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Ashvins

2024-05-09T09:52:17Z

2405:201:4:3B2C:AD59:E5A6:2688:BC3:

{{short description|Hindu twin gods of medicine}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| deity_of = Gods of Health and Medicine
| other_names = Ashvini Kumaras, Ashvinau, Nasatya, Dasra
| consort = {{sfn|Kramisch|Miller|1983|p=171}}{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}
| children = [[Nakula]] (spiritual son) [[Sahadeva]] (spiritual son)
| father = [[Surya]]
| mother = [[Sanjna]]
| siblings = [[Revanta]], [[Yami]], [[Yama]], [[Shraddhadeva Manu]], [[Shani]], [[Karna]], [[Tapati]] and [[Savarni Manu]]
| image = Ashwini Kumaras-L.jpg
| affiliation = [[Deva (Hinduism)|Devas]]
| greek_equivalent = [[Dioskuri]]
| equivalent1 = [[Ašvieniai]], [[Dieva Dēli]]
| equivalent1_type = Baltic
| texts = ''[[Rigveda]], [[Mahabharata]], [[Purana]]''s
}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

The '''Ashvins''' ({{lang-sa|अश्विन्|Aśvin|horse possessors}}), also known as the '''Ashvini Kumaras''' and '''Asvinau''',<ref name=":0">{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.42.</ref> are [[Hindu deities|Hindu]] twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn, and the sciences.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wise|first=Thomas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2u0lAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA4|title=Commentary on the Hindu System of Medicine|date=1860|publisher=Trübner|language=en|pages=4}}</ref> In the ''[[Rigveda]]'', they are described as youthful divine twin horsemen, travelling in a chariot drawn by horses that are never weary, and portrayed as guardian deities that safeguard and rescue people by aiding them in various situations.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}}

There are varying accounts, but Ashvins are generally mentioned as the sons of the sun god [[Surya]] and his wife [[Sanjna]]. In the epic ''[[Mahabharata]],'' the Pandava twins [[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]] were the children of the Ashvins.

== Etymology and epithets ==
The [[Sanskrit]] name ''{{IAST|Aśvín}}'' (अश्विन्) derives from the [[Proto-Indo-Iranian language|Indo-Iranian]] stem ''*Haćwa-'' (cf. [[Avestan]] ''aspā''), itself from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Indo-European]] word for the horse, ''*H1éḱwos'', from which also descends the Lithuanian name ''[[Ašvieniai]]''.<ref name=":02">[[Alexander Lubotsky|Lubotsky, Alexander]]. "Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon". ''Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project''. [[Leiden University]]. s.v. ''áśva-''.</ref>

In the ''[[Rigveda]]'', the Ashvins are always referred to in the dual, without individual names,{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}} although Vedic texts differentiate between the two Ashvins: "one of you is respected as the victorious lord of Sumakha, and the other as the fortunate son of heaven" (''RV'' 1.181.4). They are called several times ''divó nápātā,'' that is 'grandsons of [[Dyaus|Dyaús]] (the sky-god)'. This formula is comparable with the Lithuanian ''Dievo sūneliai'', 'sons of [[Dievas]] (the sky-god'), attached to the [[Ašvieniai]]; the Latvian ''[[Dieva Dēli]]'', the 'sons of Dievs (the sky-god)'; and the Greek ''Diós-kouroi'', the 'boys of [[Zeus]]', designating [[Castor and Pollux]].{{sfn|West|2007|p=187–191}}{{Sfn|Parpola|2015a|pp=109–110}}

The twin gods are also referred to as ''Nā́satyā'' (possibly 'saviours'; a derivative of ''nasatí'', 'safe return home'), a name that appears 99 times in the ''Rigveda''.{{Sfn|Parpola|2015a|pp=109–110}} The [[epithet]] probably derives from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root ''*nes-'' ('to return home [safely]'), with [[cognate]]s in the [[Avestan]] ''Nā̊ŋhaiθya'', the name of a demon – as a result of a [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] religious reformation that changed the status of prior deities –, and also in the Greek hero [[Nestor (mythology)|Nestor]] and in the [[Gothic language|Gothic]] verb ''nasjan'' ('save, heal').{{Sfn|Frame|2009|p=}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ahmadi|first=Amir|date=2015|title=Two Chthonic Features of the Daēva Cult in Historical Evidence|journal=History of Religions|volume=54|issue=3|pages=348|doi=10.1086/679000|issn=0018-2710|jstor=10.1086/679000|s2cid=162230518}}</ref>

In the later ''[[Mahabharata]]'', the Ashvins are often called the ''Nasatyas'' or ''Dasras''. Sometimes one of them is referred to as ''Nasatya'' and one as ''Dasra''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Thadani|first=N.v.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlKeGQiC58oC&q=nasatya+and+dasra&pg=PA362|title=The Mystery of the Mahabharata: Vol. I|publisher=India Research Press|pages=362|language=en}}</ref>

== Origin and equivalents==
The Ashvins are an instance of the [[Proto-Indo-European religion|Indo-European]] [[Divine twins|divine horse twins]].{{Sfn|Mallory|Adams|2006|p=432}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Comparative Mythology|last=Puhvel|first=Jaan|date=1987|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=0-8018-3938-6|location=Baltimore, Maryland|pages=58–61|author-link=Jaan Puhvel}}
</ref>{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}} Reflexes in other Indo-European religions include the Lithuanian [[Ašvieniai]], the Latvian [[Dieva Dēli]], the Greek [[Castor and Pollux]]; and possibly the English [[Hengist and Horsa]], and the Welsh [[Bran the Blessed|Bran]] and [[Manawydan]].{{Sfn|Mallory|Adams|2006|p=432}}{{sfn|West|2007|p=187–191}} The first mention of the Nasatya twins is from a [[Mitanni-Aryan|Mitanni]] treaty (c.1350 BCE), between [[Suppiluliuma]] and [[Shattiwaza]], respectively kings of the Hittites and the [[Mitanni]].<ref>KBo 1 1. {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/hittitediplomati00beck_0 |title=Hittite Diplomatic Texts|author=Gary M. Beckman|date=1999 |publisher=Scholars Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/hittitediplomati00beck_0/page/53 53]|isbn=9780788505515|url-access=registration}}. Excerpt http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/ranghaya/suppiluliuma_shattiwaza_treaty.htm</ref>

==Literature and legends==
[[File:Birth of the Celestial Twins, Folio from a Harivamsha (Lineage of Vishnu) LACMA M.83.1.7 (1 of 2).jpg|thumb|upright|Birth of Ashwinikumar, a folio from the text ''[[Harivansha]]'']]

===Vedic texts===
The Ashvins are mentioned 398 times in the ''Rigveda'',<ref name=":0" /> with more than 50 hymns specifically dedicated to them: 1.3, 1.22, 1.34, 1.46–47, 1.112, 1.116–120, 1.157–158, 1.180–184, 2.20, 3.58, 4.43–45, 5.73–78, 6.62–63, 7.67–74, 8.5, 8.8–10, 8.22, 8.26, 8.35, 8.57, 8.73, 8.85–87, 10.24, 10.39–41, 10.143.{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}}

{{Poemquote|text=Your chariot, o Aśvins, swifter than mind, drawn by good horses, comes to the clans.
By which (chariot) you go to the home of the good ritual performer, by that, o men, travel your course to us.
You free Atri, the seer of the five peoples, from narrow straits, from the earth cleft along with his band, o men—confounding the wiles of the merciless Dasyu, driving them out, one after another, o bulls.

O Aśvins—you men, you bulls—by the wondrous powers you draw back together the seer Rebha, who bobbed away in the waters, like a horse hidden by those of evil ways. Your ancient deeds do not grow old.|char=1.117.2–4|sign=|title=|source=The Rigveda, translated by Stephanie W. Jamison (2014){{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=272–273}}}}
According to the text, the Ashvins were born after the sun god [[Vivasvat]] and his wife [[Saranyu]] (Sanjna) engaged in love making in the form of a stallion and a mare respectively.{{sfn|Lang|1887}} The Ashvins are also called "''divó nápātā"'', which is variously translated as either "sons" or "grandsons" of Dyaush.{{sfn|West|2007|p=187–191}}{{Sfn|Parpola|2015a|pp=109–110}}<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Macdonell|first=Arthur Anthony|title=Vedic Mythology|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1897|pages=51}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=De Witt Griswold|first1=Harvey|title=The Religion of the Rigveda|last2=Farquhar|first2=J. N.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1923|pages=262}}</ref> At one mention, the [[Indus River|Indus (Sindhu) River]] is stated to be their mother.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=157}} Ashvins were the close companions of the Vedic mother goddess [[Ushas]] (dawn) and sometimes they are even mentioned as her sons.{{sfn|Kinsley|1988|p=6}} The marriage of the Ashvin brothers is narrated in the ''Sukta'' 117 of Rigveda. According to the legend, the sun god, Surya-[[Savitra]], had a daughter named Sūryā (with a long ā) and arranged a horse-race to choose her bridegroom. The Ashvins won the race and thus, both of them married Suryā.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=71}}{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}{{efn|Contradictory to this, some chapters of Rigveda suggest that Sūryā's bridegroom was the god Soma and the Ashvins were his friends.{{sfn|Kramisch|Miller|1983|p=171}}}} [[Pushan]] is also stated to have chosen the Ashvins to be his fathers.<ref name=":2" />{{Sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=1522}}

The Ashvins are depicted as the helpers of mortals in various ''suktas'' of Rigveda. The ''sukta'' 112 describes that when the sage Dirghashravas prayed to Ashvins for rain, the twins poured sweet water from the sky. According to ''sukta'' 16, they also helped the sage Gotama, who was lost in a desert and begged for water. It is described that the gods dug a water well and helped the sage.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=71}} According to another account, Rebha was bound, stabbed, and cast into the waters for nine days and ten nights before being saved by the twins. He was explicitly described as "dead" when the twins "raised (him) up" to save him (''RV'' 10.39.9). Similarly, Bhujyu was saved after his father or evil companions abandoned him at sea when the twins brought him home from the dead ancestors (''RV,'' 1.119.4).{{Sfn|Frame|2009|p=}}

The Ashvins also raised Vandana, rescued Atri from a fissure in the earth and its heat, found Vishnapu and returned him to his father, restored the youth of Kali, brought Kamadyū as a wife for Vimada, gave a son to Vadhrimatī (whose husband was a steer), restored the eyesight of Rijrashva, replaced the foot of [[Vishpala]] with a metal one, made the cow Śayu give milk, gave a horse to Pedu, and put a horse's head on [[Dadhichi|Dadhyañc]].{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}
According to the ''[[Shatapatha Brahmana]]'', Ashvins once tried to seduce [[Sukanya]], the daughter of king Saryati and wife of an old sage named [[Chyavana]]. However, she refused and claimed that the twins were imperfect and told them to restore the youth of Chyavana. Desperate to know the reason for her words, they fulfilled her condition and the sage finally revealed that Ashvins were excluded from a [[yajna]] (fire sacrifice) performed by the gods, and thus, they were incomplete. Ashvins went to the sacrifice but the gods don't accept, claiming that the Ashvins were spending too much time with the mortals. After many attempts of explanation, they were finally accepted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FeAyMeaRwtMC&q=chyavana+sukanya&pg=PA342|title = "The" Vishnu Purana ; 3: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition ; Translated from the Original Sanskrit, and Illustrated by Notes Derived Chiefly from Other Puranas|year = 1866|last1 = Wilson|first1 = Horace H.}}</ref> The Ashvins are sometimes presented as fierce deities. In the ''sukta'' 117, they even destroyed an ''[[asura]]'' Vishvaka as well as his dynasty.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=71}}

=== Post-Vedic text ===

In the post-Vedic texts of Hinduism, the Ashvins remain significant, and in these texts, one of them is referred as Nasatya and the another one is known as Darsa. Many of their legends are rewritten in various texts like the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'', ''[[Harivansha|Harivamsha]],'' and the ''[[Puranas]]''.

According to these texts, Sanjna, daughter of [[Vishvakarma]], was married to Surya, but she was unable to bear his heat and decided to abandon him. She ran away and roamed in the forest of northern [[Kuru kingdom]] in the form of a mare. The ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' adds that she performed austerities in the forest to gain control over Surya's heat. After Surya discovered Sanjna's disappearance, he located her and made love with her in a form of stallion. Sanjna gave birth to the twins.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=69}} Rarely, in some ''Purana''s, Ashvins are mentioned as the sons (creation) of the god [[Brahma]].{{sfn|Dalal|2010|p=64}}

These texts also elaborate the story of [[Chyavana]], which was first narrated in [[Brahmanas]].{{sfn|Dalal|2010|p=100}} In this version, [[Sukanya]]{{mdash}}the beautiful daughter of the king Saryati{{mdash}}
accidentally blinded the old Chyavana, who was performing austerities. She married him to save her kingdom from his wrath and served him dutifully.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=69}} While traveling on their chariot, the Ashvins saw Sukanya in a forest and tried to seduce her. They asked her to choose one of them as her new husband, but she refused and remained faithful to Chyavana. The twins were impressed by her chastity and asked her to wish anything. Upon their request, she told them to restore the youth and sight of Chyavana. Ashvins agreed but they had a condition. After curing Chyavana, they would also take similar form and she would have to identify Chyavana. Sukanya showed her consent after getting permission from her husband. Ashvins took Chyavana into a lake and cured him. When a young Chyavana emerged from the lake, Ashvins also took forms similar to him and Sukanya successfully identified her husband.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=70}}{{sfn|Dalal|2010|p=101}}

The ''Mahabharata'' also narrates about the birth of Nakula and Sahadeva, who were the “spiritual sons” of the Ashvins. According to the epic, a king named [[Pandu]] was unable to make love due to a curse and didn't have any heir. However, he advised his wives, [[Kunti]] and [[Madri]], to invoke various gods and ask for sons. Ashvins Nasatya and Darsa blessed Madri with Nakula and Sahadeva respectively.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=71}}<ref>Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. Volume II M-Z. Benjamin Walker. Routledge. 2019. Entry: "Pandava"</ref>

== Associations ==
[[File:Thewakamnoet (1959, p. 147).jpg|thumb|Thai depiction of the Horse-faced Ashvins on a chariot]]
The Ashvins are often associated with rescuing mortals and bringing them back to life.<ref>{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.43.</ref>{{efn|See [[#Vedic texts]] section of Literature and legends}} The ''[[Rigveda]]'' also describes the Ashvins as "bringing light": they gave "light-bringing help" (''svàrvatīr''…''ūtī́r'', 1.119.8) to Bhujyu, and "raised (Rebha) up to see the sun" (''úd''…''aírayataṃ svàr dṛśé'', 1.112.5).<ref>{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.44.</ref>{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}}

The Ashvins are associated with honey, which was likely offered to them in a sacrifice. They are the chief deities in the [[Pravargya|Pravargya rite]], in which they are offered hot milk. They are also associated with the morning pressing of [[Soma (drink)|Soma]], because they are dual deities, along with [[Indra]]-[[Vayu|Vāyu]] and [[Mitra (Vedic)|Mitra]]-[[Varuna|Varuṇa]]. They also are the last deities to receive Soma in the Atirātra, or Overnight Soma Ritual.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=47}}

The Ashvins are invoked at dawn, the time of their principal sacrifice, and have a close connection with the dawn goddess, [[Ushas|Uṣas]]: she is bidden to awaken them (8.9.17), they follow her in their chariot (8.5.2), she is born when they hitch their steeds (10.39.12), and their chariot is once said to arrive before her (1.34.10). They are consequently associated with the "return from darkness": the twins are called “darkness slayers” (''tamohánā'', 3.39.3), they are invoked with the formula "you who have made light for mankind" (''yā́v''…''jyótir jánāya cakráthuḥ'', 1.92.17), and their horses and chariot are described as "uncovering the covered darkness" (''aporṇuvántas táma ā́ párīvṛtam'', 4.45.2).<ref>{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.45.</ref>

The chariot of the Ashvins is repeatedly mentioned in the ''Rigveda''. Their chariot has three chariot-boxes, three wheels, three turnings, and three wheel rims. The emphasis on the number 3 is symbolized in the sacrifice with its three soma pressings. The chariot is pulled by bulls, buffaloes, horses, birds, geese, and falcons. The chariot allows the Ashvins to be quick and mobile and travel to a number of places, which is necessary to fulfill their role of rescuing people. Vaishnavivati, the daughter of King Adrashya Kumara and Queen Rohinivati, is sometimes mentioned as the wife of the Ashvins, and she rides with them in their chariot.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}

It is also believed that the Ashvins were the first one to prepare the [[Chyawanprash]] formulation for Rishi [[Chyavana]] at his [[Ashram]] on [[Dhosi Hill]] near [[Narnaul]], [[Haryana]], [[India]], hence the name ''Chyawanprash''.<ref>Panda, H; ''Handbook on Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses'', 2004, p10 {{ISBN|978-81-86623-63-3}}</ref>

==See also==
[[Ašvieniai]], counterparts in [[Lithuanian mythology]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Dalal|first=Roshen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&q=Ashvins+brahma|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|language=en}}
* {{Cite web|last=Frame|first=Douglas|title=Hippota Nestor - 3. Vedic|date=2009|url=https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5466.ch-3-vedic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920133941/https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5466.ch-3-vedic|archive-date=20 September 2019|website=Center for Hellenic Studies}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Jamison |first1=Stephanie W. |last2=Brereton |first2=Joel P. |title=The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India|date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-937018-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-PRAwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Kinsley |first=David |title=Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition|url=https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesvi0000kins |url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-90883-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesvi0000kins/page/7 7]–8}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Kramisch|first1=Stella|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bxPeWwFz9MkC&q=S%C5%ABry%C4%81+asvins&pg=PP197|title=Exploring India's Sacred Art|last2=Miller|first2=Barbara|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited|year=1983|isbn=81-208-1208-5|location=Shri Jainendra Press A-45, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase I, New Delhi-110 028, India|page=171}}
* {{Cite book|last=Lang|first=Andrew|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ClcWhh1eYPEC&q=Vivasvat+a%C5%9Bvins&pg=PA156|title=Myth, Ritual and Religion|date=1887|publisher=Longmans, Green|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|title=The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World|last1=Mallory|first1=James P.|last2=Adams|first2=Douglas Q.|date=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-929668-2|location=Oxford, England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tF5wAAAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Mani|first=Vettam|pages= [https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/69/mode/2up 69]|title=Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature|date=1975|publisher=Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass|others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}
* {{Cite book|last=Parpola|first=Asko|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DagXCgAAQBAJ|title=The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization|date=2015a|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-022693-0|language=en|author-link=Asko Parpola}}
* {{Cite book|last=West|first=Martin L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXrJA_5LKlYC|title=Indo-European Poetry and Myth|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-928075-9 |author-link=Martin Litchfield West}}
{{refend}}

===Further reading===
{{refbegin}}
* [[Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend]] ({{ISBN|0-500-51088-1}}) by Anna L. Dallapiccola
* {{cite journal |last1=BOSCH |first1=F. D. K. |title=De Aśvin-goden en de epische tweelingen in de oudjavaanse kunst en literatuur |trans-title=The Aśvin godlings and the epic twins in old-javanese art and literature |language=nl |journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |date=1967 |volume=123 |issue=4 |pages=427–441 |doi=10.1163/22134379-90002890 |id={{ProQuest|1130862317}} |jstor=27860895 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Chakravarty |first1=Uma |title=The Aśvins: an Incarnation of the Universal Twinship Motif |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |date=1989 |volume=70 |issue=1/4 |pages=137–143 |jstor=41693465 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=JAMISON |first1=S. W. |title=Review of Les Nāsatya, Volume II |journal=Indo-Iranian Journal |date=2002 |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=347–350 |doi=10.1163/000000002124994928 |jstor=24664156 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Mitra |first1=Jyotir |title=Ashvins, the Twin Celestial Physicians, and Their Medical Skill |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |date=1984 |volume=45 |pages=220–228 |jstor=44140202 }}
* {{cite book |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190226909.003.0011 |chapter=The Aśvins as Funerary Gods |title=The Roots of Hinduism |year=2015b |last1=Parpola |first1=Asko |pages=117–129 |isbn=978-0-19-022690-9 }}
* {{Cite web|last=Parva|first=Paushya|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01004.htm|title=Section III (Paushya Parva|pages=32–33|access-date=1 November 2013|publisher=Sacred Texts}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Asvins}}
[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]
[[Category:Divine twins]]
[[Category:Health gods]]
[[Category:Hindu gods]]
[[Category:Rigvedic deities]]
[[Category:Savior gods]]
[[Category:Medicine deities]]

Nandivarman II

2024-04-21T18:43:29Z

2405:201:4:3B2C:AD59:E5A6:2688:BC3:

{{use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{use Indian English|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image = ED38YtRVAAAjcWw.jpg
| caption = Nandivarman II with his queens and courtiers at [[Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram]] (Vaikunta Perumal Temple)
| succession = [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava King]]
| reign = {{circa|731 CE|796 CE}}
| predecessor = [[Paramesvaravarman II]]
| successor = [[Dantivarman]]
| birth_date = 718 CE
| birth_place = Simhapura, [[Champa]] (modern day [[Trà Kiệu]], [[Quảng Nam province]], [[Vietnam]]
| death_date = 796 CE (aged 78)
| death_place = [[Kanchipuram]], [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava kingdom]] (modern day [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]])
| issue = [[Dantivarman]]
| house = [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]]
| father = Hiraynayavarman
| mother = Unknown
| spouse = Reva (Daughter of [[Dantidurga]])
}}
{{Pallava}}
'''Nandivarman II''' (718 CE - 796 CE) was a [[Pallava]] ruler who ruled in [[South India]]. Sen states Nandivarman reigned from 731 CE – 796 CE and built the [[Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram|Vaikuntha-Perumal Temple]].<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=41–42}}</ref> He was born in the country of [[Champa]] (modern day Vietnam) into a local dynasty of Pallava origin and was elected as a Pallava king at the age of 13.<ref name=Tamilmerchants>{{cite book|title=The world of Tamil merchants |author=Kanakalatha Mukund|publisher=Penguin, 2015|page=17}}</ref>

== Background ==
[[File:Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram4.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram]] (Vaikunta Perumal Temple)]]
[[Paramesvaravarman II]] was succeeded by 12 year old Nandivarman II Pallavamalla who belonged to the collateral line of Pallavas called the [[Kadava]]s. The latter were the descendants of Bhimavarman, the brother of [[Simhavishnu]]. Hiranyavarman, the father of Nandivarman Pallavamalla is said to have belonged to the Kadavakula in epigraphs.<ref name=kadavakula>{{cite book|title=History of Kongu, Volume 1|author=V. Ramamurthy|publisher=International Society for the Investigation of Ancient Civilization, 1986|page=172}}</ref> Nandivarman II himself is described as "one who was born to raise the prestige of the Kadava family".<ref>{{cite book|title=South Indian Inscriptions, Volume 12|author=Eugen Hultzsch|publisher=Manager of Publications, 1986|page=viii}}</ref> He is credited to have built the [[Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Mahabalipuram|publisher=The Archaeological Survey of India, Government of India|year=2004|isbn=|location=New Delhi|last=C.|first=Sivaramamurthi|page=6|ref=Malla}}</ref>

The term ''Kaduvetti'' in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] means ''destroyer or clearer of forests'' as the Pallavas like their ancestor Mukkanti Kaduvetti alias Trilochana Pallava were known to often clear forests and introduce civilization by settling Brahmins and other communities.<ref>{{cite book|title=Living Traditions: Studies in the Ethnoarchaeology of South Asia|author=Bridget Allchin|publisher=Oxbow Books, 1994 - Archaeology - 391 pages|page=212}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Precolonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra|author=Cynthia Talbot, Assistant Professor of History and Asian Studies Cynthia Talbot|publisher=Oxford University Press, 2001 - History - 305 pages|page=205}}</ref>

The previous ruler [[Paramesvaravarman II]] did not have an heir so the ministers, feudatories and advisors of the kingdom took an expedition to neighboring kingdoms and distant lands to find a suitable prince of the original line. Upon reaching [[Kambujadeśa|Kambujadesa]], modern day Cambodia and southern Vietnam,{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} they finally identified Nandivarman II as belonging to the original line and willing to ascend the throne. Accordingly, he was brought and then installed on the throne of the Pallava kingdom.<ref>{{cite book|title=India Perspectives, Volume 9|author=India. Ministry of External Affairs|publisher=Produced by PTI for the Ministry of External Affairs, 1996|page=20}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Homecoming and Other Stories|author=Pradip Kumar Das|publisher=Partridge Publishing, 23-Aug-2013 - Biography & Autobiography - 144 pages|page=123}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Pallava dynasty]]}}
{{S-bef| before=[[Paramesvaravarman II]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Pallava dynasty]] | years=732–796}}
{{S-aft| after=[[Dantivarman]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nandivarman 02}}
[[Category:720 births]]
[[Category:796 deaths]]
[[Category:Pallava kings]]

Krishna I

2024-04-21T18:42:29Z

2405:201:4:3B2C:AD59:E5A6:2688:BC3:

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image = Old Kannada inscription (765 AD) from Hattimattur inscription of Rashtrakuta King Krishna I.jpg
| caption = Fragment of Old Kannada inscription (765 AD) from Hattimattur of Rashtrakuta King Krishna I
| succession = 2nd [[Rashtrakuta Empire|Rashtrakuta Emperor]]
| reign = {{circa|756|774 CE}}
| predecessor = [[Dantidurga]]
| successor = [[Govinda II]]
| issue = [[Govinda II]] [[Dhruva Dharavarsha]]
|spouse 1=}}
{{Rashtrakuta Manyakheta Kings Infobox}}
'''Krishna I''' ({{lang-kn|ಅಕಾಲವರ್ಷ ಶುಭತುಂಗ ಕೃಷ್ಣ}}) (reign 756–774 CE), an uncle of [[Dantidurga]], took charge of the growing [[Rashtrakuta Empire]] by defeating the last Badami Chalukya ruler [[Kirtivarman II]] in 757. This is known from the copper plate grant of Emperor [[Govinda III]] of 807 and a [[Indian copper plate inscriptions|copper plate]] grant of the [[Gujarat]] Rashtrakuta Emperor Karka from [[Baroda]].<ref name="copper">[[Bisheshwar Nath Reu|Reu]] (1933), p57</ref> He is also known as Kannara or Kannesvara and took the titles ''Akalavarsha'', ''Shubatunga'', ''Prithvivallabha'' and ''Shrivallabha''. He patronised the famous [[Jain]] logician [[Akalanka]] Bhatta, the author of ''Rajavartika''.

Some historians are of the opinion that Krishna I usurped the throne from his nephew Dantidurga.<ref name="usurp">Vincent Smith in Reu (1933), p58</ref> But others disagree as the term "demise of Dantidurga" occur in the Kavi and Navasari copper plates indicating Krishna I must have ascended the throne after the death of Dantidurga. However, from the Baroda inscription it seems that Krishna I may have had to subdue another claimant to the throne, perhaps a Rashtrakuta prince or a son of Dantidurga.<ref name="prince">Reu (1933), p58</ref>

He successfully fought the [[Western Ganga Dynasty]] King [[Sripurusha]] (and acquired some territory in Gangavadi, modern Southern Karnataka) and the [[Shilahara]]s of South [[Konkan]]. He defeated the [[Eastern Chalukya]] ruler [[Vishnuvardhana IV]].<ref name="def">Kamath (2001), p74</ref> He was responsible for building 18 Shiva temples. 1800 coins of his, discovered recently, have the legend ''Parama Maheshvara'' which indicates his strong Shaiva faith.<ref name="faith">Reu (1933), p78</ref> The [[Kailasa temple, Ellora|Kailasa temple]] at [[Ellora Caves|Ellora]] is generally attributed to him, based on certain epigraphs.{{sfn|Owen|2012|pp=135-136}}

His eldest son, [[Govinda II]] came to power after him.

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===

*{{cite book |last= Kamath|first= Suryanath U.|title= A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present|orig-year=1980|year= 2001|publisher= Jupiter books|location= Bangalore|oclc= 7796041 |lccn=80905179}}
*{{cite book |last=Reu|first= Pandit Bisheshwar Nath |title=History of The Rashtrakutas (Rathodas)|orig-year=1933|year=1997|publisher= Publication scheme|location= Jaipur|isbn= 81-86782-12-5}}
* {{cite book |first=Lisa |last=Owen |title=Carving Devotion in the Jain Caves at Ellora |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vHK2WE8xAzYC&pg=PA135 |year=2012 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-20629-9 }}

{{Start box}}
{{Succession box |
before= [[Dantidurga]] |
title= [[Rashtrakuta|Rashtrakuta Emperor]] |
years= 756–774 |
after= [[Govinda II]]
}}
{{end box}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna 01}}
[[Category:774 deaths]]
[[Category:Hindu monarchs]]
[[Category:Rashtrakuta dynasty]]
[[Category:8th-century Indian monarchs]]

{{india-royal-stub}}

Dantidurga

2024-04-21T18:40:06Z

2405:201:4:3B2C:AD59:E5A6:2688:BC3:

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| title = Rajadhiraja, Parameshvara
| succession = Founder of [[Rashtrakuta Empire]]
| reign = {{circa|735|756 CE}}
| predecessor = Indra II
| successor = [[Krishna I]]
| father = Indra II
| mother = Bhavanaga
| spouse =
}}
{{Rashtrakuta Manyakheta Kings Infobox}}
'''Dantidurga''' (reigned 735–756 CE), also known as '''Dantivarman or '''Dantidurga II''' was the founder of the [[Rashtrakuta Empire]] of [[Manyakheta]].<ref name="dan">[[Bisheshwar Nath Reu|Reu]] (1933), p54</ref> His capital was based in [[Gulbarga]] region of [[Karnataka]]. His successor was his uncle [[Krishna I]] who extended his kingdom to all of [[Karnataka]].

The Ellora record of Dantidurga narrates that he defeated the [[Chalukyas]] in 753 and took the titles ''Rajadhiraja'' and ''Parameshvara''. The [[Indian inscriptions|inscription]] calls him son of Indra II. The [[Samangad]] inscription (modern Kolhapur district, Maharashtra) states his mother was a Chalukyan princess from [[Gujarat]] called Bhavanaga. The same inscription states he defeated the invincible ''Karnata-Bala'' of the Badami Chalukyas.<ref name="defeat">Kamath (2001), p74</ref><ref name="defeat1">He defeated the great Karnatik army of the Chalukyas, (Reu, 1933 p54)</ref> Further he defeated the [[Gurjaras of Lata|kings of Lata]] (Gujarat), [[Malwa]], Tanka, [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]] and Sheshas (Nagas) in central India and performed many sacrifices.<ref name="bala">Reu (1933), p55</ref> Though he conquered the Chalukyan Empire, it is clear from the Vakkaleri inscription of 757 that the Chalukyan Emperor [[Kirtivarman II]] retained control over his southern provinces up to the year 757. His daughter was married to a [[Pallava]] King [[Nandivarman II]] of [[Kanchi]]. Dantidurga helped Nandivarman recover Kanchi by warring against the Chalukyas.<ref name="Kanchi">Thapar (2003), p333</ref>

The Navasari grant (c.739) throws light on his achievements in the era prior to Rashtrakuta independence. The Arab intention might have been to make inroads into [[South India]]. However, to the south of the [[Mahi River]] lay the powerful [[Chalukya]]n empire. The Chalukya viceroy at Navsari, [[Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin]], decisively defeated the invading Arab forces as documented in the grant. The ''Tājika'' (Arab) army defeated was one that had attacked "Kacchella, Saindhava, Saurashtra, Cavotaka, Maurya and Gurjara" kings. Viceroy Pulakesi subsequently received the titles "Solid Pillar of [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]" (''Dakshināpatha-sādhāra'') and the "Repeller of the Unrepellable" (''Anivartaka-nivartayitr''). The [[Rashtrakuta]] prince Dantidurga, who was subsidiary to Chalukyas at this time, also played an important role in the battle.<ref>{{harvnb|Blankinship|1994|p=186}}; {{harvnb|Bhandarkar|1929|pp=29–30}}; {{harvnb|Majumdar|1977|pp=266–267}}; {{harvnb|Puri|1986|p=45}}; {{harvnb|Wink|2002|p=208}}; {{harvnb|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=348}}; {{harvnb|Chattopadhyaya|1998|pp=33–34}}</ref>
Dantidurga was a clever diplomat but at the same time used military power to expand his empire's boundaries.<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization
|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=367 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ancient_Indian_History_and_Civilization/Wk4_ICH_g1EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=indus|isbn=81-224-1198-3}}</ref> By 750 AD Dantidurga had brought Madhya Pradesh and Southern Gujarat under his control.<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=395|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ancient_Indian_History_and_Civilization/Wk4_ICH_g1EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=maurya+dynasty+sen&printsec=frontcover|isbn=81-224-1198-3}}</ref>

==Notes==
<references/>

==References==
*{{cite book |last= Kamath|first= Suryanath U.|title= A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present|orig-year=1980|year= 2001|publisher= Jupiter books|location= Bangalore|oclc= 7796041 |lccn= 80905179}}
*{{cite book |last=Thapar|first= Romila |title=The Penguin History of Early India, From Origins to 1300 AD|orig-year=2003|year=2003|publisher= Penguin|location= New Delhi|isbn= 0-14-302989-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Reu|first= Pandit Bisheshwar Nath |title=History of The Rashtrakutas (Rathodas)|orig-year=1933|year=1997|publisher= Publication scheme|location= Jaipur|isbn= 81-86782-12-5}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061104095148/http://www.ourkarnataka.com/history.htm History of Karnataka, Mr. Arthikaje]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box |
before= Indra II |
title= [[Rashtrakuta|Rashtrakuta Emperor]] |
years= 735–756 |
after= [[Krishna I]]
}}
{{s-end}}

[[Category:756 deaths]]
[[Category:Hindu monarchs]]
[[Category:History of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Rashtrakuta dynasty]]
[[Category:8th-century Indian monarchs]]

{{india-royal-stub}}