Dasharna (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

:दशार्ण ) was an

ancient Indian The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient India: Ancient India is the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times to the start of Medieval India, which is typically dated (when the term is ...

janapada The Janapadas () () (c. 1100–600 BCE) were the realms, republics (ganapada) and kingdoms (sāmarājya) of the Vedic period in the Indian subcontinent. The Vedic period reaches from the late Bronze Age into the Iron Age: from about 1500 BCE to ...

(realm) in eastern

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

region between the Dhasan River and the

Betwa River , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , date=November 2019 , discharge1_max = , source1 = Vindhya Range , source1_location = Near Obedullaganj, Vindhya Range north of Hoshangabad , source1_coordinates = , source1_elevation = , mouth ...

. The name of the janapada was derived from the , the ancient name of the Dhasan River. The janapada was also known as ''Akara'' and

Rudradaman I Rudradāman I (r. 130–150) was a Śaka ruler from the Western Kshatrapas dynasty. He was the grandson of the king Caṣṭana. Rudradāman I was instrumental in the decline of the Sātavāhana Empire. Rudradāman I took up the title of '' ...

in his Junagarh rock inscription referred to this region by this name.

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 surviv ...

in his Meghaduta (''Purvamegha'', 24-25) mentioned the city of

Vidisha Vidisha (विदिशा, formerly known as Bhelsa and known as Besnagar and Bhaddilpur in ancient times) is a city in Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Vidisha district. It is located 62.5 km north ...

as the capital of Dasharna. Other important cities of this janapada were Erakina and Erikachha. According to the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

, the queen of king Virabahu or Subahu of Chedi kingdom and the queen of king Bhima of

Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the west Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati Division, Amrav ...

(the mother of

Damayanti Damayanti () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, primarily known for her role in the episode of ''Nala and Damayanti, Nalopakhyana'', which is embedded within the ''Vana Parva'' (the third book) of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c. 400 BCE – ...

) were daughters of the king of Dasharna. Dasharna historical region

King Ashadhamitra of Dasharna

A brick inscription from Erich, which commemorates the excavation of a tank, informs us about a king of Dasharna, Ashadhamitra as well as his ancestors. In this inscription, Ashadhamitra, who styled himself as a ''Senapati'' is named as the son of ''Senapati'' Mulamitra (who was also the king of Dasharna), the grandson of ''Senapati'' Aditamitra and the great-grandson of Senapati ''Shatanika''. Recently, a coin of Ashadhamitra has been discovered where he described himself as an ''Amatya'' and the king of Dasharna.Bhandare, S. (2006). ''Numismatics and History: The Maurya-Gupta Interlude in the Gangetic Plain'' in P. Olivelle ed. ''Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE'', New York: Oxford University Press, , pp.77,90

Notes

References

*Acharya Chandrashekhar Shastri: ''Puranon ki anmol kahaniyan'',

External links

Kingdoms in the Mahabharata Historical Indian regions Ancient Indian monarchies {{Hindu-myth-stub