History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c18.s3.13

v1.c18.s3.13

The next mention of a king of Kanauj of this line is Chakrāyudha mentioned in the Bhagalpur copperplate grant of a Pāla king of Bengal. (Ind. Ant. Vol. XV p. 304.) The relevant verse is as follows: जित्वेन्द्रराजप्रभृतीन्रातीन् उपार्जिता येन महोदयश्रीः । दत्ता पुनः सा बलिनार्थयित्रे चक्रायुधायानतिवामनाय ॥. This is remarked of king Dharmapāla who is said to have obtained the wealth of Mahodaya (Kanauj) by conquering Indrāyudha or Indrarāja and to have returned the same to Chakrāyudha (perhaps his son) who had humbled himself, as the Pāndavas and Śri Krishna gave the kingdom of Magadha after killing Jarāsandha to his son Sahadeva. In fact this was the usual practice in India upto the Mahomedan conquest. In the Khalimpur grant of Dharmapāla himself (Ep. Ind. Vol. IV) it is said that the king of Pānchāla was restored with the consent and to the delight of Bhoja, Matsya, Madra, Kuru, Yadu, Yavana, Avanti, Gāndhāra and Kīra (भोजैर्मत्स्यैः समद्रैः कुरुयदुयवना-वन्तिगान्धारकीरैः । भूपैर्व्यालोलमौलिप्रणतिपरिणतैः साधु सङ्गृह्यमाणः ।). This verse is very important. It conclusively proves that the empire or suzerainty of Kanauj was acknowledged even in its decline over a very large extent of territory. Bhoja means probably Gwalior (Kunti-Bhoja of the Mahābhārata), Matsya is Jaipur, Madra is eastern Panjab, Kuru is Thanesar or Śri Kantha of the Vardhanas, Yadu is Mathurā, Yavana is doubtful, but it may be taken to be the Yavana king of Āndhra of whom we shall speak later on. Gāndhāra is certainly Peshawar, Avanti is Malwa or Ujjain and Kīra is the Vindhya or Himalayan hilly region. Thus almost the whole of Northern India west of Prayāga was under the suzerainty of the Varmās of Kanauj while east of Prayāga was the newly established kingdom of the Bengal Pālas. The date of this grant is about 800 A.D. Now this great shock given by the Pālas to Kanauj could not but shake its tottering Varmā dynasty which pulled on hereafter for a little longer only. The subordinate kingdoms' ambition could not be long restrained nor that of neighbours and the Varmā dynasty of Kanauj fell in 816 A. D. the empire of Kanauj passing to a Pratihāra king of Bhinmal named Nāgabhatta who in Rajputana was either a subordinate king or a neighbouring king of Kanauj. This new line of imperial kings of Kanauj will be described in our second volume.