Varman dynasty

Kamarupa Kingdom
Varman dynasty
350 CE–655 CE
Varmans (in eastern India) with their contemporaries, c. 550 CE
Capital		Pragjyotishpura (present-day Guwahati) [1]
Languages		Kamarupi Prakrit, Sanskrit
Religion		Hinduism
Government		Monarchy
Maharajadhiraja
•	c. 350 - c. 374	Pushya Varman
•	c. 518 – c. 542	Bhuti Varman
•	c. 600 – c. 650	Bhaskar Varman
Historical era		Classical India
•	Established	350 CE
•	Disestablished	655 CE
Preceded by Succeeded by Naraka dynasty Mlechchha dynasty

The Varman dynasty (350-650), the first historical rulers of Kamarupa; was established by Pushya Varman, a contemporary of Samudragupta.^[2][3] This dynasty became vassals of the Gupta Empire, but as the power of the Guptas waned, Mahendra Varman (470-494) performed two horse sacrifices and threw off the imperial yoke.^[4] The first of the three Kamarupa dynasties, the Varmans were followed by the Mlechchha and then the Pala dynasties.

Genealogy

The genealogy of the Varman dynasty appears most fully in the Dubi and Nidhanpur copper plate inscriptions of the last Varman king, Bhaskar Varman (650-655), where Pushya Varman is named the founder. The Dubi copper plate inscription of Bhaskar Varman asserts that Pushya Varman was born in the family of Naraka, Bhagadatta and Vajradatta^[5] (as did the other two Kamarupa dynasties)^[6] three thousand years after these mythical ancestors.^[7] The middle or Mlechha (Mech) dynasty, though claim same descent, are native tribal rulers.^[8] K.L. Barua opines that there was a Mlechha (i.e., Mech) revolt in Kamarupa and Salastambha, the leader or governor of the Mlecchas usurped the throne by deposing Bhaskar Varman's immediate successor Avanti Varman.^[9]

Ethnic origins

The dynasty traces its lineage from mythical Naraka, an immigrant from Aryavarta^[10] (land of Aryans).^[11] The exact ethnic genealogy of Naraka is in dispute, with authors such as N N Vasu and K L Barua claiming he was Dravidian,^[12] whereas authors like P C Choudhury consider him to be of Alpine origin.^[13] Since the claim to Naraka's lineage was made at the end of the Varman dynasty (Bhaskarvarman);^[14] and since it was natural for the ruling house to fabricate a respectable lineage,^[15] authors like Sircar refuse to give much importance to these claims.^[16]

Historical documents and legends are contradictory^[17] on the ethnicity of this dynasty. Naraka, according to an early account was the son of an asura named Hiranksha and Bhumi (Earth).^[18] In the late 10th-century Kalika Purana, Naraka is said to be the son of Vishnu in his Varaha form and Bhumi, who grew up in household of Janaka.^[18] The Kalika Purana goes on to describe two Narakas: one who was religious and the other who was hostile to Brahminism.^[19] The relationship of Bhagadatta, also mentioned as an ancestor of the Varmans, with Naraka is not clear from legendary sources either: Bhagadatta is called a grandson (Kalika Purana), a son (Bhagavata Purana) or not specified at all (Mahabharata, Harivamsha and Vishnu Purana).^[19] In the Mahabharata, a much earlier text, Bhagadatta, the son of Naraka is mentioned as Mleccha,^[20] an appellation used for non-Indo-Aryans. All three Kamarupa dynasties draw their lineage from Naraka and Bhagadatta.

Yuan Chwang called Bhaskar Varman a Brahman king who originated with Narayana Deva.^[21] On the other hand, Bhaskarvarman told She-Kia-Fang-Che that his ancestors hailed from China, four thousand years ago, flying through air as holy spirit.^[22][23] Sylvain writes, "At the time of Hiuan-tsang's visit King Bhaskaravarman, was "a descendant of the God Narayana" ; he was "of the caste of the Brahman, as," and had the title of " Kumara." "Since the possession of the kingdom by his family up to his time, the succession of princes covers a space of a thousand generations" (Mem.II,77.)The evidence of his contemporary Bana (Harsacarita, chap. VII) confirms almost all these details. Finally we possess since a few years ago an inscription of King Bhaskaravarman (Nidhanpur plates,Ep.Ind.,XII,65), which takes back the genealogy up to King Bhagadatta, the famous adversary of the by a long list of ancestors. However, when he had business with others than Indians, the same prince boasted of another origin altogether. When the envoy of the T'ang dynasty, Li Yi-piao, paid him a visit during the course of his mission (643-646) the king in a private conversation told him: "the royal family has handed down its power for 4,000 years. The first was a holy spirit which came from China (Han-ti) flying through the air." (She-kia fang tche, ed. Tok. XXXV, 1, 94b, col. ult.) As though he would show sympathy for China, he asked the envoy to get him a portrait of Lao-tseu and a Sanskrit translation of the Tao-to-king. (She-kia fang tche, ed. Tok. XXXV, 1, 94b, col. ult.).^[23]

Many scholars, including Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti have speculated that the Varman dynasty as the first Indo-Aryan dynasty in Assam, that was overthrown by Salastambha of Mongoloid origin, who then made himself the king of Kamarupa.^[24][25][26]

Suniti Kumar Chatterjee calls Bhaskar Varman a mleccha king,^[27] though scholars established that only middle dynasty of Haruppeshwara (Tezpur) is of mleccha or non-Aryan origin.^[8] Mukunda Madhava Sharma considers all the dynasties of Kamarupa as of Aryan origin.^[28] Urban terms all kings of Brahmaputra Valley as non-Aryans.^[29] Kanak Lal Barua refutes any extra Aryan origin of dynasty. In his "Early History Of Kamarupa", he writes, "Suffice is to say that he (Bhaskar Varman) was Hindu by religion spreading light of Arya Dharma though he has great preverence for learned Buddhist priests and professors of his time and was distinctly inclined towards Buddhism. The text of his message to Silabhadra leave no doubt in this point. The very high functions allotted to him during the famous religious assembly at Kanauj by the Hindu emperor Sri Harsha proves that he was not a Hindu of despised low caste. He was undoubtedly looked upon as a good Kshatriya, as his surname Varma indicates, whatever might have been his origin. In any case he was certainly not a Hinduized Koch. All the kings of his dynasty beginning from Pushya Varman were Kshatriya monarchs. When Yuan Chwang visited the kingdom he found hundreds of Hindu temples there and evidently there were large numbers of Brahmans and other high caste Hindus living within the kingdom which was a seat of learning that people of other countries came there for study"^[30]

Politics and diplomacy

Pragjyotishpura, Varmana capital

The most illustrious of this dynasty was the last, Bhaskar Varman, who claimed be a descendant from god Vishnu and referred to as "lord of eastern India". He accompanied King Harshavardhana to religious processions from Pataliputra to Kannauj.^[31]

Kings of Varman dynasty maintained both diplomatic and matrimonial relations with other countries of Aryavarta. Pushya Varman who himself named after king Pushyamitra Shunga, named his son Samudra Varman after king Samudragupta in appreciations of kings of Aryavarta. King Bala Varman organised Swayamvara for his daughter Amrita Prabha; which was attended by princes of different countries. Princess eventually chosen prince of Kashmir Meghavahana as her groom. The alliance between king Harsha of Thanesar and Bhaskar Varman lead to spread of political influence of later to entire eastern India.

Cultural environment

In Nidhanpur copper plate inscription of Bhaskar Varman, it is mentioned that "prakasit aryadharmaloka" i.e. king (Bhaskar Varman) spread the light of the Arya religion by dispelling the accumulated darkness of Kaliyuga. Yuan Chwang writes about existence of hundreds of Hindu temples. Brahmins and upper caste Hindus makes large chunk of lands population. Being a seat of learning people from other countries visits for studies.

The dynasty

See also

• Pala dynasty

Notes

References