The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v2.c30.s4.96.3

v2.c30.s4.96.3

To obtain his object he had to kill the Asura Vajrāṅkuśa, whose capital we are told was situated ‘fifty *gavyūtis* from the Narmadā.’ In his struggle against the demon prince the king had the Vidyādharas as his allies. The story is mainly mythical; but Bühler long ago perceived that it may have a historical basis. The Nāgas were a well-known ruling tribe who held principalities in Rajputana and Central India. The minute description of the distance of Vajrāṅkuśa's capital also leads us to suspect that he was probably a historical figure. But in the present state of our knowledge it is hopeless to try to identify the family or locate the principality of the enemies and allies of Sindhurāja. The passages which are of real historical importance occur in the tenth *sarga*.¹ Here we are told that Sindhurāja gained victories over the Hūṇa king (*nṛpati*) and the rulers of Vāgaḍa, Murala, Lāṭa, and Kosala. Of these the first, as we have seen, is also mentioned by the Udaipur *praśasti*, and can therefore be accepted as a fact. It is however impossible to locate the area over which the Hūṇa chief ruled. Vāgaḍa, as Bühler pointed out, roughly correspond to modern Dungarpur State in Southern Rajputana.² As the region round about Dungarpur was the stronghold of a branch of the Paramāra stock, it is not unlikely that Parimala was referring to a conflict with some representative of the Banswara branch of that family.