The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c17.59

c17.59

Not all the ruling families during this period belonged to the Kṣatriya caste. According to Yuan Chwang, Harṣa belonged to the Vaiśya caste.⁵ Yuan Chwang records a tradition that the kings of Kâmarûpa had been Brâhmaṇas for a thousand generations.¹ As already noted, some other ruling families came from the Brāhmaṇa, Vaiśya or Śūdra caste. Historical testimony thus confirms the impression, which the imprecations and prophecies of the Brāhmaṇas tend to produce, *viz.*, that the orthodox rule of Kṣatriya kingship was not infrequently violated.