Indian Epigraphy c6.s5.28

c6.s5.28

The description of kings in the praśastis often contain claims that are conventional and therefore of little historical value. One of these conventions is the representation of an imperial ruler either as the conqueror or as the ruler of the entire ‘earth’ meaning the Cakravarti-kṣetra or ‘the sphere of influence of a paramount ruler.’⁴ This ‘earth’ was conceived as identical with ancient Bhāratavarṣa; but sometimes it was regarded as conterminous with either Āryāvarta (for North Indian kings) or Dakṣiṇāpatha (for South Indian monarchs). We know that the Pāla king Devapāla (9th century) ruled over Bengal and Bihar; but he is sometimes described in inscriptions as the ruler of the entire land bounded by the Himalayas in the north, Setubandha-Rāmeśvara in the south, the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west, although sometimes the southern boundary is given as the Vindhyas instead of Setubandha. In the Nagpur praśasti⁵ of the Paramāras, king Lakṣmavarman (c. 1087-97 A. D.) is represented as the conqueror of the Gauḍas, Aṅgas and Kaliṅgas in the east, the Coḷas and Pāṇḍyas in the south in the region of the river Tāmraparṇī and the bridge of Rāma, and the Turuṣkas (Muhammadans) on the banks of the Vaṅkṣu (Oxus) in the north. There is little doubt that the description is a modification of Raghu’s digvijaya as described in Kālidāsa’s Raghuvamśa. It is impossible to think that the Paramāra king had any opportunity to encamp on the banks of the Oxus and to have come into contact with the Turuṣkas there. This exploit reminds us of the mythological Raghu’s advance as far as the banks of the same river inhabited by the Hūṇas in the age of Kālidāsa. Similar is the case often with titles assumed by some medieval Indian monarchs. King Kapilendra (c. 1435-66 A.D.) of Orissa called himself Gauḍeśvara-Navakoṭi-Karṇāṭa-Kalavargeśvara, i.e. lord of Gauḍa as well as of Karṇāṭa-nine-crores and Kalavarga (Gulbarga). The claim is, however, tall enough even for the mighty Kapilendra. But it is more interesting to note that petty Oriya rulers, who claimed to be his descendants, continued to assume the same title till recent times. But such instances are not too many, although the same description is often noticed to have been applied to royal residences situated in different localities.¹