The Pushyamitras were a tribe who lived in

Central India Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in al ...

during the 5th century CE. Living on the banks of the river Narmada, they are believed to have posed a serious threat to the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

during the late period of Kumaragupta I's reign.

History

The

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

record thirteen kings of the Pushyamitra dynasty and have been placed in the 3rd century of the

Christian Era The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord" ...

Existence

The Pushyamitras are only known from the inscription of

Skandagupta Skandagupta ( Gupta script: ''Ska-nda-gu-pta'', r. c. 455-467) was a Gupta Emperor of India. His Bhitari pillar inscription suggests that he restored the Gupta power by defeating his enemies, who may have been rebels or foreign invaders. He ...

in which he emphasizes his role in defeating the Pushyamitras, of which the reading is sometimes disputed (it could be "Yudhy-amitrdths-cha" rather than "Pushyamitrams-cha"), as well as a single mention in the

. Therefore their existence is sometimes doubted. The people Skandagupta fought could more probably have been a confederation including the

Vakatakas The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in th ...

.Cultural Contours of India by Vijai Shankar Śrivastav
p.103
/ref> The dynasty of the Vakatakas ended around that time in a war, when, according to the ''

Dashakumaracharita ''Dashakumaracharita'' (''The narrative of ten young men'', IAST: ''Daśa-kumāra-Carita'', Devanagari: दशकुमारचरित) is a prose romance in Sanskrit, attributed to Dandin (दण्डी), believed to have flourished in the ...

'', attacking the area of

Vanavasi Vanavasi is a Town Panchayat in Mettur Taluka, Salem District, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Culture Several festivals are celebrated in Vanavasi, including the Draupathiyamman Festival (celebrated Five years once), the festival of Sowdesw ...

to the south, they were in turn attacked from the rear resulting in the death of the last Vakataka king.

War against the Guptas

Inscriptions covering the events between 455 and 467 CE emphasize the role of

, Kumaragupta's successor, in defeating the Pushyamitras. The Pushyamitras were subjugated by

after a long and strenuous fight, as they "had developed great power and many resources in terms of military & wealth".The inscription says that at one point the situation became so serious that

had to pass a whole night on the bare ground (the field). The critical situation was eventually tided over by him & emerged victorious.This victory took place towards the close of

Kumaragupta Kumaragupta I (Gupta script: ''Ku-ma-ra-gu-pta'', r. c. 415–455 CE) was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India. A son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and queen Dhruvadevi, he seems to have maintained control of his inherited t ...

's reign. So Kumaragupta was probably too old to lead the army himself. So his son

bore the brunt of the struggle, who was chosen by him to deal with the danger of the Pushyamitras. This victory was so memorable & important, we are told in the Bhitari inscription that people sang the songs of his glory in every nook and corner of the empire. Goyal thinks that the Pandumvamshi king Bharatabala was the king leading the Pushyamitra rebellion.

References

{{reflist Gupta Empire 5th century Tribes of India

History

Existence

War against the Guptas

See also

References