History:Vatsa
Kingdom of Vatsa | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 700 BCE–c. 300 BCE | |||||||||
.png) Vatsa and other Mahajanapadas in the Post Vedic period. | |||||||||
| Capital | Kauśāmbī | ||||||||
| Common languages | Prakrit Sanskrit | ||||||||
| Religion | Historical Vedic religion Buddhism Jainism | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Maharaja | |||||||||
• 8th century B.C. | Nicakṣu(first) | ||||||||
• 4th century B.C. | Kṣemaka(last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||||
• Established | c. 700 BCE | ||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 300 BCE | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Allahabad division of Uttar Pradesh, India | ||||||||
Vatsa or Vamsa (Pali and Ardhamagadhi: Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., literally "calf"[1]) was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (great kingdoms) of Uttarapatha of ancient India mentioned in the Aṅguttara Nikāya.
Location
The territory of Vatsa was located to the south of the Gaṅgā river, and its capital was the city of Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. or Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., on the Yamunā river and corresponding to the modern-day location of Kosam.[2]
History
The early period
The Vatsas were a branch of the Kuru dynasty. During the Rig Vedic period, the Kuru Kingdom comprised the area of present day Haryana/ Delhi and the Ganga-Jamuna Doab, till Prayag/ Kaushambi, with its capital at Hastinapura. During the late-Vedic period, Hastinapura was destroyed by floods, and the Kuru King Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. shifted his capital and all his subjects to a newly constructed capital that was called Kosambi or Kaushambi. In the post Vedic period, when Aryavarta consisted of several Mahajanapadas, the Kuru Dynasty was split between Kurus and Vatsas. The Kurus controlled the Haryana/ Delhi/ Upper Doab, while the Vatsas controlled the Lower Doab. Later, The Vatsas were further divided into two branches—One at Mathura, and the other at Kaushambi.
The Puranas state that after the washing away of Hastinapura by the Ganges, the Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. king Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., the great-great grandson of Janamejaya, abandoned the city and settled in Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.. This is supported by the Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. and the Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. attributed to Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.. Both of them have described the king Udayana as a scion of the Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. family (Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.). The Puranas provide a list of Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.’s successors which ends with king Script error: The function "transl" does not exist..[3]: p.117–8 Other Puranas state that the Vatsa kingdom was named after a Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. king, Vatsa.[4] The Ramayana and the Mahabharata attribute the credit of founding its capital Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. to a Chedi prince Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. or Script error: The function "transl" does not exist..
The Mahabharata and the Harivansa states the close connection between the Vatsas and the Bhargas (Bhaggas).[3]: p.98
Mahajanapada period
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The first ruler of the Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. dynasty of Vatsa, about whom some definite information available is Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. II, Parantapa. While the Puranas state his father’s name was Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. tells it was Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.. Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. II married a princess of Videha, who was the mother of Udayana. He also married Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., a daughter of the Licchavi chieftain Script error: The function "transl" does not exist..[5] He attacked Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., the capital of Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. during the rule of Script error: The function "transl" does not exist..[3]: p.119
The wife of Śatānīka and the mother of Udayana was Queen Mṛgāvatī (in Sanskrit) or Migāvatī (in Prakrit). She was the daughter of Chetaka, the leader of Vaishali.[6] It is recorded that she ruled as a regent for her son for some period of time, although sources differ about the specific circumstances. According to the Jain canonical texts, Udayana was still a minor when Śatānīka died, so "the responsibility of governing the kingdom fell on the shoulders of queen Migāvatī ... till her son grew old enough".[7] On the other hand, Bhāsa's Pratijñāyaugandharāyaṇa says that she took "full charge of the administration" while Udayana was held as a prisoner by King Pradyota of Avanti, and "the way in which she discharged her duties excited the admiration of even experienced ministers".[8] Mrigavati, is notable for being one of the earliest known female rulers in Indian history.
Udayana
Udayana, the son of Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. II by the Videha princess succeeded him. Udayana, the romantic hero of the Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., the Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. and many other legends was a contemporary of Buddha and of Pradyota, the king of Avanti.[3]: p.119
Later history
According to the Puranas, the 4 successors of Udayana were Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., Script error: The function "transl" does not exist., Niramitra and Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.. Later, the Vatsa kingdom was annexed by the Avanti kingdom. Maniprabha, the great-grandson of Pradyota ruled at Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. as a prince of Avanti.[3]: pp.180, 180n, facing 565
Vatsa was ultimately annexed into Magadha by Shishunaga.[9]
See also
- Kingdoms of Ancient India
References
Citations
- ↑ Louis Herbert Gray (1902). Indo-Iranian Phonology with Special Reference to the Middle and New Indo-Iranian Languages. Columbia University Press. pp. 169–170. https://archive.org/details/indoiranianphon01graygoog.
- ↑ Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1953). Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of Gupta Dynasty. University of Calcutta. pp. 131–133.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972). Political History of Ancient India. Calcutta, India: University of Calcutta.
- ↑ Pargiter, F.E. (1972) Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Chaunan, Delhi, pp.269-70
- ↑ Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007). Ancient India, S.Chand & Company, New Delhi, ISBN:81-219-0887-6, pp.171-2
- ↑ Jain, K.C. (1991) (in lv). Lord Mahāvīra and His Times. Lala Sunder Lal Jain research series. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 67. ISBN 978-81-208-0805-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC&pg=PA67. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ↑ Jain, J.C. (1984). Life in Ancient India: As Depicted in the Jain Canon and Commentaries, 6th Century BC to 17th Century AD. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 470. https://books.google.com/books?id=2ObUAAAAMAAJ&q=migavati. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ↑ Altekar, A.S. (1956). The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 187. ISBN 978-81-208-0324-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=VYG4K0yYHQgC&pg=PA187. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ↑ Upinder Singh 2016, p. 272.
Sources
- Singh, Upinder (2016), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson PLC, ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9, https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ
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