History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.Campbell, James M.
History
History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.
Campbell, James M.
Gujarat (India) -- History
[Sudarsana Lake, A.D. 150.] The statement in Rudradáman's Sudarsana
lake inscription, that Ánarta and Suráshtra were under his Pahlava
governor, seems to show that Rudradáman's capital was not in Gujarát
or Káthiáváda. Probably like his grandfather Chashtana Rudradáman held
his capital at Ujjain. The poetic eulogies of Rudradáman appear to
contain a certain share of fact. One of the epithets 'he who himself
has earned the title Mahákshatrapa' indicates that Rudradáman had
regained the title of Mahákshatrapa which belonged to his grandfather
Chashtana but not to his father Jayadáman. Another portion of the
inscription claims for him the overlordship of Ákarávanti, [105]
Anúpa, [106] Ánarta, Suráshtra, Svabhra, [107] Maru, [108] Kachchha,
[109] Sindhu-Sauvíra, [110] Kukura, [111] Aparánta, [112] and Nisháda;
[113] that is roughly the country from Bhilsa in the east to Sindh in
the west and from about Ábu in the north to the North Konkan in the
south including the peninsulas of Cutch and Káthiáváda. The inscription
also mentions two wars waged by Rudradáman, one with the Yaudheyas
the other with Sátakarni lord of Dakshinápatha. Of the Yaudheyas the
inscription says that they had become arrogant and untractable in
consequence of their having proclaimed their assumption of the title
of Heroes among all Kshatriyas. Rudradáman is described as having
exterminated them. These Yaudheyas were known as a warlike race from
the earliest times and are mentioned as warriors by Pánini. [114]
[The Yaudheyas.] Like the Málavas these Yaudheyas appear to have had a
democratic constitution. Several round copper coins of the Yaudheyas
of about the third century A.D. have been found in various parts of
the North-West Provinces from Mathurá to Saháranpur. These coins
which are adapted from the type of Kanishka's coins [115] have on
the obverse a standing robed male figure extending the protecting
right hand of mercy. On the reverse is the figure of a standing
Kártikasvámi and round the figure the legend in Gupta characters of
about the third century:
Yaudheya Ganasya.
Of the Yaudheya tribe. [116]
That the Girnár inscription describes Rudradáman as the exterminator
of 'the Yaudheyas' and not of any king of the Yaudheyas confirms the
view that their constitution was tribal or democratic. [117]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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