History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c7.11

v1.c7.11

Next we come to the kingdom called Ujjain from its capital. This kingdom was pre-eminently Malwa and should have been so called. But Hiuen Tsang coming to Western Malwa first and finding it completely Buddhist, gave it the name of Malwa and gave to the next kingdom which was ruled by a Brahmin and which was not wholly Buddhist the name of Ujjain. Ujjain, however, was Malwa pre-eminently. It was the same Ujjain as is famous in the old Buddhist and Hindu literatures. There is no doubt about its identity for Hiuen Tsang reports that Aśoka in his youth had built outside the city a hell (jail) for the punishment of evil-doers. The ruler of the country when Hiuen Tsang visited it was a Brahmin. He was perhaps appointed by Harsha or had seized the vacant kingdom and had been tolerated by him. Of the Gupta family which appears to have ruled here in the beginning of Harsha's reign we shall speak in a note. It may be stated that the Gupta emperors of Pāṭaliputra and Ayodhyā conquered Malwa and Ujjain about 400 A. D., under Chandra Gupta II. His successors ruled Malwa as well as Kathiawar and Gujarat as their coins testify. With Skanda Gupta the regular Gupta line ceased. It was overthrown as is well-known by the Huns. A Budha Gupta, however, ruled between the Jumna and the Nerbudda about 480-500 A.D. as appears from the Eran inscription and also from his coins. Other branches of the Guptas founded by Gupta chiefs must have established themselves in the several provinces of their empire and we may take it that the family mentioned in the Aphsad plate ruled in Malwa at Ujjain until Deva Gupta the contemporary of Rājya was killed in the battle with him and the kingdom was seized by Harsha in 606 A. D. After that date and between 640 A. D. a Brahmin king may have set himself up or been appointed in Malwa.