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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XVIII.
as of great importance in the history of the family. Now the locality of Nagabhata's kingdom and the period when he flourished may be gathered from a passage in the Jaina Harivansa.1 The passage has been noticed by various scholars, and the following remarks of Dr. Fleet may be taken to represent the earlier views regarding its interpretation. "A passage in the Jain Harivansa of Jinasena tells us that that work was finished in Saka-Samvat 705 (expired), =783784 A.D., when there were reigning-in various directions determined with reference to a town named Vardhamanapura, which is to be identified with modern Wadhwan in the Jhālāvāḍ division of Kathiawar,-in the north, Indrayudha; in the south, Śrivallabha; in the east, Vatsaraja, king of Avanti (Ujjain); and in the west, Varaha or Jayavaraha, in the territory of the Sauryas." This seems to have been the accepted view till 1902 when Prof. D. R. Bhandarkar gave a somewhat different interpretation of it. He translated the last portion as follows:-"In the east, the illustrious king of Avanti; in the west, king Vatsaraja; (and) in the territory of the Sauryas, the victorious and brave Varaha." Quite recently Prof. D. R. Bhandarkar has drawn my attention to a passage in an unpublished copper-plate grant in his possession, which runs as follows:
"Hiranyagarbham rajanyair-Ujjayanyam yad-asitam ↑
Pratih rikritam yona Gurjar-ēé-ādi-rājakam || "
This points to a Gurjara-Pratihara kingdom in Ujjayini; for, the word Pratihara, apart from its usual meaning, is evidently an allusion to the name of the clan. This is decisive in favour of Dr. Fleet's interpretation of the passage.
It has been unanimously held by scholars that Vatsaraja, referred to in the above passage, is the Pratihāra king of the same name, the grand-nephew of Nagabhata. As Vatsaraja was reigning in 783-784 A.D., Nagabhata may be taken to have flourished in about 725 A.D. Again, Avanti must be looked upon as the home-territory of the dynasty, for, although Vatsaraja ruled over a vast kingdom, he is simply called the ruler of Avanti in the passage quoted from the Harivamsa. It may be held, therefore, that Nagabhata ruled over Avanti about 725
A.D.
As we have seen, in connection with the Jodhpur inscription of Pratihara Bauka, this was the period when the great Arab raid took place. As Bilăduri clearly mentions Ujjain as being attacked by the Arabs, there can scarcely be any doubt that the Gwalior inscription, like the Nausari plates, refers to the Arab expedition described by Bilăduri.
Our inscription tells us that the Arab forces were defeated by Nagabhața I, and this is fully in keeping with the account of Biláduri, who observes :-"They (i.e., the Arabs) made incursions against Uzain, and they attacked Baharimand and burnt its suburbs. Junaid conquered Al Bailaman and Jurz..." Thus whereas other places. were conquered, the Arabs merely sent
Ind. Ant., Vol. XV, p. 141; Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, Part II, p. 197, f.n. 2.
Above, Vol. VI, pp. 195-6.
J. Bo. Br. R. 4. S., Vol. XXI, p. 421, f.n. 4.
It was formerly in the possession of his elder brother, late Prof. S. R. Bhandarkar and noticed by him in J. Bo. Br. R. A. 8, Vol. XXII, p. 117. It will be henceforth referred to as the Sañjan copper-plate. Prof. D. R. Bhandarkar is engaged in editing it for the Ep. Ind. and I take this opportunity of expressing my indebtednes to him for having kindly permitted me to use the inscription before its publication.
See above, p. 93.
For Biladuri's account of the Arab expedition, cf. Elliot's History of India, Vol. 1, p. 126.
