Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c18.23

c18.23

There is an extensive series of events which connect the Haihaya dynasty with those of Kāśi and Ayodhyā. The Haihaya dynasty rose to power under king Bhadraśreṇya, apparently in South Malwa, and extended its sway eastwards. His fourth successor, the great Arjuna Kārtavīrya mentioned above, reigned at Māhiṣmatī (the modern Mandhata in the R. Narbada¹), carried, it is said, his arms over the whole earth and came into conflict with Āpava Vasiṣṭha,² so that he overran all Madhyadeśa. Afterwards the Tālajaṅghas and other Haihayas, attended by hordes from beyond the north-west, attacked Ayodhyā and drove the king Bāhu from the throne. Bāhu begot a son Sagara, and Sagara defeated all those enemies, regained his kingdom and destroyed the Haihaya power.³ Arjuna’s contemporaries have been mentioned above, namely, Triśaṅku and Hariścandra of Ayodhyā. The genealogies give six more Haihaya kings, and Sagara was eighth in descent from Hariścandra. Thus the genealogies tally with the story of Sagara.