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Padmagupta
:Not to be confused with ''Nava-sahasanka-charita'' by Shriharsha ''Nava-sahasanka-charita'' (IAST: ''Nava-sāhasānka-carita'', "the biography of the New Sahasanka") is a Sanskrit-language epic poem written by the Paramara court poet Padmagupta, who lived in 10th-11th century. It is fantasy re-telling of the exploits of the Paramara king Sindhuraja, who bore the title ''Nava-sahasanka'', and ruled the Malwa region in central India. In the epic, Sindhuraja shoots a deer with a golden arrow during a hunting expedition in the Vindhyas. The deer escapes to its owner, the Naga princess Shashiprabha, who sees the hero's title "Nava-Sahasanka" written on the arrow. Meanwhile, in pursuit of the deer, the king comes across a necklace bearing Shashiprabha's name. Sindhuraja and Shashiprabha subsequently meet, and fall in love with each other. Shashiprabha's father has decided to marry her to the man who brings him a golden lotus in the possession of the demon king Vajrankusha. Sindhuraja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agnikula
In Indian culture, the Agnivanshi are people who claim descent from Agni, the Vedic god of fire. The Agnivanshi lineage is one of the lineages among the Rajput clans, the others being the Suryavanshi (descended from Surya, the sun god) and the Chandravanshi (descended from Chandra, the moon god). According to medieval legends, there are four Agnivanshi clans: Chauhans (Chahamanas), Pratihar (Pratiharas), Parmars (Paramaras) and Solankis (Chaulukyas). Apart from Rajputs, several other Indian communities and dynasties have legends of fire-born ancestry. Alf Hiltebeitel theorises that the fire-lineage legends signify a new class of Kshatriya warriors, as opposed to the earlier warriors who claimed descent from the solar and lunar lineages mentioned in the ancient texts. Among the clans now known as the Rajputs, the legend might have been invented by Padmagupta, a 10th-century court poet of the Paramara dynasty. His '' Nava-sahasanka-charita'' is the earliest source claiming a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vakpati Munja
Munja (reigned c. 972-990s CE), also known as Vakpati II, was an Indian ruler from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled the Kingdom of Malwa. He is known for consolidating the Malwa kingdom, for patronising poets and scholars and for achieving the military success against almost all of the neighbouring kingdoms. Munja achieved military successes against the Chahamanas, the Guhilas, the Hunas, the Kalachuris, and the ruler of Gurjara region (possibly a Chaulukya or Pratihara ruler). He also achieved some early successes against the Western Chalukya king Tailapa II, but was ultimately defeated and killed by Tailapa some time between 994 CE and 998 CE. Early life Munja succeeded Siyaka as the Paramara king, ascending the throne around 972 CE. According to '' Prabandha-Chintamani'' by the 14th century writer Merutunga, Munja was an adopted child of the king Simhadantabhatta (Siyaka). The king discovered him in a munja grassland. Since the king did not have any children of h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sindhuraja
Sindhuraja (IAST: Sindhurāja) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled the Kingdom of Malwa in the late 10th century. He was the younger brother of Munja, and the father of Bhoja. Background No inscriptions issued by Sindhuraja have been discovered, although he is mentioned in several later Paramara inscriptions, including inscriptions of Bhoja. Much of the information about his life comes from '' Nava-sahasanka-charita'', an eulogistic composition by his court poet Padmagupta. The work is a fusion of history and mythology. Sindhuraja succeeded his brother Munja as the Paramara king. According to the 14th century poet Merutunga's '' Prabandha-Chintamani'', Sindhuraja was the biological son of Simhadantabhatta ( Siyaka), while Munja was an adopted child. However, historians doubt the authenticity of this claim. Merutunga also states that Munja was succeeded by Sindhuraja's son Bhoja. However, according to ''Nava-Sahasanka-Charita'' and epigraphic evidenc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siyaka
Siyaka (IAST: Sīyaka; reigned c. 949-972 CE), also known as Harsha (IAST: Harṣa), was the king of Malwa, who ruled in west-central India. He appears to have been the first independent ruler of the Paramara dynasty. Siyaka is the earliest Paramara ruler known from his own inscriptions, which have been discovered in present-day Gujarat, and suggest that he was once a feudatory of the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. After the death of the Rashtrakuta emperor Krishna III, he fought against the new king Khottiga, and sacked the Rashtrakuta capital Manyakheta in c. 972 CE. This ultimately led to the decline of the Rashtrakutas, and established the Paramaras as a sovereign power. Background Siyaka was the son of Vairisimha II. The Harsola copper-plate inscriptions issued by Siyaka are dated 31 January 949 CE. Based on this, it can be inferred that Siyaka must have ascended the Paramara throne sometime before January 949 CE. Names and titles In his own inscriptions, as wel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paramara Dynasty
The Paramara Dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmar (clan), Paramara clan of the Rajputs. The dynasty was established in either the 9th or 10th century, and its early rulers most probably ruled as vassals of the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. The earliest extant Paramara inscriptions, issued by the 10th-century ruler Siyaka, have been found in Gujarat. Around 972 CE, Siyaka sacked the Rashtrakuta capital Manyakheta, and established the Paramaras as a sovereign power. By the time of his successor Vakpati Munja, Munja, the Malwa region in present-day Madhya Pradesh had become the core Paramara territory, with Dhara (city), Dhara (now Dhar) as their capital. At its zenith under Bhoja, it ruled over an empire which extended from Chittorgarh Fort, Chittor in the north to Konkan in the south, and from the Sabarmati River in the west to Vidisha in the east. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhoja
Bhoja was the Paramara dynasty, Paramara king of Malwa from 1010 until his death in 1055. He ruled from Dhara (city), Dhara (modern Dhar), and Military career of Bhoja, fought wars with nearly all his neighbours in attempts to extend his kingdom, with varying degrees of success. At its zenith, his empire extended from Chittorgarh Fort, Chittor in the north to upper Konkan in the south, and from the Sabarmati River in the west to Vidisha in the east. Because of his patronage of scholars, Bhoja became one of the most celebrated kings in Indian history. After his death, he came to be featured in several legends as a righteous scholar-king. The body of legends clustered around him is comparable to that of the Emperor Vikramaditya. Bhoja is best known as a patron of arts, literature, and sciences. The establishment of the Bhoj Shala, a centre for Sanskrit studies, is attributed to him. He was a polymath, and several books covering a wide range of topics are attributed to him. He i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems. Much about his life is unknown except what can be inferred from his poetry and plays. His works cannot be dated with precision, but they were most likely authored before the 5th century CE during the Gupta era. Kalidas is mentioned as one of the seven Brahma avatars in Dasam Granth, written by Guru Gobind Singh. Early life Scholars have speculated that Kālidāsa may have lived near the Himalayas, in the vicinity of Ujjain, and in Kalinga. This hypothesis is based on Kālidāsa's detailed description of the Himalayas in his '' Kumārasambhavam'', the display of his love for Ujjain in '' Meghadūta'', and his highly eulogistic descriptions of Kalingan emperor Hem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patala
In Indian religions, Patala ( Sanskrit: पाताल, IAST: pātāla, lit. ''that which is below the feet''), denotes the subterranean realms of the universe – which are located under the earthly dimension. Patala is often translated as underworld or netherworld. Patala is described as more beautiful than Svarga (subtle dimensions, loosely translated as heaven). Patala is described as filled with splendid jewels, beautiful groves and lakes. In Vajrayana Buddhism, caves inhabited by asuras are entrances to Patala; these asuras, particularly female asuras, are often "tamed" (converted to Buddhism) as dharmapala or dakinis by famous Buddhist figures such as Padmasambhava. In Hindu cosmology, the universe is divided into the three worlds: Svarga, Bhumi or Martya (earth/mortal plane) and Patala (gross dimensions, the underworld). Patala is composed of seven realms/dimensions or lokas, the seventh and lowest of them is also called Patala or Naga-loka, the region of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Vishnu is known as ''The Preserver'' within the Trimurti, the triple deity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Shiva.Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism' () (1996), p. 17. In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is the supreme Lord who creates, protects, and transforms the Hindu cosmology, universe. Tridevi is stated to be the energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Lakshmi being the equal complementary partner of Vishnu. He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. According to Vaishnavism, the supreme being is with qualities (Saguna Brahman, Saguna), and has definite form, but is limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, and the primal Atma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanara
In Hinduism, Vanara () are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the ''Ramayana'', the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-like beings. Etymology There are three main theories about the etymology of the word "Vanara": * Aiyanar suggests that ''vanara'' means "monkey" derived from the word ''vana'' ("forest"), Literally meaning "belonging to the forest" Monier-Williams says it is probably derived from ''vanar'' (lit. "wandering in the forest") and means "forest-animal" or monkey. * Devdutt Pattanaik suggests that it derives from the words ''vana'' ("forest"), and ''nara'' ("man"), thus meaning "forest man" and suggests that they may not be monkeys, which is the general meaning. * It may be derived from the words ''vav'' and ''nara'', meaning "is it a man?" (meaning "monkey") or "perhaps he is man". Identification Although the word Vanara has come to mean "monkey" over the years and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chakravartin
A ''chakravarti'' (, ) is an ideal (or idealized) universal ruler, in the history, and religion of India. The concept is present in Indian subcontinent cultural traditions, narrative myths and lore. There are three types of chakravarti: ''chakravala chakravarti'', an emperor who rules over all four of the continents (i.e., a universal monarch); ''dvipa chakravarti'', a ruler who governs only one of those continents; and ''pradesha chakravarti'', a monarch who leads the people of only a part of a continent, the equivalent of a local king. Dvipa chakravarti is particularly one who rules the entire Indian subcontinent (as in the case of the Mauryan Empire). The first references to a ''Chakravala Chakravartin'' appear in monuments from the time of the early Maurya Empire, in the 4th to 3rd century BCE, in reference to Emperor Ashoka. The word is a bahuvrīhi compound word, translating to "one who move the wheels", in the sense of "whose chariot is rolling everywhere without ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rama
Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ''puruṣottama''), Rama is the male protagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana''. His birth is celebrated every year on Rama Navami, which falls on the ninth day of the bright half ( Shukla Paksha) of the lunar cycle of Chaitra (March–April), the first month in the Hindu calendar. According to the ''Ramayana'', Rama was born to Dasaratha and his first wife Kausalya in Ayodhya, the capital of the Kingdom of Kosala. His siblings included Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. He married Sita. Born in a royal family, Rama's life is described in the Hindu texts as one challenged by unexpected changes, such as an exile into impoverished and difficult circumstances, and challenges of ethical questions and moral dilemmas. The most not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
