Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c9.s4.153

c9.s4.153

The Madras proper are represented in early post-Vedic works as living under a monarchical constitution. The name of the ruler of the territory in the time of Janaka is not known. It was politically not of much importance. But, like the northern realms described above, it was the home of many famous scholars and teachers of the *Brāhmaṇa* period such as Madragāra Śauṅgāyani and Kāpya Patañchala,⁴ one of the teachers of the celebrated Uddālaka Āruṇi.⁵ The early epic knows the Madra royal house⁶ as a virtuous family. But in later times Madra earned notoriety as the seat of outlandish peoples with wicked customs.⁷