Political History of Northern India

Author(s): Gulabchandra Chaudhary
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

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POLITICAL HISTORY OF N, INDIA FROM JAIN SOURCES
Vatsarāja: Regarding Vatsarāja there are two more references besides the Harivansa. The one is from Kuvalayamālā of Udyotanasūri which states that he composed his work in Jābālipur (modern Jāllor in Marwar) one day before the end of Saka year 700 or 778 A.D. At that time Vatsarāja was the ruler. The stanza runs thus:
Parabhadabhiudibhango, Paraiyana rohinikalācando Siri Vaccharāya nāmo narahatthi patthivojaiā.
i.e. Adoration to the valorous king Vatsarāja who is frown to the enemies and is lovely to the lovers as moon is for his consort Rohiņi.'
The other one is the Osiā inscription, dated V.E. 1013 or 956-7 A.D., which is engraved in the Porch of a Jain temple and indicates its existence in the time of Vatsarāja. The inscription consists of 28 lines, but is much mutilated. It begins by invoking the blessings of the first Tirthankara Rşabhanăth, the son of Nābhi and of the last Tirthankara Mahāvīra, the son of Siddhārtha. Then it is stated that Rāma, the destroyer of Rāvana, had a brother named Laksmana who did the duties of his door-keeper (Pratihāra) and hence arose from the latter the Pratīhāra dynasty. In this dynasty there was a king named Vatsarāja. In his kingdom was situated the extensive city of Ukeśa i.e. Osiä and in the heart of this city stood the temple of Mahāvīra. So far the contents of the inscription are clear, but from the remaining mutilated portion we can glean only two things as certain. The first is that this mandapa, in which the inscription is found, had fallen into disrepair and on the request of the temple committee (Goșthi) a merchant called Jindaka renovated it. Secondly, the date of this renovation is the 3rd day of the bright half of Phälguna of the Vikrama year 1013. The temple thus existed during the reign of Vatsarāja who belonged to the Pratihāra dynasty and its Mandapa was rebuilt in V.E. 1013 (A.D. 956).
These two references along with the reference found in the Harivansa show that Vatsarāja was ruling over an extensive kingdom though he was called the ruler of Avanti (Avuntibhübhrt).
Regarding Vatsarāja one more point emerges here. From the Harivansa it appears that while the king Vatsarāja was the ruler at Avanti, the territory north of Wadhwān was ruled by a king named Indrāyudha in Saka year 705 or 783 A.D. And five years prior to this date in Saka year
1 SS., III, Pt. II, p. 181, V. 21.
2 ASI., Ann. Re., 1908-9, p. 108 The text is published in Jain Lekha Sangarah, Pt. I. (P.C. Nahar), pp. 192-194.