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in Hathigumpha inscription...
hills near Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
, Orissa.
During the reign of Khārabēḷa, the Chedi
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled during early periods by Paurava kings and later by Yaduvanshi Rajput kings in the central and western India. It falls roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna and along river Betwa or Vetravati...
dynasty of Kaḷinga ascended to eminence and restored the lost power and glory of Kaḷinga, which had been subdued since the devastating war with Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
. Kaḷingan military might was reinstated by Khārabēḷa: under Khārabēḷa's generalship, the Kaḷinga state had a formidable maritime reach with trade routes linking it to the then-Simhala (Sri Lanka), Burma (Myanmar), Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, Kamboja (Cambodia), Borneo, Bali, Samudra (Sumatra) and Jabadwipa (Java). Khārabēḷa led many successful campaigns against states of Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
, Anga
Anga
Anga was a kingdom that flourished on the eastern Indian subcontinent in the 6th century BCE until taken over by Magadha in the same century. Counted among the "sixteen great nations" in Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya, Anga also finds mention in the Jain Vyakhyaprajnapti’s list of...
, Satavahana
Satavahana
The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...
s and the South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n regions of Pandyan Empire (modern Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
) and expanded Kaḷinga as far as the Ganges and the Kaveri.
Although religiously tolerant, Khārabēḷa patronised Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
.
Introduction
The chief source of information about emperor Kharavela is the Hathigumpha inscriptionHathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
at Udayagiri
Udayagiri
Udayagiri is the name of many places in India, among them:*Udayagiri Fort, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Andhra Pradesh...
caves, near the modern city of Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
. According to the inscription, Kharavela belonged to the Chedi
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled during early periods by Paurava kings and later by Yaduvanshi Rajput kings in the central and western India. It falls roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna and along river Betwa or Vetravati...
clan, and was a lineal descendant of the sage king Vasu. Apart from this eulogistic descent amounting to a myth, several historians have tried to speculate the origin of Kharavela. However, in absence of any material evidence to the converse, Kharavela has been accepted as being from an Oriya descent.
Etymologically, the name Kharavela is the Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
transformation of Kṣāravēla "Salty shore".
In Northwestern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, there is a clan of Jats named Khārvēl claiming descent from Kharavela during his north-western conquests. Similarly, Air has been stated as a clan that originated from a Nagavanshi
Nagavanshi
The Nagavanshi dynasty is one of the ancient Kshatriya dynasties of India. The Vedas do not mention Kshatriyas of either Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi, Nagavanshi, Agnivanshi or such Vanshas or lineages. The Puranas, of debatable dating, constructed such genealogies. The Puranas were supposedly...
ruler named Airawat. However, deep and multi-disciplinary research is required to arrive at the exact origin of Kharavela.
Hathigumpha Inscription
This inscription, consisting of seventeen lines has been incised in deep cut Brahmi
Brāhmī script
Brāhmī is the modern name given to the oldest members of the Brahmic family of scripts. The best-known Brāhmī inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka in north-central India, dated to the 3rd century BCE. These are traditionally considered to be early known examples of Brāhmī writing...
script on the overhanging brow of a natural cavern called Hathigumpha (Oriya: ହାତୀଗୁମ୍ଫା) (Meaning in English: The Elephant’s Cave) in the southern side of the Udayagiri hills near present day Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
. The inscriptions date back to the 1st century BCE. It faces straight towards the rock Edicts of Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
at Dhauli
Dhauli
Dhauli hills are located on the banks of the river Daya, 8 km south of Bhubaneswar in Orissa . It is a hill with vast open space adjoining it, and has major Edicts of Ashoka engraved on a mass of rock, by the side of the road leading to the summit of the hill...
, which is situated at a distance of about six miles.
The inscription was first discovered/noticed by A. Stirling in 1820 who published an eye copy of it in Asiatic Researches, XV , as well as, in his book titled “An Account, Geographical, Statistical and Historical of Orissa or Cuttack”. Thereafter, Indologist and Linguist James Prinsep
James Prinsep
James Prinsep was an Anglo-Indian scholar and antiquary. He was the seventh son of John Prinsep, a wealthy East India merchant and Member of Parliament....
succeeded in deciphering the inscription. Subsequently, Princep’s reading along with a facsimile prepared by Kittoe was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society Bengal, VI (1837).
According to Princep, the referred personality in the Hatigumpha inscription was a king named Aira. Towards the end of 1871 CE, a plaster cast of the inscription was prepared by H. Locke, which is now preserved in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. Later, Alexander Cunningham
Alexander Cunningham
Sir Alexander Cunningham KCIE CSI was a British archaeologist and army engineer, known as the father of the Archaeological Survey of India...
published this inscription in 1877 in the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarrum Vol. I, and in 1880 R. L. Mitra published a slightly modified version in the book Antiquities of Orissa, Vol. II.
The first authentic reading of the inscription is credited to historian Bhagwan Lal Indraji. Indraji presented the novel approach before the Sixth International Congress of Orientalists in 1885, which was widely accepted. Pandit Indraji was the first scholar to declare that the King referred to and eulogised in the Hathigumpha inscription was named Kharavela and not Aira. However, there are a large number of lacunae and faults (both syntactical and physical deformities) in the inscription, which obstruct its correct reading and the mutilated condition of the inscription has given the space for rival claims and given rise to controversies.
Salient features of the Hathigumpha Inscription
The Hathigumpha inscriptionHathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
starts with a version of the auspicious Jain Namokar Mantra: नमो अरहंतानं [।।] णमो सवसिधानं [।।] for in Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
.
The body-text mentions that:
- In the very first year of his coronation, (His Majesty) caused to be repaired the gate, rampart and structures of the fort of Kalinga Nagari, which had been damaged by storm, and caused to be built flight of steps for the cool tanks and laid all gardens at the cost of thirty five hundred thousand mudra (coins) and thus pleased all his subjects.
- In the second year, without caring for Satakarni, (His Majesty) sent to the west a large army consisting of horses, elephants, infantry and chariots, and struck terror to Asikanagara with that troop that marched up to the river Kanhavemna.
- Then in the fourth year, (His Majesty] .... the Vidhadhara tract, that had been established by the former kings of Kalinga and had never been crossed before. The Rathika and Bhojaka chiefs with their crown cast off, their umbrella and royal insignia thrown aside, and their Jewelry and wealth confiscated, were, made to pay obeisance at the feet (of His Majesty).
- And in the fifth year, (His Majesty) caused the aqueducts that had been excavated by king NandaNandaNanda is a surname of Punjabis . Nanda is a Tarkhan , Ahluwalia and Kamboj surname. All the clans of Tarkhan , Lohar, Gujjar, Kamboj, Ahluwalia tribes have a close genetic and ancestral relationship with each other, and together they form the Khatri/Rajput caste.-Among Kamboj people:*Nanda is a...
three hundred years before, to flow into Kalinga Nagri through Tanasuli.
- And in the seventh year of his reign [the Queen] of Vajiraghara, blessed with a son attained motherhood.
- In the 8th year of his reign, (His Majesty) attacked RajagrihaRajgirRajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Rajgir was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadha, a state that would eventually evolve into the Mauryan Empire. Its date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating to about 1000 BC have...
in MagadhaMagadhaMagadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
and forced the Indo-Greek king DemetriusDemetrius I of BactriaDemetrius I was a Buddhist Greco-Bactrian king . He was the son of Euthydemus and succeeded him around 200 BC, after which he conquered extensive areas in what now is eastern Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan thus creating an Indo-Greek kingdom far from Hellenistic Greece...
(described as the Yavana king ("Yavana-raja") named Dimi{ta}) to retreat to Mathura.
- In the 12th year of his reign, he attacked the king of UttarapathaUttarapathaAncient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...
. Then brought back the holy idols of KalingaKalinga (India)Kalinga was an early state in central-eastern India, which comprised most of the modern state of Orissa/Utkal , as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to...
's Jain Gods (The Blessed TirthankarTirthankarIn Jainism, a ' |ford]]-Maker", ) is a human being who achieves moksa through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model and teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance....
s) which earlier MagadhaMagadhaMagadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
rulers had carried away with them after Kalinga WarKalinga WarThe Kalinga War was a war fought between the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka the Great and the state of Kalinga, a feudal republic located on the coast of the present-day Indian state of Orissa. The Kalinga war is one of the major battles in the History of India. Kalinga put up a stiff resistance,...
in Past. Tirthankar’s idol was brought back with its crown and endowment and the jewels plundered by king NandaNandaNanda is a surname of Punjabis . Nanda is a Tarkhan , Ahluwalia and Kamboj surname. All the clans of Tarkhan , Lohar, Gujjar, Kamboj, Ahluwalia tribes have a close genetic and ancestral relationship with each other, and together they form the Khatri/Rajput caste.-Among Kamboj people:*Nanda is a...
from the Kalinga royal palace, along with the treasures of AngaAngaAnga was a kingdom that flourished on the eastern Indian subcontinent in the 6th century BCE until taken over by Magadha in the same century. Counted among the "sixteen great nations" in Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya, Anga also finds mention in the Jain Vyakhyaprajnapti’s list of...
and MagadhaMagadhaMagadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
were regained.
- (His Majesty) then attacked and vanquished the state of MagadhaMagadhaMagadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
, and Pataliputra, the then capital of the Sunga, and made king "Bahasatimita" (May be a Sunga Emperor Bruhaspatimitra, or Pusyamitra himself) bow at his (His Majesty’s) feet.
The inscription states that the Emperor Kharavela had a liberal religious spirit. Kharavela describes himself as:
“ सव पासंड पूजको सवदेवायतन संकार कारको ” (Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
Language, Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
script)
Translation: The worshiper of all religious orders, the restorer of shrines of all gods.
Minor Inscriptions of Kharavela
Besides the celebrated Hathigumpha inscription
Hathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
of Kharavela, there are several other minor inscriptions
Minor Inscriptions of Kharavela
Besides the celebrated Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, there are several minor Brahmi inscriptions in the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, which were deciphered earlier by Prof. R. D Banerjee during the years 1915–16 and B. M Barua . These minor inscriptions throw light on the...
in the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Orissa, India. The caves are situated on two hills Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in Hathigumpha inscription...
, which were deciphered earlier by Prof. R. D. Banerjee during the years 1915-16 (Epigraphic Indica - XIII) and subsequently by B. M Barua (Indian Historical Quarterly-XIV). These minor inscriptions
Minor Inscriptions of Kharavela
Besides the celebrated Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, there are several minor Brahmi inscriptions in the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, which were deciphered earlier by Prof. R. D Banerjee during the years 1915–16 and B. M Barua . These minor inscriptions throw light on the...
pertaining to Emperor Kharavela have been engraved in Brahmi
Brāhmī script
Brāhmī is the modern name given to the oldest members of the Brahmic family of scripts. The best-known Brāhmī inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka in north-central India, dated to the 3rd century BCE. These are traditionally considered to be early known examples of Brāhmī writing...
script, Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
language. Shri Sadananda Agrawal, historian, has given details and clarifications about those.
Period
The dating of Kharavela's period has been highly debatable and controversial. It has been a formidable challenge to ascertain the correct date of Kharavela’s ascendancy and reign within a definite chronological frame work.The internal evidence from the Hathigumpha inscription, reasonably places the date of emperor Kharavela’s reign in second half of the 1st century BC. An exact time bracketing has been unachievable at present. The exact time bracket of Kalingan emperor Kharavela will continue to be controversial so long any other corroborative evidences have not been discovered.
The Indian numismatist P.L. Gupta has suggested that the Hatigumpha inscription is from the 2nd century CE:
"The Hâthîgumphâ inscription refers in line 8 to a yavana-râja, who fled to Mathura when he realized the might of Khâravela. The name of the yavana-râja bears three letters, of which the second letter may be fairly read as ma or mi. It has been doubtfully restored as Dimita, meaning Demetrius
Demetrius
Demetrius, also spelled as Demetrios, Dimitrios, Demitri, and Dimitri , is a male given name.Demetrius and its variations may refer to the following:...
the Indo-Greek king. But as early as 1951, I thought it to be Vimaka, meaning Vima Kadphises
Vima Kadphises
Vima Kadphises was a Kushan emperor from around 90–100 CE. As detailed by the Rabatak inscription, he was the son of Vima Takto and the father of Kanishka.-Rule:...
. The Patna Museum has a plaster cast of this inscription, which I personally examined when I was there as Curator. It confirms my suggestion."
There are some issues with this interpretation, since the stated facts are that the name consists of three letters, of which the second is mi or ma, and that the king is categorized as yavana, not kushan or tukhara, nor saka
Saka
The Saka were a Scythian tribe or group of tribes....
or pahlava. It is otherwise unknown for a Kushan emperor to have been referred to as a yavana, and for Vima Kadphises
Vima Kadphises
Vima Kadphises was a Kushan emperor from around 90–100 CE. As detailed by the Rabatak inscription, he was the son of Vima Takto and the father of Kanishka.-Rule:...
to be referred to as Vimaka (expanded from Vema/Vima). Also, there are palaeographic problems with dating the Hâthîgumphâ text so late as Wema Kadphises (Reign 90s-110s CE). The period of 1st century BC, or approximately contemporary with the Sanchi
Sanchi
Sanchi is a small village in Raisen District of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the location of several Buddhist monuments dating from the 3rd...
inscriptions from the reign of the Satavahana
Satavahana
The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...
Satakarni
Satakarni
Satakarni was the third of the Satavahana kings. He ruled around 180 BCE in Central India.It is thought that Satakarni was a son of Kunala...
, has been preferred by Indic script specialists.
Wars & Expeditions
It is revealed from Line-4 of the Hathigumpha inscription that Kharavela in the second year of his reign dispatched a strong force comprising cavalry, elephants, infantry and chariots to the western quarter without caring for or bothering about Sātakarnī, and the kingdom of Asikanagara was frightened of its (Kharavela’s army) reaching the river . Some scholars prefer to read Masikanagara instead of Asikanagara and locate it in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh.An article about Emperor Kharavela mentions about the rule of Kaswan
Kaswan
Kaswan or Kuswan or Kasuan is a gotra of jats in Rajasthan and Haryana in India. The word Kaswan is 'XWN' of Tocharian language meaning 'King'.-Origin of Kaswan :...
in 2nd century of Vikram samvat
Samvat
Samvat is any of the various Hindu calendars. In India, there are several calendars in use:* Vikrama Samvat: lunar months, solar sidereal years* Shaka Samvat : lunar months, solar sidereal years* Shaka Samvat : solar tropical...
. It has been mentioned in ‘Hathi Gumpha
Hathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
and three other inscriptions’ (page 24) in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
as under:
Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
- कुसवानाम् क्षत्रियानां च सहाय्यतावतां प्राप्त मसिक नगरम्
- IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
- “ ca prāpt masika ”.
Translation: The city of 'Masiknagara' was captured with the help of 'Kuswan
Kaswan
Kaswan or Kuswan or Kasuan is a gotra of jats in Rajasthan and Haryana in India. The word Kaswan is 'XWN' of Tocharian language meaning 'King'.-Origin of Kaswan :...
' Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
s.
According to Sadananda Agrawal, interpretation of the city as Masikanagara is not well-supported. is commonly equated with the river Krishna coastal flowing in Andhra Pradesh. However, Krishna lies much to the south of Kalinga, and not west as averred in the epigraph (Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: पछिमदिसं). But there is another stream flowing to the west of Kalinga in Vidarbha
Vidarbha
Vidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Its former name is Berar . It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra...
and known locally at present as Kanhan which flows about 17 km northwest of Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
and joins the river Vena (Wainganga), and it is the combined flow of these two streams that is spoken as in our records.
The recent find of a seal belonging to the Asikajanapada
Assaka
Assaka , was one of ancient Indian regions . It is one of the solasa mahajanapadas in the 6th century BCE, mentioned in the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya....
in course of intensive archaeological excavations at Adam (Nagpur district
Nagpur District
Nagpur district is a district in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state in central India. The city of Nagpur is the district headquarters. The district is part of Nagpur Division....
) has solved also the problem of locating the historical Asikanagara whose king or and people became frightful at the arrival of Kharavela's army at , as per the Hatigumpha inscription. In view of the evidence of a highly prosperous city unearthed at Adam, Prof. A. M. Shastri is of the opinion that Adam itself represents the Asikanagara of Hathigumpha inscription. It is worth noting in the present context that a terracotta sealing having a legend, has been discovered from Adam, situated on the right bank of the river Wainganga, which reads Asakajanapadasa
Assaka
Assaka , was one of ancient Indian regions . It is one of the solasa mahajanapadas in the 6th century BCE, mentioned in the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya....
(Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: असकजनपदस).
The Hathigumpha inscription tells us that again in his fourth regnal year Kharavela directed his invasion against the Satavahana
Satavahana
The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...
territory. In course of the campaign the army of Kalinga marched headlong against the Rathikas and Bhojakas who inhabited the western Deccan and whose chiefs might have been subordinates or vassals under Satavahana ruler Satakarni
Satakarni
Satakarni was the third of the Satavahana kings. He ruled around 180 BCE in Central India.It is thought that Satakarni was a son of Kunala...
.
It is quite likely that the Rathikas are to be located in southern Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
region and adjoining Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
where a large number of coins of some chiefs styled Mahārathi have been found in excavations. Likewise , as regards the Bhojakas, it is not impossible that they flourished in the region of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
and adjoining parts of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
where the Bhoja
Bhoja
Bhoja was a philosopher king and polymath of medieval India, who ruled the kingdom of Malwa in central India from about 1000 to 1050 CE. Also known as Raja Bhoja Of Dhar, he belonged to the Paramara dynasty...
Kings are found a few centuries later. As a result of this victory Kharavela’s suzerainty spread over the land from the eastern sea to western sea.
The eighth regnant year of Kharavela, three years after his war in western India, heard the war trumpets of Kalinga blowing in direction of the north.
Kharavela entered into the territory of Magadha and fought out important engagement with the army of that empire at Gorathagiri and stormed that outlying fortress which guarded Rajagrha
Rajgir
Rajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Rajgir was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadha, a state that would eventually evolve into the Mauryan Empire. Its date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating to about 1000 BC have...
, the former capital of Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
. The strong fort was demolished and Rajagrha was put to great trouble.
Gorathagiri has been identified with the modern Barabar hill in the Gaya district
Gaya District
Gaya is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The district is having a common boundary with the Jharkhand state in the south. Gaya city is its largest city and the district headquarters.-History:...
in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
state. In the Sabhaparva of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
this hill has been referred to by the name Gorathagiri from where Giriv-Raja (Rajagrha
Rajgir
Rajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Rajgir was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadha, a state that would eventually evolve into the Mauryan Empire. Its date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating to about 1000 BC have...
) the capital of Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
was surveyed by Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
and Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
on the way of their campaign against Jarasandha
Jarasandha
Jarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
.
It is worth nothing here that two small inscriptions are found engraved in that hill, which read Gorathgiri and Goradhagiri respectively. While the former belongs to Asokan period the latter seems to be incised by one of the men who had accompanied Kharavela in this campaign.
It was by that critical time that one Yavana King (Indo-Greek) who was then in occupation of Mathura was advancing against Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
. The king's name has been read extremely doubtfully as "Dimita", and has been identified by many scholars with the famous Indo-Greek King Demetrius
Demetrius I of Bactria
Demetrius I was a Buddhist Greco-Bactrian king . He was the son of Euthydemus and succeeded him around 200 BC, after which he conquered extensive areas in what now is eastern Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan thus creating an Indo-Greek kingdom far from Hellenistic Greece...
, son and successor of Euthydemus
Euthydemus
-People:*Euthydemus , a fleet commander for Athens during the Sicilian Expedition, 415 to 413 BC*Euthydemus, son of Cephalus, mentioned in Plato's Republic...
belonging to 2nd century BC.
In commemoration of this victory over the Indo-Greeks and age old enemy Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
, Kharavela constructed the great victory palace in Kalinganagari at a cost of thirty eight hundred thousand coins which stood to personify in all its grandeur the great victory a great conqueror.
The tenth year witnessed another expedition towards north. According to Hathigumpha inscription that year he caused his army much towards Bharatavarsha. Dr Sahu remarks:
“In the epigraphic records of India the name Bharatavarsha appears for the first time in Hathigumpha inscription. This name however, denoted to Northern India by that time.”
When the twelfth year of his reign dawned Kharavela marched against Uttarapatha
Uttarapatha
Ancient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...
(Northwest India) with a vast army. This was his third onslaught against North India, forcing several chiefs to submission, who were very likely the Indo-Greeks. On his return from Uttarapatha Kharavela planned for the final encounter against Magadha and the Kalingan army encamped on the banks of the Ganges not far off Pataliputra. The people of Magadha were struck with terror at the sight of the elephants and horses and Brhaspatimitra, the king of Magadha was humbled by Kharavela and made the Magadhan king touch his feet. Many renowned scholars equate Brhaspatimitra with Pushyamitra, the founder of Sunga dynasty.
It is worth nothing in the present context that for recording the events of his reign Kharavela chose the Hathigumpha in the southern side of Udayagiri
Udayagiri
Udayagiri is the name of many places in India, among them:*Udayagiri Fort, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Andhra Pradesh...
hill which faces straight towards the Dhauli
Dhauli
Dhauli hills are located on the banks of the river Daya, 8 km south of Bhubaneswar in Orissa . It is a hill with vast open space adjoining it, and has major Edicts of Ashoka engraved on a mass of rock, by the side of the road leading to the summit of the hill...
hill bearing Rock Edicts of Ashoka
Edicts of Ashoka
The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India,...
. In the former hill we find the inscription of the victory of Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
and in the latter that of the victory of Kalinga
Kalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
. Kharavela’s inscription seems to have been intended to counter affect Asoka’s inscription.
Before his home ward march the monarch brought back from Magadha the greatest and by far the most significant war trophy to his home land was the Original Idol of Kalinga's Jain Tirthankar
Tirthankar
In Jainism, a ' |ford]]-Maker", ) is a human being who achieves moksa through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model and teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance....
s (Gods) Idol that adorned the spiritual realm of Magadha. This Kalinga Tirthankar
Tirthankar
In Jainism, a ' |ford]]-Maker", ) is a human being who achieves moksa through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model and teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance....
s (Jain God) was once the invaluable religious property of Kalinga but was carried away from Kalinga during the first wave of the northern invasion under Mahapadmananda emperor of Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
.
Dr. N.K.Sahu aptly remarks about his expeditions:
“Thus within a short span of ten years (form his 2nd to 12th regnal years.) Kharavela could achieve a series of brilliant victories extending his suzerainty from the North-Western part of India to the farthest extend in the South.“
He seems to have abandoned his throne in the 13th year of his reign, and was succeeded by his son Kudepasiri
Kudepasiri
Kudepasiri was a King of Kalinga and successor of Kharavela. The information about King Kudepasiri is available from a minor inscription cave no 9- Mancapurigumpha on Udayagiri hills situated near Bhubaneswar in Orissa....
.
Dynasty
In the first line of Hathigumpha inscriptionHathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
Kharavela styles himself as
While the earliest scholar J. Princep and R. L. Mitra take the word Aira as the name of the king of Kalinga eulogised in the inscription, other few scholars are inclined to take the word as dynastic name and connected the ancestry of Kharavela with the puranic Aila
Aila
-Places:*A region occupied by the Legio X Fretensis*Aila, Estonia, village in Estonia*A special kind of alcoholic beverage made by the Newa community of Nepal.-Other:*Ailas, a dynasty of kings of ancient India...
belonging to the lunar Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
dynasty. Bhagwan Lal Indraji is the first scholar to assert that the King whose activities are glorified in the inscription in named Kharavela.
It is a significant to note here that there is also no direct evidence in Hathigumpha inscription
Hathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
to show that Kharavela belongs to Cedi Dynasty
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled during early periods by Paurava kings and later by Yaduvanshi Rajput kings in the central and western India. It falls roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna and along river Betwa or Vetravati...
. The only meaning conveyed by this expression is that Kharavela was the son of Cetarāja (Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: चेतराज).
There is a small crack in the stone above the letter ta (त) giving the impression of medial "i". This crack misled some eminent scholars like R.D. Banerji and D.C. Sircar to decipher the word as Ceti (Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: चेति) and this conjectural reading led the renowned scholars to hold the view that Kharavela belongs to Cedi dynasty
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled during early periods by Paurava kings and later by Yaduvanshi Rajput kings in the central and western India. It falls roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna and along river Betwa or Vetravati...
. But in no way this can be accepted. It is pertinent to note in this context that a small inscription is found engraved in the Mancapuri Cave where King Kudepasiri
Kudepasiri
Kudepasiri was a King of Kalinga and successor of Kharavela. The information about King Kudepasiri is available from a minor inscription cave no 9- Mancapurigumpha on Udayagiri hills situated near Bhubaneswar in Orissa....
(one of the successor of Kharavela) styled himself as Aira Maharaja Kalingadhipati Mahameghavahana (Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: ऐरे महाराजा कलिंगाधिपतिना महामेघवाहन).
The King Sada has also been styled himself as Maharaja Kalinga Mahisika Adhipati Mahameghavahana. Both Kudepasiri and Sada, happen to be the successors of Kharavela, have never been stated in their respective inscription to be belonging to Cedi dysasty. It is significant that the word Aira has not been prefixed with the name of Sada.
The Vahana ending dynastic (and personal) names were quite popular during the few centuries preceding. The meaning of Mahameghavahana is the great one riding on clouds. Dr. Sahu takes Maha as the prefix of Megha and opines: “Mahameghavahana literary means one whose vehicle is great cloud”.
In line 17 of the Hathigumpha inscription
Hathigumpha inscription
The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
Kharavela claims to have been descended from Rajarsi Vasu Kula. King Vasu recorded in Hathigumpha inscription can not be taken as Cedi king. It is pertinent to note in the context that in Mahabharata, Meghavahana as a dynastic name is found mentioned (Sabha Parva, XIV, 13) while the same epic preserves detailed accounts regarding the activities of Cedi dynasty. Cedi and Meghavahana have been flourished as two distinct dynasties since the early times, so both the dynasties should not be equated.
Cetaraja was the father of Kharavela and it seems probable that he was the immediate predecessor of Kharavela, belonging to be the second king in the Mahameghavahana line in Kalinga.
The line-7 of the Hathigumpha inscription indicates that the Queen of Vajiraghara (Chief Queen of Kharavela ?) gave birth to a son. Another inscription in the lower storey of the same caves informs us that it had been executed by the Aira Maharaja Kalingadhipati Mahameghavahana Kudepasiri. In this cave another inscription is incised which reveals the name of Kumara Badukha. It is to be noted here that Kumara Badukha has not assumed any royal title. Badukha is brobably Prakrat form of Burdak
Burdak
Burdak is a surname found in the countries of Eurasia, Australia and United States. In India, Burdak is a clan of the Jat people and Bishnois.-History:...
. However, it is difficult to be sure of the relationship between Kharavela and Kudepasir. As no available record speaks any thing more about prince Badukha, he stands an obscure figures, in history but seems to be the son or brother Kudepasiri.
Mahiska country denoted the modern coastal Andhra (Guntur – Krishna region) which was apparently added to the Mahameghavahana kingdom at least during the reign of Maharaja Sada.
The Sada rule came to an end during end 1st century / early 2nd century AD. On basis of above discussion we can say that Kharavela belonged to Mahameghavahana dynasty and the Genealogical chart of can be given as under:
- Mahameghavahana
- Cetaraja
- Kharavela
- Kudepasiri
- Badukha
- Mahasada
- Sada’s successors.
Queens of Kharavela
The Hathigumpha inscription mentions that in the seventh year of his reign [the Queen] of Vajiraghara was blessed with a son. Sometime before his coronation the prince very probably married chief queen as per presence was essentially required in anointation ceremony. The chief queen, whose record has been engraved in the upper storey of Mancapuri Cave, was the great-grand daughter of Hastisimha and the daughter of king Lalaka or Lalarka. It is to be pointed out here that not much is known about Hastisimha and Lalarka from any other source. We find mention of Lal (लल) as a gotra of Jats living in MuzaffarnagarMuzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar is a major city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was established in Mughal period by a Sayyid Jagirdar, Munawar Lashkar Ali, and so named in honour of his father, Muzaffar Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of the Muzaffarnagar district. It is a...
district in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, who originated from mahapurusha Lala
Lala
Lala VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers.-Details:...
(लल). The famous Panjtar stone inscription, now in (Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
), written in the year 122 of Saka ara, referse to one “ Lala
Lala
Lala VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers.-Details:...
, the protector of the Kushana dynasty of Maharaja Kanishka
Kanishka
Kanishka ) was an emperor of the Kushan Empire, ruling an empire extending from Bactria to large parts of northern India in the 2nd century of the common era, and famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements...
”. This Lal
Lal
Lal is derived from the Indo-Iranian word meaning 'Red'. It is a middle name used by many Indo-Aryan clans. Lal is also used as a final element of a compound personal name, such as Amir lal , Dost Lal , Rani Lal and Padshah Lal Qamar...
a, was a Lalli
Lalli
Lalli is an apocryphal character from Finnish history. According to legend, he killed Bishop Henry on the ice of lake Köyliönjärvi in Finland on January 20, 1156.- Legend :...
“Jat” It also refers to the gift of two trees by one Moika in the eastern region of “ Kasua”. That last word Kasua is the same as Kasuan
Kaswan
Kaswan or Kuswan or Kasuan is a gotra of jats in Rajasthan and Haryana in India. The word Kaswan is 'XWN' of Tocharian language meaning 'King'.-Origin of Kaswan :...
the name of the Kushana clan (and territory) which is still existing.
R. D. Banerjee has identified Vayiraghara with Wairagarh in present Chanda district of Maharastra, because in some medieval inscription this place is found referred to as Vayirakara. However, Dr. M. K. Sahu identifies this place with Vajradantadesa mentioned in the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana.
King Kharavela is known to have two queens. Line-15 of the Haithgumpha inscription refers to the queen of Simhapatha, who was very likely his second queen. Simhapatha may be same as Simhapura which was the capital of Kalinga during the rule of the Matharas in the 4th century. The place is identified with modern Singupuram in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Remembering Kharavela
Kharavela Nagar is an important commercial district of BhubaneswarBhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
and home to the city's first mall. With the rise of industry, in particular IT and higher education, the history of ancient Kalinga
Kalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
and in particular Kharavela is being revived as Orissa's golden age.
See also
- Hathigumpha inscriptionHathigumpha inscriptionThe Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...
- Minor Inscriptions of KharavelaMinor Inscriptions of KharavelaBesides the celebrated Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, there are several minor Brahmi inscriptions in the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, which were deciphered earlier by Prof. R. D Banerjee during the years 1915–16 and B. M Barua . These minor inscriptions throw light on the...
- Udayagiri and Khandagiri CavesUdayagiri and Khandagiri CavesUdayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Orissa, India. The caves are situated on two hills Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in Hathigumpha inscription...