Gauda Kingdom - Revision history

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UpdateBot at 20:07, 1 July 2022

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>Akif Mubarrat Bhuiyan at 16:23, 21 June 2021

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{{about|a medieval kingdom in Bengal|the later Sylheti kingdom|Gour Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{use Indian English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox Former Country
| native_name = (Gāuṛ Rājya)
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Gauḍa
| common_name = Gauḍa Kingdom
| government_type = Monarchy
| year_start = 4th century CE (before 320 CE)
| year_end = 626 CE
| p1 = Later Gupta dynasty
| s1 = Pala Empire
| s2 = Kamarupa
| image_coat = Rohtas seal of Shashanka.jpg
| coat_size = 
| coat_alt = 
| symbol_type = Royal Seal
| image_map = South Asia historical AD625 EN.svg
| image_map_caption = Gauda (in eastern India) and its contemporaries, c. 625 CE
| image_map2 =
| image_map2_caption =
| capital = [[Karnasuvarna]] (present day [[West Bengal, India]])
| religion = [[Hinduism]]<br />[[Buddhism]]
| leader1 =
| year_leader1 = 4th century CE
| leader2 = [[Shashanka]]
| year_leader2 = 590– 625
| title_leader = [[List of rulers of Bengal#Gauda Kingdom|King]]
| demonym =
| area_km2 =
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
| GDP_PPP_year =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
| today =
| leader_name3 = [[Manava (king)|Manava]]
}}
{{History of Bengal}}
'''Gauḍa Kingdom''' (Gāuṛ Rājya), was a classic kingdom during the [[Classical India|Classical period]] of the [[Indian subcontinent]], which originated in the region of [[Bengal]] (modern-day [[Bangladesh]] and [[West Bengal]])<ref name = Majumdar>Majumdar, Dr. R.C., ''History of Ancient Bengal'', first published 1971, reprint 2005, pp. 5-6, Tulshi Prakashani, Kolkata, {{ISBN|81-89118-01-3}}.</ref><ref name = Banglapedia>{{cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Suchandra |year=2012 |chapter=Gauda, Janapada |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Gauda,_Janapada |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> in 4th century CE or possibly earlier.<ref>{{Cite book|last=K. P. Jayaswal|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279518|title=An Imperial History Of India|date=1934|pages=34}}</ref>

==Location and extent==
[[File:Sasanka Deva king of Gauda circa 600-630.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Coin of [[Sasanka]], king of Gauda, circa 600–630.]]
A Buddhist [[Mahayana]] Text [[Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa|Manjusri Molakalpa]] records the existence of Gauda Kingdom in Bengal before it was replaced by [[Gupta Empire]] in the 4th century. King Loka who was born in Vardhamana ([[Bardhaman]]) is mentioned who must have ruled in the early 4th century CE.<ref>{{Cite book|last=K. P. Jayaswal|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279518|title=An Imperial History Of India|date=1934}}</ref>

King [[Shashanka]] ({{lang-bn|শশাঙ্ক}} ''Shôshangko'') is often attributed with creating the first separate political entity in a unified [[Bengal]] called [[Gauḍa (region)|Gauda]]. He reigned in 7th century, and some historians place his rule approximately between 590 and 625. His capital was at [[Karnasubarna]], {{convert|9.6|km}} south-west of [[Baharampur]], headquarters of Murshidabad district.<ref name="Majumdar" /> The Chinese monk, [[Xuanzang]] (Hiuen Tsang) travelled from the country of Karnasubarna to a region in the present-day state of Orissa ruled by Shashanka.<ref name = Banglapedia/> There is mention of [[Pundravardhana]] being part of Gauda in certain ancient records.<ref>Bandopadhyay, Rakhaldas, ''Bangalar Itihas'', {{in lang|bn}}, first published 1928, revised edition 1971, vol I, p 101, Nababharat Publishers, 72 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata.</ref> Not much is known about the early life of Shashanka. Historian D K Ganguly is reported to have concluded that he was a native of Magadha.<ref name="Sinha-magadha">{{cite book |last1=Sinha |first1=Bindeshwari Prasad |title=Dynastic History of Magadha |date=1977 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |location=India |pages=131–133 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V3KDaZY85wYC |access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> The same source reports that the historian [[Padmanath Bhattacharya Vidya Vinod|Padmanath Bhattacharya]] took Shashanka to be a son of Mahasenagupta. R D Banerji concluded that he was descended from the Magadha Guptas. [[Nagendranath Basu]] has argued that Shashanka was the son / descendant of Raja Karnadeva, who founded the city of [[Karnasubarna]] in Bengal.<ref name="Nagendranath_Jatiyoitihash">{{cite book |last1=Basu |first1=Nagendranath |title=Bonger Jatiya Itihash (Kayastha Kando) |date=1937 |location=India |pages=63 |url=https://bn.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE:%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0_%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC_%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8_(%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A5_%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A3%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A1,_%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%82%E0%A6%B6,_%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF_%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A3%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A1).djvu/%E0%A7%AD%E0%A7%AF |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref>

In some sources, Shashanka is described as a tribal leader of Bengal.<ref name="History_UK">{{cite web |title=Kingdoms of South Asia - Indian Kingdom of Bengal |url=https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsFarEast/IndiaBengal.htm |website=www.historyfiles.co.uk |access-date=19 September 2019}}</ref> Shashanka's name appears in multiple forms, including Śaśānka and Śaśānka-deva. The name is derived from [[Sanskrit]], as another name for the Moon. Śaśānka-deva therefore loosely translates to Moon god. The Hindu god [[Shiva]] is also known as ''Shashank Sekhar'' as He holds the moon on his head. The Chinese monk [[Xuanzang]]'s writings, he is mentioned as She-Shang-Kia. He is also called Śaśānka Narendragupta, which initially lent credence to the claim that he was descended from the later Guptas.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Indian Antiquary |journal=Journal of Oriental Research (Ed. J.A.S. Burgess) |date=1878 |volume=VII |page=197 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yR3mAAAAMAAJ |access-date=16 September 2019 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |language=en}}</ref> In Sinha's Dynastic History of Magadha, the names 'Śaśānka' and 'Soma' are used interchangeably. Some historians believe that Shashanka began his career as a feudatory chief (maha [[samanta]]) under Mahasenagupta, of the [[Later Gupta dynasty|Later Gupta Dynasty]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=N. S. |title=Ancient Indian history and civilization |date=1999 |publisher=New Age International |location=India |isbn=81-224-1198-3 |edition=Second |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> And that after the death of Mahasenagupta, Shashanka drove the later Guptas and other prominent nobles out of the region and established his own kingdom with his capital at [[Karnasubarna]]. Other historians like Sailendra Nath Sen is of the opinion that Mahasenagupta - already under pressure from the Maukharis (for failing to provide adequate protection) - wouldn't have knowingly appointed Shashanka to such an important position. Middleton (2015) argues in a similar vein that Shashanka served as ''maha samanta'' to a Gauda king, possibly Jayanaga.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Middleton |first1=John |title=World Monarchies and Dynasties |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317451587 |page=330 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R63ACQAAQBAJ |access-date=15 September 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Whether Shashanka was a feudatory under the Maukharis or the Guptas is not known. By 605 C.E. following Mahasenagupta's death, Shashanka had established what became known as the Gauda Kingdom. From there, he issued gold coins to celebrate his triumph, and came to be addressed as ''Maharajadhiraja'' (king of great kings). According to some sources the city of [[Gauḍa (city)|Gauda]] was founded by King Shankaladeva. He, originally, was a native of [[Kannauj]]. In the book, ''History of Hindostan'' (originally translated from the book ''Gulshan-i-Ibrahimi'' written by [[Firishta]]), it has been stated that Shankaladeva (Sinkol) was a native of Kannauj (Kinoge) and established the city of Gauda during the 8th century BC.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Firishtah|first=Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Astarābādī|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d2IOAAAAQAAJ&q=Kinoge|title=The History of Hindostan,: Translated from the Persian|date=1803|publisher=Vernor and Hood, Cuthell and Martin, J. Walker, Wynne and Scholey, John Debrett, Blacks and Parry, T. Kay, and J. Asperne|language=en}}</ref> Following his death, Shashanka was succeeded by his son, [[Manava (king)|Manava]], who ruled the kingdom for eight months. However Gauda was soon divided amongst [[Harsha]]vardhana and Bhaskarvarmana of [[Kamarupa]], the latter even managing to conquer Karnasuvarna.

Evidence seems to be discrepant regarding links of Gauda with the [[Rarh region]]. While Krishna Mishra (11th or 12th century), in his ''Prabodha-chandrodaya'', mentions that Gauda Rashtra includes Rarh (or Rarhpuri) and Bhurishreshthika, identified with [[Bhurshut]], in [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]] and [[Howrah district|Howrah]] districts, but the Managoli inscription of the [[Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri|Yadava]] king [[Jaitugi I]] distinguishes Lala (Rarh) from Gaula (Gauda).<ref name = Majumdar/>

According to Jain writers of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Gauda included Lakshmanavati in present-day [[Malda district]].<ref name = Majumdar/>

The [[Pala Empire|Pala emperors]] were referred to as Vangapati (Lord of Vanga) and Gaudesvara (Lord of Gauda). [[Sena dynasty|Sena]] kings also called themselves Gaudesvara. From then Gauda and Vanga seem to be interchangeable names for the whole of Bengal.<ref name = Majumdar/>

==See also==
* [[Gauḍa (city)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Coord|24.18|N|88.27|E|region:BD_type:country|display=title}}

{{Malda topics}}

{{West Bengal}}

[[Category:590 establishments]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 590s]]
[[Category:626 disestablishments]]