Kunala (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...
: ) (263 BC – ?) was the Crown Prince and second son of 3rd Mauryan Emperor
Ashoka
Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...
and
Queen Padmavati and the
presumptive heir to Ashoka, thus the heir to the
Mauryan Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...
which once ruled almost all of the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
. After the departure of
Mahendra
Mahendra () is a Sanskrit compound word deriving from ''mahā'' (great) and ''indra'' (the title of the king of the devas) from Hinduism. It has been used in compound royal styles.
History and politics
Royalty
* Mahendra or Mahinda – ...
, Ashoka's eldest son, he was supposed to be the heir to the empire, but was blinded by his step-mother,
Tishyaraksha
Tishyarakshita (Pali: ''Tissarakkhā'', 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 As ...
, at a young age in jealousy. While he was not able to take the throne, his son,
Samprati
Samprati () was the fifth emperor of the Maurya Empire. He was the grandson of the third Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, and the son of Kunala. He succeeded his cousin, Dasharatha Maurya. According to Jain tradition, he built 1,50,000 Jain derasa ...
, became his heir.
Kunala also served as the
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory.
The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
of
Taxila
Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...
during the reign of his father, having been appointed to the position in 235 BCE.
Significance of name
Kunal also means "bird with beautiful eyes", "someone who sees beauty in everything" or "one with beautiful eyes".
Early life
At the age of eight, Ashoka sent his son to
Ujjain
Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...
, to be brought up and carry out his princely education, to become the heir to the throne of the
Mauryan Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...
.
Blinding
When the prince was eight years old, the emperor wrote (in
Prakrit
Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...
) to the tutors and mentioned the word:
Adheetaam - Meaning "He(Kunala) must study"(Context: Kunala should begin his studies).
One of Ashoka's wives who wanted to secure the succession to her own son, being then present, took up the letter to read it. She secretly put a dot over the letter 'a', which changed the word to Andheetaam - Meaning "He (Kunala) must be blinded". Without rereading the letter, the emperor sealed and dispatched it. The clerk in Ujjayini was so shocked by the contents of this letter that he was unable to read it aloud to the prince. Kunala, therefore, seized the letter and read the cruel sentence of his father. Considering that as yet no Maurya prince had disobeyed the chief of the house, and unwilling to set a bad example, he stoutly put out his eyesight with a hot iron".
Alternatively, some stories explain that Kunala had been sent to Taxila to put down a rebellion, which he managed to do peacefully. But he was similarly blinded through the treacherousness of Ashoka's wife
Tishyaraksha
Tishyarakshita (Pali: ''Tissarakkhā'', 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 As ...
.
It is said by some scholars that the letter was sent to Kunal; not believing it, Kunal went to his father. This made Emperor Ashoka angry, finding out that his wife had changed the letter, he sentenced her to death. Kunal then became heir to the throne of Mauryan Empire. It is uncertain whether this is true.
Attempts to claim throne
Years later Kunala came to Ashoka's court dressed as a minstrel accompanied by his favourite wife
Kanchanmala. When he greatly pleased the emperor by his music, the emperor wanted to reward him. At this, the minstrel revealed himself as prince Kunala and demanded his inheritance. Ashoka sadly objected that being blind, Kunala never could ascend the throne. Thereupon the latter said that he claimed the empire not for himself but for his son. "When," cried the emperor, "has a son been born to you?" "
Samprati
Samprati () was the fifth emperor of the Maurya Empire. He was the grandson of the third Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, and the son of Kunala. He succeeded his cousin, Dasharatha Maurya. According to Jain tradition, he built 1,50,000 Jain derasa ...
" (meaning "Just now") was the answer. Samprati accordingly was the name given to Kunala's son, and though a baby, he was appointed Ashoka's successor. However, when Ashoka died, Samprati was too young to rule. Therefore, Ashoka was succeeded by another, older grandson,
Dasharatha
Dasharatha (, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of Kosala, with its capital at Ayodhya, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Dasharatha married Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was the father of Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana ...
. After the demise of Dasharatha, Samprati did indeed become Emperor.
It is said that Prince Kunala established a kingdom in the
Mithila
Mithila may refer to:
Places
* Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state
** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha
* Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...
region on the Indo-Nepal Border. It might be the same place where the present village,
Kunauli (earlier known as Kunal Gram) at the bank of Kosi river on the Indo-Nepal Border is situated. There are some historical and archaeological evidences to support this claim.
Portrayal in popular media
A semi-fictionalized portrayal of Kunal's life was produced as a motion picture under the title ''
Veer Kunal'' (1941). ''
Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar (born Kumudlal Ganguly; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. He is considered to be the first Super-st ...
'', a Tamil film was produced in 1941 based on the life of Kunal.
[ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 288.]
See also
*
History of India
Anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. The earliest known human remains in South Asia date to 30,000 years ago. Sedentism, Sedentariness began in South Asia around 7000 BCE; ...
*
Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra () was a ruler of the ancient Kuru kingdom, featured as a central character in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is also attested in the ''Yajurveda'', where he is acknowledged as the son of King Vichitravirya.
According to th ...
*
Bindusara
Bindusara (320 BCE – 273 BCE) () was the second Mauryan emperor of Magadha in Ancient India. The ancient Greco-Roman writers called him Amitrochates, a name likely derived from his Sanskrit title ''Amitraghāta'' ("slayer of enemies").
...
*
Kharvela
References
{{reflist
Blind royalty and nobility
Mauryan princes
Heirs apparent who never acceded
Indian blind people
Children of Ashoka
3rd-century BC Indian people
Mauryan dynasty