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State and Government in Ancient India c12.s1: Ceremony

State and Government in Ancient India c12.s1

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Ceremony

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² *Śat. Br.*, V. 2 and 3; *Ait. Br.*, VIII. 15.

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A few words may here be said about the coronation ceremony, which was performed at the time of the accession of the king since very early times. We are not very much concerned here with its ritualistic details; as students of polity we have to understand its constitutional significance. The name of the coronation ritual was Rājasūya and its details are given in the Brāhmaṇa literature; but they continue to be followed for a long time. The ceremony divides itself into three parts, preliminary rituals, the coronation itself and post-coronation ceremonies. Preliminary rituals mainly consisted of the *ratni*-oblations, which the king was usually to offer at the houses of his different *ratnins* or ministers and high officials³ That the king is to visit the houses of these dignitaries for this purpose shows that the approval of his accession by the governing class and its representatives was regarded as essential in ancient times. The ritual performed in the houses of the *ratnins* also served to create a feeling of attachment and loyalty in their mind to the new king.

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³ *Sat. Br.*, V. 3, 1.

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The actual coronation followed on the second day. The king was annointed and then seated on a throne covered with tiger skin, where he was sprinkled with sacred waters brought from the holy rivers and seas. The priest, of course, first performed this ceremony with the proper Vedic Mantras, which prayed that God Savitṛi should endow the king with energy and driving power. Indra with ruling capacity, Bṛihaspati with eloquence, Mitra with truth, Varuṇa with the capacity to protect the law. The sacred texts emphasise that the protection of the law was the most sacred duty of the king.

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It is interesting to note that later on a Rājanya *i.e.* a Kshatriya and a Vaiśya also took part in the king's annointment. The priest, the Rājanya and the Vaiśya were probably regarded as the representatives of the three main groups into which the Aryan society was divided at that time and the association of all of them in the ritual may have been intended to convey a general acceptance of the new king by the community. The *Mahābhārata* records the association of the representative of the Śūdra and lower castes also at the coronation of Yudhishṭhira.

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There is no doubt that before the coronation the sacred texts require the king to take an oath. Some writers have argued that this corresponded to the coronation oath of the modern times, wherein the king bound himself to govern righteously and refrain from oppressing the people.¹ The text and context of the oath, however, make it quite clear that it was an oath by which the king bound himself not to do harm to the priest in view of the sacred powers which he was invoking at the time of the coronation for the prosperity and safety of the king.²

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¹ *E. G. Jayaswal, Hindu Polity*, 1st Edi., II, p. 28.

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² *Cf. Ait. Br.* VIII. 15 :—एतेनेन्द्रेण महाभिषेकेन क्षत्रियं शापयित्वाऽभिषिचेत्। स ब्रूयात्सह श्रद्धया याञ्च रात्रिमजायेऽहं यां च प्रेतास्मि तदुभयमन्तरेण इष्टापूर्तं मे लोकं सुकृतमायुः प्रजां वृञ्जीथा यदि ते द्रुह्येयमिति। 'ते' obviously refers to the priest performing the ccronation ritual.

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The coronation of Yuvarāja is referred to by some later writers like Śukra (II. 2.5). The Allahabad Pillar Inscription would suggest that it was performed in the Gupta dynasty; the Rāshtrakūṭa records show that Govinda III was sanctified by this ritual at the time of his formal selection as a crown-prince. Kalachūri king Karṇa himself performed the coronation of his crown-prince Yaśaskara in the 11th century (*C.I.I.*, IV, p. 294)

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In Eastern Chālukya dynasty Bhīma II and Vijayāditya III had been coronated as Yuvarājas and were invested with a *kaṇṭhikā* or necklace in token thereof. Kings used to be invested with Paṭṭabandha or diadem.

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There is nothing in the texts or their context to show that the officiating priest was regarded as a representative of the society. In later times, however, the king was formally required to take an oath at the coronation that he would never transgress provisions of Dharma.¹ What was to be done if this vow was not kept is nowhere indicated.

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¹ Compare the oath administered to king Vena; *Mbh.*, XII. 58. 115-6;

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After the coronation ritual was over, the king went out for a state drive either in a chariot or on an elephant. On his return a Durbar was held where the representatives of the different classes came and offered their homage to the new king. This was followed by a game of dice and a chariot race in the Vedic period and by other suitable festivals in later times.

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The coronation ceremony underwent considerable changes after about the 8th century A.D. The Vājapeya sacrifice, the chariot race and the oblations at the houses of *ratnins* were silently omitted from the ritual as a natural consequence of the disappearance of the Vedic culture. Instead the besmearing of the king's body with several auspicious types of earth-dusts and his bath with the waters of several sacred rivers became very important.² What is constitutionally very significant is that the ceremony no longer contained any oath to be taken by the king either with reference to his duties to the people or to the priest. The king's position had become stronger and

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² *Kṛtyakalpataru*, *Rājadharmakāṇḍa*, Ch. 2.

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प्रतिज्ञां चावरोहस्व मनसा कर्मणा गिरा ।
पालयिष्याम्यहं भौमं ब्रह्म इत्येव चासकृत् ॥
यश्चात्र धर्म इत्युक्तो दण्डनीतिव्यपाश्रयः ॥
तमशंकः करिष्यामि स्ववशो न कदाचन ॥

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stronger, and so it was felt incongruous that he should be required to take any oath.

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Pauranik religion was getting into ascendancy at this time and we find that many of the gifts recommended in the Purāṇas were given at the time of the coronation. The Rāshtrakūṭa king Indra III gave away 400 villages at the time of his coronation. Kṛishṇadevarāya of Vijayanagar weighed himself against gold, pearls and silver, besides giving the usual Mahādānas. We may well presume that such gifts had become the order of the day from *c.* 800 A. D.

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