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Bhaskaravarma of Dandi and Band : An Appraisal
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essentially a king of Magadba or else Bäņa would have not concealed bin, pame and substituted it by the term 'Mālavai āja' who in Ucchväsa IV, has been shown as owing allegiance to Prabhakaravardhana. But in Ucchvāsa VI he has been styled as durātmā29 who the day he heard of the death of Prabhākara Vardhana, put an end to the life of Grahavai mā, Maukheri and held captive Rājyusri the sister of Harsa. Mālavarāja has been identified by the grant of Harsa as Devarāja killed by Rajyavardhana later on killed by Saśānka king of Gauda who was most probably a nearest kin of Devagupta who might have been a descendant of the direct line of Candragupta II Sakár 130 thé Paramount Sovereign of Målava defeated by Prabhakarávardhana (MālavaLakşmi-latāparabuh) after Whoso death he found a loop-hole (Piśācāoāmiva Dicānām caritāni chidráprabārini prāyaso bhavanti)31 to raise his head aloft in collusion with Saśānka tb üreat his vengeadce on the sons of Prabhakaravardhana who had Kumāragupta and Madhavagurpta the two sons of Devagupta as their subserviants 32 ordained as such by Prabhakaravardhana. As has already been observed Mahāsenagupta the later Gupta monarch of Magadha had a sister Mabāsena guptādevi who was married to Adityavardhana 33 father of Prabna kafavardhand we can easily presumé thát Máhāse nagupta was a maternal uncle of Prabhākaravardhana and could hardly be the Malavarája vanquished by him as sending his two sons as subserviants to his court for the attendance of Räjyavardhana ar d Harşavardhana. Hi therefore, makes one point more reasonable that Madhavagupta son of Mahasóna-gupta was altogeather a different personality from ofre referred to by, Bāņa in his Har şacarita.: .
Dr. B.N. Sharma takes siladitya the king of Mālava as the adversary of Prabhakaravardhana.34 Dr. Budha Prakash 35 however, giving an outine. of the history of Malwa ia the Sixth Century says:
Ho Data Century says: I.
In the eighties of the fifth century Rudravarma probably the son and successor of Bandhuvarma ibuted and challenged Gupta authority in Wes. tern Malwa. Hence the Guptas dismissed him and replaced him.by. Adityavardhana of a new family who had perhaps distinguished himself, in local wars againist local recalcitrant chiefs on the Vakațakas and proved his fidelity and loyalty to the Guptas. This Adityavardhana ruled over Westerå Malwa including Dašapura upto about 510 A.D. Then the Hona,
lance he descended from the North West and swept him away and thereafter submerged eastern Malwa also. From about 510 A.D. to 525-530, Ad the Hunas first foramāņa and then Mihirakula were dominent in the whole of North India including Malwa. About 530 A.D. Yasodbarman; ; Visnuvardhana rose from the ranks and made a clean sweep of Malwa, He ! beaueathed a well founded empire in Malwa to his successor Dravyavar
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