The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c15.117

v1.c15.117

Another inscription of this period which refers to a king of Kāmarūpa is the Deopara stone inscription of Vijayasena.⁴ Umāpatidhara, the composer of this *praśasti*, tells us that Vijayasena in the course of his victorious career 'defeated Nānya and Vīra, impetuously assailed the lord of Gauḍa, and put down the prince of Kāmarūpa.' Who was this 'prince of Kāmarūpa'? It has been shown elsewhere that Vijayasena was a contemporary of Madanapāla (*c.* 1130-50 A.D.), who is probably to be identified with the defeated Gauḍa monarch. It is also very likely that Vijayasena (*c.* 1097-1159 A.D.) established his dominions in North Bengal after overthrowing this Pāla king, about 1130 A.D.⁵ This victory may have led Vijayasena into conflict with Vaidyadeva or one of his descendants. Vaidyadeva certainly appears as a friend, if not a vassal, of Kumārapāla in his Kamauli grant. There is no inherent impossibility in the friendship between the two families continuing till the reign of Madanapāla. But of this there is no actual proof. A more likely suggestion is that this 'prince of Kāmarūpa' is one of the rulers mentioned in the *Assam Plates of Vallabhadeva*.¹ The latter inscription consists of five plates of copper, and was presented to the Bengal Asiatic Society by Mr. W. Wincler, Assistant Executive Engineer of Tezpur. "The characters of the inscriptions belong to a variety of the Northern alphabet which was used in the 12th century A.D......in most eastern parts of Northern India," closely resembling those of the Deopara inscription of Vijayasena. It belongs to a prince named Vallabhadeva, for whom the following genealogy is given :—