Abhira dynasty

Abhiras of Nasik
203 A.D.[1]–315 or 370[1]
The Abhiras during the reign of Ishwarsena.[1][2]
The Abhiras during the reign of Ishwarsena.[1][2]
StatusEmpire
CapitalAnjaneri, Thalner, Prakashe, Bhamer, Asirgarh
Common languagesApabhraṃśa, Sanskrit, Prakrit
Religion
Hinduism
GovernmentMonarchy
Historical eraEarly Classical
• Established
203 A.D.[1]
• Overthrow of the Abhiras by the Traikutakas. Reconquest of lost territories by the Saka kshtarapas and the rise of the Vakataka dynasty. Defeat of petty Abhira chieftains by Kadamba ruler Mayurasarman.
315 or 370[1]
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Satavahana dynasty
Western Satrap Empire
Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri
Traikutaka dynasty
Vakataka dynasty
Western Satrap Empire
Kadamba dynasty
Today part ofIndia

The Abhira dynasty was a dynasty that ruled over the western Deccan, where it perhaps succeeded the Satavahana dynasty. From 203 CE to roughly 270 or 370, this dynasty formed a vast kingdom. The Abhiras had an extensive empire comprising Maharashtra, Konkan, Gujarat and some part of South Madhya Pradesh.[3]

The Abhira era was started by Rajan Ishwarsena in AD 249, and is referred to as the Abhira-Traikutika era.[4][page needed] This era was later continued by the Kalachuri Dynasty, who called it the Kalachuri era, and later the Kalachuri-Chedi era.[5][page needed] After the rule of five traikuta kings, the dynasty retired to the central provinces and assumed the name Haihaya (Chedi) and Kalachuri.[6][page needed] Historians refer to this entire era as Abhira-Traikutika-Kalachuri-Chedi era.[7][page needed] in the Puranic geography the country from the Tapti to Deogarh is called the Abhira, or the region of cowherds. It seems probable that they were connected with the Yadavas who were in power in the eighth, and again appear as the rulers of Deogiri or Daulatabad in the 12th and 13th century.[8]

Origin

According to sociologist M. S. A. Rao, There are hisotrical and semi-historical evidences that proves Abhiras were Ahirs, Gopas and Gollas, and all of them are considered Yadavas.[9][page needed]

The Purana texts associate the Abhiras with Saurashtra and Avanti. According to Balkrishna Gokhale, The Abhiras have been well-known since epic times as a martial tribe.[10][page needed] The Bhagavata calls the Abhiras, 'Saurashtra' and 'Avantya' rulers (Saurashtra-Āvanty Ābhīrāḥ), and the Vishnu treats the Abhiras as occupying the Surashtra and Avanti provinces.[11][page needed]

According to the Mahabharata, the Abhiras lived near the seashore and on the bank of the Sarashvati, a river near Somnath in Gujarat.[12][page needed][13]

Accoording to some authors, the origin of the Abhiras is steeped in obscurity. Though, we often come across references about them in Ancient Indian literature, hardly any of them throw light on the problem of their origin. The Mahābhashya of Patañjali simply mentions them as a caste distinct from the Sudras.[14][page needed][15][page needed]

Some sources state that Abhiras are Kshatriyas and specifically Yaduvanshi.[16][page needed]

They were among the successors of the Satavahanas in the Western Deccan. Some of them entered the military service of the Western Satraps (Sakas), and helped them in conquest of new territories.[1] By 181 A.D, the Abhiras had gained considerable influence at the Kshatrapa court. Some of them were even serving as generals.[17][page needed]

The Gunda inscription dated Saka year 103 (181 CE) refers to Abhira Rudrabhuti as the senapati (commander-in-chief) of the Saka satrap (ruler) Rudrasimha.[1][18][19][20][21][page needed][22] The inscription also gives a detailed genealogy of the kings up to Rudrasimha:[23]

Gunda inscription of Rudrasimha, Saka year 103.

"Hail ! On the [auspicious] fifth tithi of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha during the auspicious period of the constellation of Rohini, in the year one hundred and three — 100 3 — (during the reign) of the king, the Kshatrapa Lord Rudrasiha (Rudrasimha), the son of the king, the Maha-Kshatrapa Lord Rudradaman (and) son’s son of the king, the Kshatrapa Lord Jayadaman, (and) grandson’s son of the king, the Maha-Kshatrapa Lord Chashtana, the well was caused to be dug and embanked by the general (senapati) Rudrabuthi, the son of the general (senapati) Bapaka, the Abhira, at the village (grama) of Rasopadra, for the welfare and comfort of all living beings."

— Epigraphia Indica XVI, p.233

The inscription refers Rudrasimha to as simply a ksatrapa, ignoring the existence of any mahaksatrapa. According to Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya, this indicates that the Abhira general was the de facto ruler of the state, though not assuming any higher title. The inscription states Abhira Rudrabhuti as the son of the general Bapaka.[18][page needed] The Abhira dynasty was probably related Abhira Rudrabhuti.[1][page needed][18][page needed]

History

class=notpageimage|
The Abhiras and main South Asian polities circa 350 CE.[24]
"Ābhīra" in later Brahmi script in the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta.[25]

The history of the Abhiras is shrouded in much obscurity.[1] The Abhira dynasty was founded by Ishwarsena. The branch came to power after the demise of the Satavahanas in the Nasik region of Maharashtra, with the help and consent of the Western Satraps (Sakas). They were known as Gavali rajas indicating that they were cowherds by profession before becoming kings.[1] Ten Abhira kings ruled in the Maharashtra region of the Deccan, whose names have not been mentioned in the Puranas.[1] An Abhira king is known to have sent an embassy to the Sassanid Shahanshah of Persia, Narseh, to congratulate him on his victory against Bahram III.[26][1][page needed]

During the time of the Gupta Empire, the Indian emperor Samudragupta recorded Abhira as a "frontier kingdom" which paid an annual tribute. This was recorded by Samudragupta's Allahabad Pillar inscription, which states the following in lines 22–23.

"Samudragupta, whose formidable rule was propitiated with the payment of all tributes, execution of orders and visits (to his court) for obeisance by such frontier rulers as those of Samataṭa, Ḍavāka, Kāmarūpa, Nēpāla, and Kartṛipura, and, by the Mālavas, Ārjunāyanas, Yaudhēyas, Mādrakas, Ābhīras, Prārjunas, Sanakānīkas, Kākas, Kharaparikas and other nations."

— Lines 22–23 of the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta (r.c.350-375 CE).[25]

The duration of the Abhira rule is uncertain, with most of the Puranas giving it as sixty-seven years, while the Vayu Purana gives it as one hundred and sixty-seven years.[1][27] According to V.V Mirashi, the following were the feudatories of the Abhiras-[28]

The Abhiras spoke Apabhraṃśa, and seem to have patronized Sanskrit. The Nasik cave inscription of Isvarsena is written mostly in Sanskrit. Several guilds flourished in their kingdom, in which people invested large amounts for making endowments. This indicates peace, order and security in the kingdom of the Abhiras.[27]

Mahaksatrapa Isvaradatta

According to Dr. Bhagwan Lal, The Abhira or Ahir King Ishvardatta entered Gujarat from North Konkan defeated Vijayasena, a Kshatriya and established his supremacy.[29][page needed]

Patanjali in his Mahabhashya mentioned about Abhira kings. Abhira chieftains served as Generals to the Saka rulers. In the second century A.D., an Ahir Chief Isvaradatta became the Mahakshatrapa(Supreme King). The Abhira played a key role in causing downfall of Satvahanas in third century A.D.[30]

Saka Satakarni

Another king claiming to be a son of Mathari besides Abhira Ishwarsena is Sakasena. He is identified with Saka Satakarni, whose coins have been found over Andhra Pradesh and is taken to be a Satavahana king and successor of Yajna Sri Satakarni. However, K.Gopalchari thinks that Sakasena was a Abhira king. Reasons:

  • The name of Sakasena or Saka Satakarni does not occur in the Puranic genealogies of the Satavahana kings. He claimed to be th son of Mathari, the wife of Abhira Sivadatta, as indicated by his epithet Mathariputra.[1]
  • The traditional title of Siri which is found on most coins and inscriptions of the Satavahanas is significantly absent in the case of this ruler.[1]
  • Considering the dynastic rivalry between the Saka Kshatrapas, the naming of a Satavahana prince with its main content as Saka is very unnatural and unlikely.[1]
  • The Abhiras were earlier in the service of the Saka rulers of Ujjaini, and in those days, feudatory chiefs used to name their sons after the names of their overlords. The name of Sakasena was probably a result of this practice. The suffix of Sena in his name also suggests that he was an Abhira king and related to Ishwarsena.[1]

So this concludes that Ishwarsena's predecessor was his elder brother Sakasena, and Ishwarsena ascended the throne after his death.[1]

Sakasena was probably the first great Abhira king. His inscriptions from the Konkan and coins from Andhra Pradesh suggest that he ruled over a large portion of the Satavahana Empire.[1]

Abhira Ishwarsena

Ishwarsena was the first independent Abhira king. He was the son of Abhira Sivadatta and his wife Mathari.[1] Ashvini Agrawal thinks he was a general in the service of Rudrasimha I who deposed his master in 188 A.D and ascended the throne. Ashvini Agrawal further says that Rudrasimha I soon deposed him and regained the throne in 190 A.D.[17] He (Ishwarsena) started an era which later became known as the Kalachuri-Chedi era. His descendants ruled for nine generations.[31] Ishwarsena's coins are dated only in the first and second years of his reign and are found in Saurashtra and Southern Rajputana.[32]

The Traikuta rule of Aparanta or Konkan begins in A.D. 248 (Traikuta era) exactly the time of Ishwarsena's rule, hence Traikutas are identified with the Abhira dynasty.[33][page needed]

The Abhiras began to rule in Southern and western Sourashtra from the second half of the 10th century A.D their capital was vamanshtali, modern vanthali nine miles west of Junagadh. They became very powerful during the reign of Graharipu who defeated the Saindhavas and the Chaulukyas.[34][page needed]

List of rulers

The following is the list of the sovereign and strong Abhira rulers-

  • Abhira Sivadatta
  • Sakasena alias Saka Satakarni
  • Abhira Ishwarsena alias Mahaksatrapa Isvaradatta
  • Abhira Vashishthiputra Vasusena
  • Abhiranshah

Territory

The Abhiras ruled western Maharashtra which included Nasik and its adjoining areas,[35] Aparanta, Lata, Ashmaka,[36][29] and Khandesh[37] Their core territory included Nasik and the adjoining areas.[18][page needed][38] The Abhira territory also may have consisted of Malwa, which they gradually seized from the Kshahratas.[39]

Decline

After the death of Abhira Vashishthiputra Vasusena, the Abhiras probably lost their sovereign and paramount status.[1] The Abhiras lost most of their domains to the rising Vakatakas (north) and the Kadambas (south-west).[40] The Abhiras were finally supplanted by their feudatories, the Traikutakas. But still many petty Abhira chieftains and kings continued to rule until the fourth century, roughly till 370 AD, in the Vidarbha and Khandesh region. They continued to rule, but without sovereignty, until they came into conflict with the Kadamba king Mayurasarman and were defeated.[26][1]

Descendants

According to Ganga Ram Garg, the modern-day Ahir caste are descendants of Abhira people and the term Ahir is the Prakrit form of the Sanskrit term Abhira.[41] This view gets support in many writings.[1]

A notable Ahir personality, Rao Balbir Singh, the king of Rewari princely state in Haryana, claimed descent from the Abhiras. He spearheaded the Sanskritization of the Ahir community of the larger Yadav caste, establishing the Ahir Yadav Kshatriya Mahasabha.[42][page needed][43][page needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Thosar, H.S. (1990). "The Abhiras in Indian History". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 51. Indian History Congress: 56–65. JSTOR 44148188. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  2. ^ Central Provinces District Gazetteers- Nagpur.
  3. ^ Numismatic Digest. Numismatic Society of Bombay. 1985. p. 74.
  4. ^ A Comprehensive History of India: pt. 1. A.D. 300-985. Orient Longmans. 1981.
  5. ^ Numismatic Digest. Numismatic Society of Bombay. 1982.
  6. ^ Choubey, M. C. (2006). Tripurī, History and Culture. Sharada Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-88934-28-7.
  7. ^ The Numismatic Chronicle. Royal Numismatic Society. 1983.
  8. ^ Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Buldhana. Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State. 1976. p. 224.
  9. ^ Rao, M. S. A. (1987). Social Movements and Social Transformation: A Study of Two Backward Classes Movements in India. Manohar. ISBN 978-0-8364-2133-0.
  10. ^ Gokhale, Balkrishna Govind (1962). Samudra Gupta: Life and Times. Asia Publishing House.
  11. ^ Society, Bihar Research (1933). The Journal of the Bihar Research Society. The Bhagavata calls the Abhiras, 'Saurashtra' and 'Avantya' rulers (Saurashtra-Āvanty Ābhīrāḥ), and the Vishnu treats the Abhiras as occupying the Surashtra and Avanti provinces.
  12. ^ Garg, Gaṅgā Rām (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-374-0. According to the Mahabharata (Sabha. 31), the Abhiras lived near the seashore and on the bank of the Sarasvati, a river near Somanāth in Gujarāt.
  13. ^ Soni, Lok Nath (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture. ISBN 978-81-85579-57-3. Some people say that the Abhira were Sudra, but it is wrong and Mahabharat mentions both of them distinctly. It says that both the Sudra and the Abhira were living on the bank of river Saraswati. The Abhira who ruled over the Deccan for some time, were, according to Patanjali's counting, a caste by themselves, not included among the Sudra (Ghurye 1961 : 62). The word 'Jati' is applied by the great grammarian Patanjali to such ethnic groups as the Abhira, whom he declares to be other 'Jati' than the Sudra. By implication the Sudra too were a 'Jati'. 'Varna' and 'Jati' would thus appear to be inter-changeable terms. It is clear that other groups than the four traditional ones were not only in existence, but had come to be recognised as jatis (Vyakaranamahabhashya : 1,2,72).
  14. ^ Congress, Indian History (1959). Proceedings - Indian History Congress.
  15. ^ Ghurye, Govind Sadashiv (1957). Caste and Class in India. Popular Book Depot.
  16. ^ Soni, Lok Nath (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture. ISBN 978-81-85579-57-3.
  17. ^ a b Ashvini Agrawal (1989). Rise and Fall of the Imperial Guptas (Hardcover). Motilal Banarsidass. p. 58. ISBN 9788120805927.
  18. ^ a b c d Chattopadhyaya, Sudhakar (1974). Some Early Dynasties of South India. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 216. ISBN 9788120829411. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  19. ^ Salomon, Richard (1998). Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 90. ISBN 9780195099843.
  20. ^ Mishra, Susan Verma; Ray, Himanshu Prabha (2016). The Archaeology of Sacred Spaces: The temple in western India, second century BCE–8th century CE. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 9781317193746.
  21. ^ Damsteegt, Th (1978). Epigraphical Hybrid Sanskrit: Its Rise, Spread, Characteristics and Relationship to Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. BRILL. p. 201. ISBN 978-9004057258.
  22. ^ Vogel, Jean Ph (1947). India antiqua. Brill Archive. p. 299.
  23. ^ Thomas, F. w (1921). Epigraphia Indica Vol.16. p. 233.
  24. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 25, 145. ISBN 0226742210.
  25. ^ a b Fleet, John Faithfull (1888). Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol. 3. pp. 6–10.
  26. ^ a b Singh Nijjar, Bakhshish (2008). Origins and History of Jats and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 434. ISBN 9788126909087.
  27. ^ a b Majumdar, M R. "Chronology of Gujarat". Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
  28. ^ a b c d e Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya (1974). Some Early Dynasties of South India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 128–130. ISBN 978-81-208-2941-1.
  29. ^ a b "Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: pt. 1. History of Gujarát". google.co.in. 1896.
  30. ^ Gaṅgā Rām Garg (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World, Volume 1. Concept Publishing Company. p. 114. ISBN 9788170223740.
  31. ^ Arun Kumar Sharma (2004). Heritage of Tansa Valley. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. pp. 33, 92. ISBN 9788180900297.
  32. ^ Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi (1955). Inscriptions of the Kalachuri-Chedi Era, Part 1. Government Epigraphist for India Original from the University of Michigan. pp. xxx.
  33. ^ Mookerji, Radhakumud (2007). The gupta empire (5th ed.). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120804401. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  34. ^ Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
  35. ^ Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya (1974). Some Early Dynasties of South India. Motilal. p. 129. ISBN 9788120829411. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  36. ^ Maharashtra (India). Gazetteers Dept (1977). Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Sholapur Gazetteer of India Volume 24 of Maharashtra State Gazetteers, Maharashtra (India). Gazetteers Dept. Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State. p. 40.
  37. ^ Subodh Kapoor (2002). Encyclopaedia of Ancient Indian Geography, Volume 1. Cosmo Publications. p. 2. ISBN 9788177552980. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  38. ^ "5 Post Maurya Dynasties (In South India)". History discussion. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  39. ^ Krishnan, V. S.; Shrivastav, P. N.; Verma, Rajendra (1996). Rajgarh By Madhya Pradesh (India). Government Central Press. p. 18.
  40. ^ Mitchiner, Michael (1978). The Ancient & Classical World, 600 B.C.-A.D. 650. Hawkins Publications. p. 634. ISBN 9780904173161.
  41. ^ Radhakrishnan, S. (2007). Identity And Ethos. Orient Paperbacks. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-8-12220-455-1.
  42. ^ Yadava, S. D. S. (2006). Followers of Krishna: Yadavas of India. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7062-216-1.
  43. ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India. Hurst. ISBN 978-1-85065-670-8.

Sources

  • Banerjee, Biswanath (1999). Shudraka. Makers of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Academy. ISBN 81-260-0697-8.
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