The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c14.42.3

v1.c14.42.3

In spite of his expenditure on pious donations and military enterprises, he is credited with having left the fabulous sum of 500 millions in charge of the Nāga Vāsuki in the pit of mount Indraśāla.³ It is a pity that we have as yet no authentic dated records either literary or epigraphic for his long and interesting reign. The next king, Udayadeva, was succeeded by Nirbhayadeva, who appears to have ruled jointly at least for some time with Rudradeva, who is placed next in the Vaṁśāvalīs. This is proved by a palm-leaf MS. of the *Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā* in the Cambridge University Library which is dated *Saṁvat* 128 (A.D. 1008) under the *dvirājya* of Nirbhaya and Rudradeva. The term *dvirājya* should be taken in the sense of 'joint regency,' and it refers to a well-known practice in Hindu polity, where two princes either divide a kingdom into two halves, like Yajñasena and Mādhavasena in *Mālavikāgnimitram*, or otherwise hold joint authority without destroying the organic unity of the State.¹ Prof. Lévi seems to have gone too far when he assumes that this form of government must necessarily indicate the dominance of a foreign power. Though this is so in the *Mālavikāgnimitram*, it is an accident and not a corollary of a *dvirājya* form of government.