Historical Geography of Ancient India c8.532

c8.532

It is rightly pointed out that in the Belāva copperplate the Varmans of East Bengal claim to have their descent from the royal family of Simhapura, and Bhojavarman expresses in pathetic terms his solicitude for the contemporary Ceylon King in his difficulties arising from an inimical action on the part of the rākṣasas. Once the personal relationship between Bhojavarman and Vijayabāhu I is assumed as a historical fact, it becomes easy to understand why the former should express this solicitude for the lord of Laṅkā. The possibility of matrimonial connection of the Ceylon king Vijayabāhu I with the Varmans of East Bengal lies in the fact that Vijayabāhu and his successors themselves felt proud in claiming their descent from the royal family of Simhapura which was most probably a place in Kaliṅga (J.R.A.S., 1913, p. 518; D. R. Bhandarkar Volume, p. 375).