Shiladitya - Revision history

->Parag Kumar Deka at 14:09, 3 January 2022

2022-01-03T14:09:35Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:39, 3 January 2022
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	'''Shiladitya''' (IAST: Śīlāditya) is the title of an Indian king mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveler [[Xuanzang]] (Hieun Tsang).		{{Short description\|Mediaeval Indian king}}
			'''Shiladitya''' (IAST: Śīlāditya) is the title of a 7th-century Indian king mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveler [[Xuanzang]] (Hieun Tsang).
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	\| footer = Copper plate grant issued by [[Maitraka]] king Śīlāditya I, dated year 290 [?] aśvayuja badi 10 recording a donation of villages and lands.		\| footer = Copper plate grant issued by [[Maitraka]] king Śīlāditya I, dated year 290 [?] aśvayuja badi 10 recording a donation of villages and lands.
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	Xuanzang mentions him as a ~~Buddhist king of Kie-Jo-Kio-She-Kwo~~. ~~Upon assuming~~ the throne, Shiladitya gathered an army of 50,000 foot soldiers, ~~5000 elephants~~ and ~~2000~~ cavalry. He subdued the five regions of India, and built ~~"several thousand"~~ stupas ~~on the banks of~~ the Ganges, ~~each about~~ 100 feet high.<ref name="Xuanzang"/>		Xuanzang mentions him in Fascicle V of ''Dà Táng Xīyù Jì'' (''[[Great Tang Records on the Western Regions]]''). He is described as a prince reluctant to accept the throne. His citizens persuaded him to accept the throne, which he did. As his first act, Shiladitya gathered an army of 50,000 foot soldiers, 5,000 elephant-mounted soldiers and 20,000 cavalry to avenge the wrongful assassination of his elder brother. Over a six year campaign, he subdued the five regions of India (north, west, south, east, central), expanding his army as he won over new territories. Then, for thirty years he raised no weapons of war against anyone, and ruled in peace. He banned meat-eating in his lands, announced capital punishment for anyone killing any living creature (not such human being). He built numerous stupas along the Ganges river, many 100 feet high. He also built numerous monasteries and ''deva'' temples. On festive days, he would feed hundreds of ''sramanas'' and ''brahmins''.<ref name=rongxi>Li Rongxi (1996), ''The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions'', Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Berkeley, {{ISBN\|978-1-886439-02-3}}, pp. 123-129</ref><ref name="Xuanzang">[http://www.sdstate.edu/projectsouthasia/upload/Xuan-Zang-Book-V.pdf Buddhist Records of the Western World, Book V] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051904/http://www.sdstate.edu/projectsouthasia/upload/Xuan-Zang-Book-V.pdf \|date=2016-03-04 }} by Xuan Zang</ref>

	Xuanzang also states that every five years, Shiladitya held an assembly called "Moksha". He gave away his treasury in charity, which was then replenished by his vassals. He describes such a ritual held in the empire's Po-lo-ye-kia kingdom as follows:<ref name="Xuanzang"/>		{{quotation\|If the lords and their assistant ministers of the small neighboring countries performed meritorious deeds tirelessly and sought goodness without weariness, the king [Shiladitya] would take them by the hand to sit together with him and call them “good friends.” He never spoke to those kings who were different in character, and if a negotiation was required to settle a matter an envoy was sent to deal with it. Whenever he went on an inspection tour he would not stay at any one place but would have a hut made for his lodging wherever he stopped on the way. During the three months of the rainy season he would not travel about because of the rain. At his temporary residence he always had delicious food prepared every day to feed one thousand monks of different schools and five hundred brahmins. He always divided a day into three periods: one was spent attending to state affairs and two were devoted to performing meritorious deeds and doing good work. He lived assiduously and the day was too short for him.\|Xuanzang\|Great Tang Records of the Western World, Book V<ref name=rongxi/>}}

	{{quotation\|To the ~~east~~ of the ~~capital~~, ~~between~~ the ~~two confluents of~~ the ~~river, for the space of 10 li or so, the ground is pleasant~~ and ~~upland~~. ~~The whole is covered with a fine sand. From old time till now~~, ~~the kings~~ and ~~noble families, whenever they had occasion~~ to ~~distribute their gifts in charity, ever came~~ to ~~this place, and here gave away their goods; hence~~ it ~~is called the great charity enclosure~~. ~~At the present time Shiladitya-raja, after the example of~~ his ~~ancestors, distributes here in one day~~ the ~~accumulated wealth of five years~~. ~~Having collected in this space of~~ the ~~charity enclosure immense piles~~ of ~~wealth and jewels, on~~ the ~~first day~~ he ~~adorns in a very sumptuous way a statue~~ of ~~Buddha, and then offers to it~~ the ~~most costly jewels~~. ~~Afterwards~~ he ~~offers his charity~~ to ~~the residentiary priests; afterwards to the priests (from~~ a ~~distance) who are present; afterwards to the men of distinguished talent; afterwards~~ to ~~the heretics who live in the place, following the ways of the world;~~ and ~~lastly,~~ to ~~the widows~~ and ~~bereaved, orphans~~ and ~~desolate, poor and mendicants~~.\|~~Xuan Zang~~\|~~Buddhist~~ Records of the Western World, Book V<ref name=~~"Xuanzang">[http://www.sdstate.edu/projectsouthasia/upload/Xuan-Zang-Book-V.pdf Buddhist Records of the Western World, Book V] {{webarchive\|url=https:/~~/~~web.archive.org/web/20160304051904/http://www.sdstate.edu/projectsouthasia/upload/Xuan-Zang-Book-V.pdf \|date=2016-03-04 }} by Xuan Zang</ref~~>}}

	== Identification ==		== Identification ==

	Shiladitya is identified with [[Harsha]] by many scholars.<ref>{{cite book \|author=Kr̥shṇājī Pāṇḍuraṅga Kulakarṇī \|title=Sanskrit Drama & Dramatists: Their Chronology, Mind and Art \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0CAPAAAAMAAJ \|year=1927 \|publisher=K.P. Kulkarni \|page=178 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|author1=Harṣavardhana (King of Thānesar and Kanauj) \|author2=Wendy Doniger \|title=Ratnāvalī \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eu9jAAAAMAAJ \|year=2006 \|publisher=New York University Press \|page=15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|author=Samuel Beal \|title=Buddhist records of the western world \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kporAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA235 \|year=1885 \|pages=235–}}</ref> According to this theory, Kie-Jo-Kio-She-Kwo is [[Kannauj\|Kanyakubja]] (Kannauj), while Po-lo-ye-kia is [[Allahabad\|Prayag]].		Shiladitya is identified with [[Harsha]] by many scholars.<ref>{{cite book \|author=Kr̥shṇājī Pāṇḍuraṅga Kulakarṇī \|title=Sanskrit Drama & Dramatists: Their Chronology, Mind and Art \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0CAPAAAAMAAJ \|year=1927 \|publisher=K.P. Kulkarni \|page=178 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|author1=Harṣavardhana (King of Thānesar and Kanauj) \|author2=Wendy Doniger \|title=Ratnāvalī \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eu9jAAAAMAAJ \|year=2006 \|publisher=New York University Press \|page=15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|author=Samuel Beal \|title=Buddhist records of the western world \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kporAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA235 \|year=1885 \|pages=235–}}</ref> According to this theory, Kie-Jo-Kio-She-Kwo is [[Kannauj\|Kanyakubja]] (Kannauj), while Po-lo-ye-kia is [[Allahabad\|Prayag]]. If this identification is accurate, then Shiladitya (and Harsha) was a Hindu king because Xuanzang explicitly states in his Fascicle V that Harshavardhana was a Hindu of [[Vaishya]] caste descent, one who built during his reign majestic colossal stupas and temples for Buddhism and Hinduism (Surya, Shiva).<ref name=rongxi121>Li Rongxi (1996), ''The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions'', Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Berkeley, pp. 123–132</ref>

	Xuanzang also mentions another king named Shiladitya, of "Mo-la-po" kingdom.<ref>{{cite book \|author=Vincent A. Smith \|title=The Early History of India \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8XXGhAL1WKcC&pg=PA325 \|year= 1999 \|publisher=Atlantic \|isbn=978-81-7156-618-1 \|pages=325–}}</ref> This king is variously identified with [[Shiladitya of Malwa\|a king of Malwa]] or [[Maitraka dynasty\|Shiladitya I of Vallabhi]].<ref name="VVM_1969">{{cite book \|author1=Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi \|author-link=Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi \|author2=Narayan Raghunath Navlekar \|title=Kalidasa: Date, Life And Works \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sueiThBrP4gC&pg=PA8 \|publisher=Popular \|year=1969 \|isbn=978-81-7154-468-4 \|pages=19–20 }}</ref>		Xuanzang also mentions another king named Shiladitya, of "Mo-la-po" kingdom.<ref>{{cite book \|author=Vincent A. Smith \|title=The Early History of India \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8XXGhAL1WKcC&pg=PA325 \|year= 1999 \|publisher=Atlantic \|isbn=978-81-7156-618-1 \|pages=325–}}</ref> This king is variously identified with [[Shiladitya of Malwa\|a king of Malwa]] or [[Maitraka dynasty\|Shiladitya I of Vallabhi]]. In this case, his religious preference is unclear.<ref name="VVM_1969">{{cite book \|author1=Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi \|author-link=Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi \|author2=Narayan Raghunath Navlekar \|title=Kalidasa: Date, Life And Works \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sueiThBrP4gC&pg=PA8 \|publisher=Popular \|year=1969 \|isbn=978-81-7154-468-4 \|pages=19–20 }}</ref>

	==References==		==References==

imported>Lennart97: Disambiguating links to Prayag (link changed to Allahabad) using DisamAssist.

2021-04-24T12:12:41Z

Disambiguating links to Prayag (link changed to Allahabad) using DisamAssist.

New page

'''Shiladitya''' (IAST: Śīlāditya) is the title of an Indian king mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveler [[Xuanzang]] (Hieun Tsang).
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| footer = Copper plate grant issued by [[Maitraka]] king Śīlāditya I, dated year 290 [?] aśvayuja badi 10 recording a donation of villages and lands.
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Xuanzang mentions him as a Buddhist king of Kie-Jo-Kio-She-Kwo. Upon assuming the throne, Shiladitya gathered an army of 50,000 foot soldiers, 5000 elephants and 2000 cavalry. He subdued the five regions of India, and built "several thousand" stupas on the banks of the Ganges, each about 100 feet high.<ref name="Xuanzang"/>

Xuanzang also states that every five years, Shiladitya held an assembly called "Moksha". He gave away his treasury in charity, which was then replenished by his vassals. He describes such a ritual held in the empire's Po-lo-ye-kia kingdom as follows:<ref name="Xuanzang"/>

{{quotation|To the east of the capital, between the two confluents of the river, for the space of 10 li or so, the ground is pleasant and upland. The whole is covered with a fine sand. From old time till now, the kings and noble families, whenever they had occasion to distribute their gifts in charity, ever came to this place, and here gave away their goods; hence it is called the great charity enclosure. At the present time Shiladitya-raja, after the example of his ancestors, distributes here in one day the accumulated wealth of five years. Having collected in this space of the charity enclosure immense piles of wealth and jewels, on the first day he adorns in a very sumptuous way a statue of Buddha, and then offers to it the most costly jewels. Afterwards he offers his charity to the residentiary priests; afterwards to the priests (from a distance) who are present; afterwards to the men of distinguished talent; afterwards to the heretics who live in the place, following the ways of the world; and lastly, to the widows and bereaved, orphans and desolate, poor and mendicants.|Xuan Zang|Buddhist Records of the Western World, Book V<ref name="Xuanzang">[http://www.sdstate.edu/projectsouthasia/upload/Xuan-Zang-Book-V.pdf Buddhist Records of the Western World, Book V] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051904/http://www.sdstate.edu/projectsouthasia/upload/Xuan-Zang-Book-V.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }} by Xuan Zang</ref>}}

== Identification ==

Shiladitya is identified with [[Harsha]] by many scholars.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kr̥shṇājī Pāṇḍuraṅga Kulakarṇī |title=Sanskrit Drama & Dramatists: Their Chronology, Mind and Art |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0CAPAAAAMAAJ |year=1927 |publisher=K.P. Kulkarni |page=178 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Harṣavardhana (King of Thānesar and Kanauj) |author2=Wendy Doniger |title=Ratnāvalī |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eu9jAAAAMAAJ |year=2006 |publisher=New York University Press |page=15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Samuel Beal |title=Buddhist records of the western world |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kporAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA235 |year=1885 |pages=235–}}</ref> According to this theory, Kie-Jo-Kio-She-Kwo is [[Kannauj|Kanyakubja]] (Kannauj), while Po-lo-ye-kia is [[Allahabad|Prayag]].

Xuanzang also mentions another king named Shiladitya, of "Mo-la-po" kingdom.<ref>{{cite book |author=Vincent A. Smith |title=The Early History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8XXGhAL1WKcC&pg=PA325 |year= 1999 |publisher=Atlantic |isbn=978-81-7156-618-1 |pages=325–}}</ref> This king is variously identified with [[Shiladitya of Malwa|a king of Malwa]] or [[Maitraka dynasty|Shiladitya I of Vallabhi]].<ref name="VVM_1969">{{cite book |author1=Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi |author-link=Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi |author2=Narayan Raghunath Navlekar |title=Kalidasa: Date, Life And Works |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sueiThBrP4gC&pg=PA8 |publisher=Popular |year=1969 |isbn=978-81-7154-468-4 |pages=19–20 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Indian royalty]]