The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c15.29.2

v1.c15.29.2

Hoernle referred the inscription to *c.* 1010-1050 A. D. As this inscription was dated in the 26th year of Ratnapāla, it would be probably reasonable to refer Brahmapāla to about 1000 A. D. Now Śālastambha was the 21st ruler, counting upwards from Brahmapāla (1000 A. D.). Calculating back from his date and assigning a minimum of 16 years for each king, we can reasonably assign Śālastambha to the middle of the 7th century A. D. In that case it would appear that Śālastambha probably overthrew the line of Puṣyavarman soon after the reign of Bhāskaravarman, who, as we have seen, ruled at least up to 648 A. D. The question whether Śālastambha established a separate line or whether he belonged to a collateral branch of Puṣyavarman’s family cannot be easily decided. The fact that Sālastambha is called a *Mlecchādhinātha* while Bhāskaravarman is referred to by Yuan Chwang as belonging to the Brahman caste, is not conclusive.¹ For, as we have seen, the latter in his Nidhanpur inscription traces his descent to Bhagadatta, who is described in the *Mahābhārata* as *‘Prāgjyo-tiṣādhipaḥ śūro mlecchānām adhipo balī.’* If there is any historical fact in the description of the Great Epic, then it is reasonable to regard Bhagadatta as a prince of the non-Aryan Tibeto-Chinese races referred to as Cīnas and Kirātas in ancient Indian Literature. As early as the time of the battle scenes of the Great Epic the leaders of these tribes had come into contact with Aryan culture.