Great rulers of ancient India - Ashoka, Kharavela, Samudra gupta and Harshavardhan
Here are information about the great rulers of ancient India. Ashoka -conquest , administration and missionary, Kharavela,Harshavardhan and samudragupta. Important notes for # Osstet, #otet, #odisha contract highschool teacher.
ASHOKA - Conquest, Administration and Missionary activities
➡️ Ashoka is one of the greatest rulers of the ancient India. His father was Mauryan Emperor Bindusara and mother was Subhadrangi.He was the Grandson of Chandragupta Maurya.
➡️ Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of Maurya empire. He brought an end to Nanda dynasty and founded Mauryan empire in 322 BC.
➡️ Ashoka was born in 304 BC in Pataliputra . Ashok was the third ruler of Maurya dynasty. He succeed his father Bindusara in 273 B. C.
➡️ The beginning was however not smooth for Ashoka. It is told that Ashoka was extremely cruel and Violent. He killed his own brothers to occupy the throne. For this Ashoka earned the notorious title of Chandasoka.
➡️ Ashoka's father Bindusara wanted his elder son Susima to become the ruler after him.
➡️ Ashoka was well trained in military and weapons when he was made the governor of Ujjain.
➡️ When he became the king , he started expanding his empire by conquest.
➡️ At its zenith, Ashoka’s empire stretched from Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. It covered almost the whole Indian subcontinent except present Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and modern-day Sri Lanka.
➡️ In the ninth year of his reign, he campaigned war with Kalinga . kalinga war took place in 261 BC. On the bank of Daya river near Bhubaneswar.
➡️ The furious nature of war, death and devastation, the vulnerable condition of the wounded and Orphans touched Ashoka.
➡️ Being upset with the devastation Ashoka was in search of peace of mind then he came in contact with Buddhist monk, Upagupta.
➡️ Ashoka became Buddhist under Upagupta.
It is mentioned that this Kalinga war brought a turning point in the life of Ashoka. He converted 'Chandasoka to Dharmashok'.
In the field of Administration Ashoka considered as one of the greatest king of all times. He was the first ruler to maintain direct contact with people through his inscriptions.
In his inscriptions Brahmi, Kharoshtee, Armaic and Greek have been used. James Prinsep was the first person to translate the inscriptions in 1837.
In Ashokan administrative three new classes of officers like - Rajukas, Pradesika and Yutas were introduced as religious functionaries.
In the field of judiciary, Ashoka made an egalitarian approach by introducing - Danda samata ( Uniformity of Punishment) , Vyavahara samata ( Uniformity of legal procedure). Equal treatment to all the people.
Missionary activities
Name of Missionary | Name of Country |
Majjhantika/Mahyantika | Kashmir and Gandhara |
Mahadeva Thera | Mahismandala (Mysore) |
Rakkhita Thera | Vanavasi (Northern Kanara, South India) |
Yona Dhammarakkhita | Aparantaka (Northern Gujarat Kathiawar, Kachchh and Sindh) |
Mahadhammarakkhita | Maharattha (Maharashtra) |
Maharakkhita | Yona (Greece) |
Majjhima | Himavanta (Himalayan Region) |
Sona and Uttara | Suvarnabhumi (Myanmar/Thailand) |
Mahindra and Sanghamitra(Son and Daughter) | Lakshadweep & Srilanka |
Key Facts
1. Ashoka Born - 304 BC in Pataliputra
2. Reign - 268 to 232 BC.
3. Died - 232 BC.
4. Kalinga war - 261 BC.
KHARAVELA ( 193 BCE - 170 BCE)
•• Full name - Mahameghabahana Aira Kharavela. Popularly known as Kharavela.
•• Born - 1st century BC. He ascended throne of kalinga at the age of twenty-four.
•• Kharavela belonged to Chedi dynasty. Initially this Chedi dynasty ruled over Madhyadesha. Later this dynasty extended their supremacy over kalinga.
•• Religion - Jainism
•• After the kalinga expedition of Ashoka in 261 BC, the most important event in odisha was the rise of the Chedi ruler Kharavela. Of course the gap between these two events was quite long.
•• Kharavela was the third and greatest emperor of the Mahameghavahana dynasty of kalinga.
•• The main source of information about Kharavela is his famous 17 lines rock-cut Hatigumpha inscriptions in a cave in the Udaigiri hills near Bhubaneswar. This inscriptions was discovered by the famous historian Andrew Sterling in 1820 A. D. This inscriptions give information about the life and achievements of Kharavela. This is inscribed in Brahmi script and Prakriti language.
•• Besides the Hatigumpha inscription there are thirteen other inscriptions on the Khandagiri and Udaigiri hills - discovered by Markherm kito in 1837 ADa.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF KHARAVELA
During the reign of Kharavela, the chedi dynasty of kalinga ascended to eminence and restored the lost power and glory of kalinga which had been downed since the devastating war with Ashoka.
Kalinga came under Magadh. Later when Pushyamitra sunga of sunga dynasty ascended the thrown of Magadh , accepted the suzerainty of Kharavela and became a vassal of kalinga.
Pushyamitra also returned the Jina statue of Mahaveer to Kalinga. Although religiously tolerant,but Kharavela patronized to Jainism.
Under Kharavela's generalship, the kalinga state had a formidable maritime reach with trade route linking it to the then Simhala ( Sri Lanka), Burma ( Myanmar), Siam ( Thailand) , Kamboja( Cambodia), Malaysia, Borneo, Bali, Samudra( Sumatra) and Jabadwpa( Java).
Kharavela's achievements can better understand from his first 13 years reign.
1.In the First year of his reign he Re innovated and beautified his capital.
2.The second year of his reign was a year of military conquest. In this year he led his military camping against the Satavahan ruler Satakarani with his huge army of cavalry, infantry, elephantry and chariots. But the result of the war is not mentioned in Hatigumpha.
3. In the third year Kharavela organised various festivals and feast to made his subject happy.
4. In the fourth year of his reign, he conquered the territories of Rastrikas and Bhojakas. These defeated rulers accepted the suzerainty of Kharavela by offering him jewels and ornaments.
5. In the 5th year of reign Kharavela constructed Canals, water tank for irrigation.
6. In the sixth year of reign proved Kharavela's benevolence by remitting taxes of the subjects of both urban and rural areas.
7. Seventh year was auspicious year for the ruler because he got fatherhood and chedi dynasty got it's successor. His chief queen gave birth to the successor.
8. In the Eighth year Kharavela attacked Gorathagiri of Magadha. The yaman king occupied the Jain center mathura and proceed towards Magadha. Kharavela chased the Yavana ruler and freed Mathura. Then Kharavela brought a branch of Kalpabriksha ( sacred tree of Jainism) from Mathura to Kalinga.
9. In the ninth year to commemorate his victory in North India he constructed ' The great Victory or Maha vijay Prasad'. The remains at is at Sisupalagarh.
10. In the tenth year he conquered few territories in North India.
11. In the eleventh year he conquered the kingdom of ' Pithunda'. In the same year he destroyed consisting of Cholas, Pandyas, Keralaputras, Satyaputras and Tamraparni..
12. In the twelfth year Sunga king of Magadha was defeated by Kharavela and brought back the image of Kalinga Jina which was taken by Magadha ruler Mahapadmananda..
13. In the thirteen year Kharavela gave up military conquest and concentrated on religious activities.
HARSHAVARDHAN ( 606AD- 647AD)
•• Harshavardhan belonged to Pushyabhuti family and was the son of Prabhakar Vardhan.
•• Originally belonged to Thaneswar but shifted to Kannauj.
•• Harshavardhan brought Punjab, Kannauj, Bengal, Bihar and Odisha to his control.
•• Harsh was defeated by south Indian emperor Pulakesin-II of great Chalukya dynasty on the banks of Narmada in 620.Pulakeshin entered into a treaty with Harsha, with the Narmada River designated as the border between the Chalukya Empire and that of Harshavardhana. Pulakesin-II bestowed the title of " Sakalottara-Patha-natha" - the Lord of entire North on him.
•• Chinese pilgrim, Hieun Tsang (traveler) visited during his reign. He spent about eight years (635-643) in the dominions of Harsha and earned his friendship. Hieun tsang has left a detailed account of a grand assembly held at kannauj in 643 AD, attended by representative of Hinduism and Jainism.
•• Harsha used to celebrate a solemn festival at Prayag ( Allahabad) at the end of every five years.
•• Harsha was a great patron of learning. He established a monastery at Nalanda.
•• Banbhatta Written his biography Harshacharita . Banbhatta also written Kadambari with was completed by his son Bhushanbhatta.
•• Harsha himself wrote three plays - Priyadarshika, Ratnavali and Nagananda.
After death of Harsha in 647 the empire once again broke into petty States.
SAMUDRAGUPTA ( 335-375AD)
•• Samudra Gupta Born in 335 AD, at Indraprastha. He was the second emperor of Gupta empire in ancient India.
•• The Gupta kingdom was enlarged by chandragupta's successor Samudragupta.
•• Samudragupta believed in the policy of War and Conquest and because of his bravery generalship he called as the 'Napoleon of India' - by historian V. A Smith. Digvijya was the police of Samudragupta in south.
•• Samudragupta is said to have composed numerous poem of high merit. Some of his coins represent him playing Veena . He also performed Ashvamedha SacrificeSacrifice to prove his imperial sovereignty.
•• His court poet Harishena wrote a glowing account of the Military exploits of his patron. In a long inscription at Prayag prashasti pillar ( Allahabad) the poet enumerated the people and countries that were conquered by samudragupta.
•• Vasubandhu, a celebrated Buddhist scholar was his minister.
•• Samudragupta was a follower of the Brahmanical religion but also tolerant of other faiths. He received a missionary from Meghavarman, the ruler of Sri Lanka seeking his permission to build a Buddhist temple at Gaya, which he granted.