History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c22.s1.27

v1.c22.s1.27

Chambā :—The ancient name of this state is Champā as mentioned in the Rājatarangiṇī. The state occupies the whole course of the Ravi and its tributaries within the mountains. The Raja there is a Sūryavaṃśi king and his Purohita has preserved a genealogy of the reigning family which as usual begins with Brahmā. Some inscriptions at Barmāvar or Varmāpura on the Ravi preserve a few names of kings and the Rājatarangiṇī also mentions some. The inscriptions mention the Vaṃśa as Moshanāśva Gotrādityavaṃśa (मोशनाश्वगोत्रादित्यवंश), a gotra name which we do not find in the modern lists of Gotras which is a remarkable fact. The Rājas as usual are worshippers of Śiva, Parvati Gaṇeśa, Lakshmī and Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu and have founded many temples to them at Barmāvar, and Champā. The names of the kings all end in Varmā and we give the following names pertaining to our period from the list given by Cunningham, of course from the lists supplied by local Rajas (Arch. S. R. Vol. IX p. 114 and 115) (1) Adi-varmā (2) Deva V. (3) Mandra V. (4) Kāntāra V. (5) Parakalpa V. (6) Aja V. (7) Meru V. (8) Suvarna V. and (9) Lakshmī V. said in the local list to be killed in an invasion of Mlechhas. This invasion Cunningham strangely enough, takes to be that of Śankarvarman of Kashmir in 890 A. D. Taking 30 years as overage for each reign in this Himalayan line of kings we may take it that these nine kings ruled for about 270 years and that Ādiv. began to reign in about 620 A. D. The next king mentioned is Moshana V. (who may perhaps be the Moshanāśva of the inscriptions.)