Bhageerath (reigned c. 385 – 410 CE) was a king of the Kadamba dynasty in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...

. He succeeded his father

Kangavarma Kangavarma () or Kangavarman was the second ruler of the Kadamba dynasty in South India. His name is sometimes also read as Skandavarman. Kangavarma succeeded his father Mayurasharma, the founder of the Kadamba kingdom. The Talagunda pillar i ...

on the Kadamba throne. Bhageerath is praised as a "king loved by his kingdom just as a husband is held dear by his bride". In the royal pillar inscription at Talagunda, he is described as the "sole lord" of the lady that is the Kadamba country. According to historian George Moraes, this phrase is meant to imply that Bhageerath had strengthened and consolidated his kingdom and established himself as the sole monarch of the Kadamba lands, perhaps after vanquishing his foes. Several scholars identify Bhageerath with the unnamed "ruler of the

Kuntala country The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region that probably included the western Deccan and some parts of central and south Karnataka (erstwhile north Mysore). Kuntala coins are available since estimated 600-450 BCE.> Kuntala formed ...

" or ''Kuntaleshwara'' who received an embassy from the

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...

emperor

Chandragupta Vikramaditya Chandragupta II (r.c. 376-415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India, and was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta continue ...

. This embassy was led by the famous poet

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 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 the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...

, and was mentioned in the ''Sringaraprakasika'' of the poet Bhoja as well as in two other later works, the ''Kavyamimamsa'' of

Rajashekhara Rajasekhara may refer to: * Rama Rajasekhara/Cheraman Perumal "Nayanar" (''fl.'' 9th century), theologian, devotional poet and ruler from south India * Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet) Rajashekhara (; ) was a Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic. H ...

and the ''Auchityavicharacharcha'' of

Kshemendra Kshemendra (; ) was an 11th-century Sanskrit polymath-poet, satirist, philosopher, historian, dramatist, translator and art-critic from Kashmir in India. Biography Kshemendra was born into an old, cultured, and affluent family. His father ...

. One of the primary purposes of this embassy seems to have been to negotiate a marriage alliance between the two royal houses.Moraes (1931), p. 22 The establishment of such diplomatic relations with the leading figures of India at the time shows the high status and prestige that King Bhageerath and his country must have enjoyed. Bhageerath had at least two sons, named

Raghu Raghu () is a ruler of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. According to the '' Raghuvamsha'', he is the son of King Dilīpa and Queen Sudakshina. His successors styled themselves as belonging to the eponymous Raghuvamsha dynasty, or the ' ...

and

Kakusthavarma Kakusthavarma () or Kakusthavarman was a ruler of the Kadamba dynasty in South India. He succeeded his brother Raghu as king. Under Kakusthavarma's rule the Kadamba kingdom attained the height of its power and influence, and the Kadambas enjo ...

. Raghu, the eldest son, seems to have been greatly fond of war and relished personally partaking in battles, as his face is described as being "marked with the weapons of his enemies in combat with opposing warriors". Kakusthavarma, the younger son, is known to have entered into marital relations with the Guptas, perhaps as a result of the Gupta embassy sent to his father's court. Upon Bhageerath's death, Raghu ascended the Kadamba throne, while Kakusthavarma was appointed as ''Yuvaraja'' or

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

and would eventually become king as well.

References

{{reflist Kadambas 4th-century Indian monarchs 5th-century Indian monarchs