Jayanaga

Jayanaga

Jayanaga

Maharajadhiraja

Jayanaga was the king of the Gauda kingdom in somewhat after 554 CE, said to be the predecessor of the most prominent king of Gauda, Shashanka.[1][2][3] Jayanaga made several military campaigns in order to secure the sovereignty of Gauda. Jayanaga was the first important and independent king of Gauda.[4][5][6]

Quick Facts King of Gauda, Reign ...

Background

Taking advantage of the misfortunes of Mahasenagupta, he may have won independence of Gauda and founded the independent kingdom. This may be placed some time before 585 A.D. There is no evidence that the Maukhari king Sarvavarman and his successors controlled any part of Bengal. But soon after the death of Avantivarman some time before 600 A.D., the Maukhari empire was divided and this offered the Gauda king Jayanaga an opportunity to invade Magadha and drive out the Maukharis from there. Shashanka must have been in the service of the Gauda kingdom and may have rendered yeoman's service to the Gauda conquest of Magadha. The rise of Shashanka thus is linked with the Gauda invasion and conquest of Magadha, whose ruling dynasty at that time was in disruption due to internal division.

Mahasenagupta was unable to rest on his laurels. From the Mahakuta pillar-inscription of the Chalukya king Mangalesa we learn that Klrttivarman won victories over kings of Anga, Vanga and Magadha. Klrttivarman ruled from 567 to 597 CE and so his contemporary could be Mahasenagupta. The Gaudas who were restrained by Isanavarman had again come into prominence and Jayanaga the Gauda king is found in possession of Karnasubarna in West Bengal from where he issued the Bappaghoshavata grant.It may be presumed that West Bengal which was under Mahasenagupta was now independent under the Gauda king Jayanaga. Jayanaga assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja.[7]

Origins and Relations with Shashanka

Jayanaga issued the Vappaghosavata grant from Karnasuvarna. The gold coins of Jaya should be rightly attributed to Jayanaga. The period that elapsed between Jayanaga and Shashanka,both kings of Gauda, could not be long, as is clear in the context of the history of the period, and the characters on the coins and inscriptions. A comparative study of the coins of Jayanaga and Shashanka confirms that there was some sort of close relationship between the two and the one followed the other almost immediately. In Allan’s expert opinion “the issuer of the coins which bear the reverse legend ‘sri prakandayasah and have ‘jaya’ beneath the king’s arm on the obverse may be connected with Shashanka.” After comparing the coins of ‘Jaya’ and Shashanka the learned scholar concludes, “It is clear from the resemblance of the reverses that the coins of Jaya and Shashanka are closely connected” Naga appears to be an appeallation of Jaya and there is no trace of ‘gupta’ on his coins . It may be of some significance to note that Shashanka the Gauda king who killed Rajyavardhana is at numerous places in the Harshacharita compared to a serpent.serpent .Jayanaga and Shashanka were associated with Karnasuvarna as the capital of their kingdom, and while Shashanka is called the king of Gauda in the Harshacharita Jayanaga is probably referred to as ‘Gaudaraja’ in the Manju-sri-mula-kalpa. Shashanka is referred to as belonging to the Brahmana caste, and Jayanaga is also said to belong to the same caste All these facts prove that Shashanka and Jayanaga were closely related to one another. But the nature of the exact relationship between the two can only be guessed. Except for the reference to a ‘Gaudaraja Nagaraja with ‘Jaya’ as the beginning of his name in the Manju-Sri-Mula-Kalpa soon after Shashanka, there is no positive evidence that Jayanaga followed Shashanka. Though Jayasval has not taken this passage to refer to Jayanaga (he takes it to allude to a much earlier period , we may agree with Majumdar in regarding the verse as referring to Jayanaga. The M.N.K. is at many places confused as regards chronology and details. At one place it says that Shashanka was a brahmana and in another it asserts that the murderer of Rajyavardhana was of a low caste . Then from the same source it appears that Jayanaga was earlier than Soma (Shashanka) and that Jayanaga had made war in Odisha, and after him there was a division of Gauda- tanrta between Shashanka and another man. [8]

Military Conquests

Jayanaga's Invasion of Magadha

A more profound effect of this internal feud in the Maukhari family was the break up of the Maukhari empire built up by Isanavarman and Sarvavarman. Now there were two Maukhari imperial families ruling simultaneously—Grahavarman in Kannauj, and Suva- or Suca- in Magadha. This division in the Maukhari family encouraged the Gaudas to take offensive against them. The Gaudas had already made themselves master of Western Bengal including the coastal districts in the time of Jayanaga. Now under the leadership of Shashanka in the time of Jayanaga they invaded Magadha and conquered it. The Gaudas thus replaced the Maukhari rule in Magadha. This explains Grahavarman's desire to make friendship with the Yardhanas of Thanesvara. He was certainly in search of ally against the impending Gauda attack in the home provinces of the Maukhari empire. The apprehension was real as Rohtasgarh on the south-eastern frontier of the Maukhari empire appears to have been selected by Jayanaga's Mahasamanta Shashanka as his impregnable centre of operations. Thus the Maukhari domination of Magadha ended some time before 600 CE.[9]

Territorial Extent

Jayanaga was the first powerful monarch of the Gauda kingdom. The kingdom of East Bengal including Samatata after King Samacharadeva had come under the Gauda control. Besides this, Magadha and probably Orissa were under his control. Shashanka added fresh gains to this kingdom.[10]

References

  1. [1]
    Middleton, John (2015-06-01). World Monarchies and Dynasties. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-45158-7.
  2. [2]
    Sircar, Dineschandra (1971). Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0690-0.
  3. [3]
    Roychoudhuri, Dr Bani (1990). The Political History of Bengal to the Rise of the Pāla Dynasty, C. 326 B.C. to A.D. 750. Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar.
  4. [4]
    Davidson, Ronald M. (2004). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: Social History of the Tantric Movement. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-1991-7.
  5. [5]
    Bengal (India), West; Operations, West Bengal (India) Office of the Superintendent of Census (1979). West Bengal District Records, New Series: Burdwan. State editor, West Bengal District Gazetteers.
  6. [6]
    Society, Bihar Research (1949). The Journal of the Bihar Research Society. Bihar Research Society.
  7. [7]
    Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. p. 277. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
  8. [8]
    S. V. Sohoni (1949). The Journal Of The Bihar Research Society Vol 1949 Vol Xxxv. pp. 174–175.
  9. [9]
    Dynastic History of Magadha.
  10. [10]
    Prasad, Bindeshwari (1977). Dynastic History of Magadha. p. 136.
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