The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c10.69

c10.69

Next to the king stood the Uparâjan, brother or son or other kinsman of the king. In IV, 79, on the death of a king, the elder prince becomes king while the younger is appointed Uparâjan almost automatically. He is the “sub-king,” a vicegerent, in constant touch with the king. In the Kurudhamma Jâtaka, the Uparâjan waits every evening on the king and receives the greetings of the people on entering or leaving the palace. On ceremonial occasions he sits behind the king on the back of the elephant, a seat sometimes occupied by the Purohita (II, 374). An Uparâjan, however, did not necessarily act for the king during the latter’s absence. Starting on a long hunting trip a king once entrusts the kingdom to the care of his mother (VI, 75). Another whimsical king who sets out on a long journey to discover his faults entrusts the realm to the ministers as a whole (IV, 370).