Yashodharman (

Gupta script The Gupta script (sometimes referred to as Gupta Brahmi script or Late Brahmi script)Sharma, Ram. '' 'Brahmi Script' ''. Delhi: BR Publishing Corp, 2002 was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of the Indian subcon ...

: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) was a ruler of the Malava Empire in

North India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

, from 515 until his death in 545. He belonged to the

Second Aulikara dynasty The Second Aulikara dynasty (Late Brahmi script: ''Au-li-ka-rā'') was a royal dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Daśapura, and at its peak under Yashodharman Vishnuvardhana controlled a vast area, consisting of almost all of Northern I ...

. He

conquered Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or legal prohibitions against conquest ...

much 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 ...

between c. 530–540 according to the Mandsaur pillar inscription.

Reign

Towards the end of the 5th century, India came under attack from the

Hunas Hunas or Huna (Middle Brahmi script: ''Hūṇā'') was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered the Indian subcontinent at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. The Hunas occu ...

. Yashodharman and possibly the Gupta emperor,

Narasimhagupta Narasimhagupta (Gupta script: ''Na-ra-si-ṅha-gu-pta'') Baladitya was the Gupta Empire, Gupta Emperor from 495 to 530 CE. He was son of Purugupta and probably the successor of Budhagupta. Xuanzang, Hiuen TSang refers to him as the king of Mag ...

, defeated a Huna army and their ruler Mihirakula in 528 AD and drove them out of India. Three inscriptions of Yasodharman have been found in

Mandsaur Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on the border of Mewar and Malwa regions of Madhya Pradesh, a state in Central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Tem ...

. One of these, the Mandsaur stone inscription of Yashodharman-Vishnuvardhana is of samvat 589 (532 AD).

Mandsaur stone inscription of Yashodharman-Vishnuvardhana (532 AD)

The Mandsaur stone inscription of Yashodharman-Vishnuvardhana was written in 532 AD, and records the construction of a well by a person named Daksha in Dashapura (modern

, also often spelled Mandasor), during the rule of Yashodharman. The inscription mentions the victories of local ruler Yasodharman and Vishnuvardhan over Northern and Eastern kingdoms. These kingdoms are not further specified, but it is known that Yashodhaman occupied most of the territories of the

Alchon Huns The Alchon Huns, ( Bactrian: ''Alkhon(n)o'' or ''Alkhan(n)o'') also known as the Alkhan, Alchono, Alxon, Alkhon, Alakhana, and Walxon, were a nomadic people who established states in Central Asia and South Asia during the 4th and 6th centurie ...

to the north, and most of the territories of the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

to the east following his victories.Indian Esoteric Buddhism: Social History of the Tantric Movement by Ronald M. Davidso
p.31
/ref> Only one more Gupta inscription is known after that date, a land grant in the area of Kotivarsha ( Bangarh in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

) by the last Gupta emperor Vishnugupta. The victory against the Alchons Huns is also described in the Mandsaur pillar inscription of Yashodharman. Hans Bakker 50 years that changed India (Timeline)

Mandsaur pillar inscription of Yashodharman (515–550 AD)

Twin monolithic pillars at Sondani in

Mandsaur District Mandsaur district () is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Mandsaur is the administrative headquarters of the district. The ancient Pashupatinath temple is situated in Mandsaur. Large quantities of opium are produce ...

were erected by Yasodharman as a record of his victory. In a part of the Sondani inscription, Yasodharman thus praises himself for having defeated king

Mihirakula Mihirakula (Gupta script: , ''Mi-hi-ra-ku-la'', Chinese: 摩酰逻矩罗 ''Mo-hi-lo-kiu-lo''), sometimes referred to as Mihiragula or Mahiragula, was the second and last Alchon Huns, Alchon Hun king of northwestern region of the Indian subcont ...

Territory

In Line 5 of the Mandsaur pillar inscription, Yashodharman claims he vanquished his enemies and now controls the territory from the neighbourhood of the (river) Lauhitya (

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...

) to the "Western Ocean" (Western

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

), and from the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

to mountain

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 – ...

.Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol
p.145
/ref>Foreign Influence on Ancient India by Krishna Chandra Saga
p.216
/ref> Yashodharman thus conquered vast territories from the Hunas and the Guptas,Tribal Culture, Faith, History And Literature, Narayan Singh Rao, Mittal Publications, 200
p.18
/ref> although his short-lived empire would ultimately disintegrate between c. 530–540 AD.

References

External links

{{Authority control 6th-century Indian monarchs Kings of Malwa Aulikara dynasty Emperors in India People from Mandsaur