Historical Geography of Ancient India c10.63

c10.63

The Pradyotas were kings of Avanti. King Caṇḍa Pajjota (Caṇḍa Pradyota) was a contemporary of the Buddha. In Buddha's time the king of Madhurā was styled Avantiputta showing that on his mother's side he was connected with the royal family of Ujjayinī.⁵ Ujjayinī played an important part in the political history of India. Under the Pradyotas it rose to a very high position and its power and prowess were feared even by the great emperors of Magadha. Ajātaśatru fortified his capital Rājagṛha in expectation of an attack about to be made by King Pajjota of Ujjenī. A matrimonial alliance was established between the royal families of Kauśāmbī and Avanti. Pajjota, king of Avanti, grew angry and was determined to attack Udena, king of Kosambī, knowing that he (Udena) surpassed him in glory. Pajjota got an elephant made of wood and concealed in it sixty warriors. Knowing that Udena had a special liking for fine elephants, Pajjota had informed him by spies that a matchless and glorious elephant could be found in the frontier forest. Udena came to the forest and in the pursuit of the prize, he became separated from his retinue and was made captive. While a captive he fell in love with Vāsuladattā, King Pajjota's daughter. Taking advantage of Pajjota's absence from his kingdom, he fled from his kingdom with Vāsuladattā. Udena managed to reach his kingdom taking Vāsuladattā with him. He made her his queen.¹ In the 4th century B.C. Ujjenī became subject to Magadha. Aśoka, Candragupta’s grandson, was stationed at Ujjain as viceroy of the Avanti country.² Vikramāditya, the celebrated king of Ujjain, expelled the Scythians and thereafter established his power over a great part of India. He restored the Hindu monarchy to its ancient splendour.³ In later times some of the ruling families of Avanti made mark in Indian history. Dharmapāla of the Pāla dynasty dethroned Indrāyudha and installed in his place Cakrāyudha with the assent of the neighbouring northern powers of the Avantis, the Bhojas and the Yavanas.⁴ The Paramāra dynasty of Malwa (anciently known as Avanti) was founded by Upendra or Kṛṣṇarāja early in the 9th century. Muñja who was famous for his learning and eloquence was not only a patron of poets but himself a poet of no mean reputation. Muñja’s nephew, the famous Bhoja, ascended the throne of Dhārā which was in those days the capital of Malwa and ruled gloriously for more than forty years. Until the beginning of the thirteenth century A.D. the Paramāra dynasty of Malwa lasted as a purely local power. In this century this dynasty was superseded by chiefs of the Tomara clan who were followed in their turn by the Cauhan kings from whom the crown passed to the Moslem kings in 1401 A.D.