Pravarasena I
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Pravarasena () was the successor of Vindhyashakti, the founder of the Vakataka dynasty. He was the first and only Vakataka ruler to be called ''Samrāṭ'', meaning emperor or universal ruler. Under his reign, the Vakatakas were established as a major power in the
Deccan The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...
, where they would rule for almost two centuries after Pravarasena's death.


Reign

No inscription or record from Pravarasena's reign has been discovered. Information on his reign and accomplishments is dependent on later records of the Vakataka dynasty as well as from the Puranic literary tradition. The Puranas are unanimous in giving Pravarasena (or "Pravira", as he is called in the Puranic texts) a long reign of 60 years. That Pravarasena lived to old age seems to be supported by the fact that Pravarasena's grandson was among the successors to his empire. Although the details of Pravarasena's military campaigns are unknown, their number and significance can be gauged from the many Vedic sacrifices that he is said to have performed. Pravarasena performed no less than four ''
ashvamedha The Ashvamedha () was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accompanied by the king's warriors would be released to wander ...
'' horse sacrifices during his reign, and each one may have marked the termination of a successful campaign. As an orthodox Hindu and champion of the Brahmanical religious tradition, Pravarasena also performed many other Vedic sacrifices including the ''Agnishṭoma'', ''Āptoryāma'', ''Jyotishṭoma'', ''Bṛihaspatisava'', ''Sādyaskra'', ''Ukthya'', ''Shoḍaśin'', and ''Atirātra'' sacrifices. At the end of his career, after he had achieved overlordship over the Deccan, Pravarasena celebrated the ''Vājapeya'' sacrifice and formally assumed the imperial title of ''Samrāṭ''. To the north of Pravarasena's empire were the powerful Bharashiva Naga kings, who were a strong force in the central regions of India. Pravarasena forged an important political alliance with King Bhavanaga of the Bharashiva dynasty by marrying his son Gautamiputra to Bhavanaga's daughter. This alliance secured the northern border of the Vakataka dominions and left Pravarasena free to expand into the south. It is also possible that Pravarasena performed his multiple ''ashvamedha'' sacrifices in imitation of the Bharashiva Nagas, for the latter are said to have performed no fewer than ten ''ashvamedha'' sacrifices. Pravarasena's capital was called Kanchanaka and has been identified with Nachna in the Panna district of
Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
, where several early Vakataka inscriptions and contemporary structural remains have been found. This suggests that Pravarasena's original power base was in the Vindhyan region of present-day Madhya Pradesh, from which the Vakatakas spread southward into
Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
. At its greatest extent, Pravarasena's empire covered almost the whole of the Deccan between the
Narmada The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...
and
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
rivers, while his sphere of influence extended over
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 ...
,
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...
, Andhradesha, and southern Koshala. Pravarasena had four sons who were appointed as viceroys over different provinces of his empire, and these provinces seem to have become independent following Pravarasena's death.


Legacy

Pravarasena's eldest son was Prince Gautamiputra, but he predeceased his father. Gautamiputra's son Rudrasena thus succeeded Pravarasena upon the latter's death, with Rudrasena and his descendants forming the "main" branch of the Vakataka dynasty ruling over northern Berar and parts of Madhya Pradesh. Another one of Pravarasena's sons, Sarvasena, was likely a viceroy of southern Berar and the
Marathwada Marathwada () is a geographical region of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Maharashtra. It was formed during the Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam's rule and was part of the then Hyderabad State. The region coincides with the Aurang ...
region of Maharashtra. Upon his father's death, Sarvasena founded a branch of the Vakataka dynasty at Vatsagulma (identified with
Washim Washim (Vatsagulma) is a city and a municipal council, Municipal Council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Washim is the district headquarters of Washim district. History Washim was known earlier known as Vatsagulma and ...
). Nothing is known about the branches set up by the other two sons. All of the copper plates of the Vakataka rulers begin the family genealogy with Pravarasena instead of Vindhyashakti.Altekar (1960), pp. 156–157 None of Pravarasena's successors adopted his lofty title of ''Samrāṭ'', instead contenting themselves with the relatively modest title of '' Mahārāja''. Pravarasena's unique imperial title, his expansive empire, and his performance of numerous Vedic sacrifices made him stand out as a particularly illustrious ruler in the eyes of posterity.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pravarasena 01 Vakataka kings 3rd-century Indian monarchs 4th-century Indian monarchs Year of birth unknown Emperors in India