Saurashtra kingdom was one of the kingdom among the many kingdoms ruled by

Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and ...

kings in the central and western India. Other kingdoms in this group include

Chedi Kingdom Chedi ( sa, चेदी) was a kingdom which fell roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna along the river Ken. Its capital city was called Suktimati in Sanskrit. According to the Mahabha ...

, Dasarna Kingdom, Surasena Kingdom or Vraja Kingdom, Karusha Kingdom,

Kunti Kingdom The Kunti Kingdom was the kingdom of Kunti-Bhoja, one of the prominent kings among the Bhoja Yadavas. Kunti, the mother of Pandavas and the first wife of Kuru king Pandu, was the adopted daughter of Kuntibhoja. Her given name was Pritha and she ...

, Avanti Kingdom, Malava Kingdom, Gurjara Kingdom, Anarta Kingdom, Dwaraka Kingdom, Heheya Kingdom and Vidarbha Kingdom. It is roughly the southern

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

including the peninsular region. The name

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is ...

, a modern city of Gujarat, is derived from the name Saurashtra. The peninsular region forming the southern Gujarat is still known as Saurashtra.

References in Mahabharata

Sahadeva's Military Campaign

Mahabharata, Book 2, Chapter 30: And next turning his forces against the Paurava kingdom,

Sahadeva Sahadeva ( Sanskrit: सहदेव) was the youngest of the Pandava brothers, the five principal protagonists of the epic '' Mahabharata''. He and his twin brother, Nakula, were blessed to King Pandu and Queen Madri by invoking the twin god ...

vanquished and reduced to subjection the monarch thereof. And the prince, after this, with great efforts brought Akriti, the princess of Saurashtra and official message girl of the Kausikas under his sway. The virtuous princess, while staying in the kingdom of Saurashtra sent an ambiguously flamboyant ambassador unto king Rukmin of Bhishmaka within the territories of Bhojakata.

Karna rebuking Shalya

Mahabharata, Book 8, Chapter 45: ''Karna, when angry with Shalya, rebukes him and those who have cultural similarity with his race.'' The Pancalas observe the duties enjoined in the Vedas; the Kauravas observe truth; the Matsyas and the Surasenas perform sacrifices, the Easterners follow the practices of the Shudras; the Southerners are fallen; the Vahikas are thieves.

Sage Dhaumya describes the holy places in Saurashtra

Mahabharata, Book 3, Chapter 88: I shall now, O

Yudhishthira ''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his fir ...

, describe the sacred spots, and asylums, and rivers and lakes belonging to the Surashtra country! O Yudhishthira, on the sea-coast is the Chamasodbheda, and also Prabhasa, that tirtha which is much regarded by the Gods. There also is the tirtha called Pindaraka, frequented by ascetics. In that region is a mighty hill named Ujjayanta which conduceth to speedy success. Regarding it the celestial Rishi

Narada Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...

hath recited an ancient sloka. By performing austerities on the sacred hill of Ujjayanta in Surashtra, that abounds in birds and animals, a person becometh regarded in heaven. There also is Dwaravati, producing great merit, where dwelleth the illustrious

Vasudeva Krishna According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva ( Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his ...

Bhima's list of 18 bad kings

Mahabharata, Book 5, Chapter 74: Even as, when

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

became extinct, Kali was born in the race of

Asuras Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

flourishing with prosperity and blazing with energy, so was born Udavarta among the Haihayas. Janamejaya among the Nepas, Vahula among the Talajanghas, proud Vasu among the Krimis, Ajavindu among the Suviras, Rushardhik among the Surashtras, Arkaja among the Valihas, Dhautamulaka among the Chinas, Hayagriva among the Videhas, Varayu among the Mahaujasas, Vahu among the Sundaras, Pururavas among the Diptakshas, Sahaja among the Chedis and Matsyas, Vrishaddhaja among the Praviras, Dharana among the Chandra-batsyas, Bigahana among the Mukutas and Sama among the Nandivegas. These vile individuals spring up, at the end of each Yuga, in their respective races, for the destruction of their kinsmen.

Kurukshetra War

Mahabharata, Book 6, Chapter 20: That large force which was well protected by mighty car-warriors of the

Vrishni The Vrishnis (Brahmi: ''vri-shņi'') were an ancient Vedic Indian clan who were believed to be the descendants of Vrishni. It is believed that Vrishni was the son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari a ...

and the Bhoja races, as also by the warriors of Surashtra well-armed and well-acquainted with the uses of weapons, and which was led by

Kritavarman Kritavarma ( sa, कृतवर्मा, translit=Kṛtavarmā) is a Yadava warrior in Hinduism. He appears as a minor character in the Mahabharata, fighting in the Kurukshetra war for the Kauravas. According to F.E. Pargiter, he was the son o ...

, proceeded towards the south of the Kaurava army.

Arjuna's post-war military campaign

Mahabharata, Book 14, Chapter 83: Battle took place between the

Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...

and the Dravidas and

Andhras Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and the fierce Mahishakas and the hillmen of Kolwa. Subjugating those tribes without having to accomplish any fierce feats, Arjuna proceeded to the country of the Surashtras, his footsteps guided by the horse. He repaired thence to Prabhasa. Next he proceeded to the beautiful city of Dwaravati protected by the heroes of the

race. When the beautiful sacrificial horse of the

Kuru Kuru may refer to: Anthropology and history * Kuru (disease), a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy associated with the cannibalistic funeral practices of the Fore people * Kuru (mythology), part of Meithei mythology * Kuru Kingdom, ...

king reached Dwaravati, the

youths, used force against that foremost of steeds. King Ugrasena, however, soon went out and forbade those youths from doing what they meditated.

References

* Kisari Mohan Ganguli, ''The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose'', 1883-1896.

External links

{{Mahabharata Yadava kingdoms