Lecture 3: Ancient Bengal An Overview-1:

Shashanka and Matsyanyam

COURSE: HIS 101: BANGLADESH CULTURE AND HERITAGE

JANUARY 28, 2020
INTRODUCTION:

History of Bengal from the fall of Maurya Empire (2nd century BC) to
the rise of Gupta Empire (4th century AD) is vague and obscure.
Discovery of some terracotta dated 2nd and 1st century BC proved that
Bengal continued to flourish in trade and commerce. Around 300 BC
the whole of deltaic Bengal was organized into a powerful kingdom
with its capital at Gange, the great market town on the banks of
Ganges, most likely located in the present Bangladesh.
Maurya Empire
• It is likely that on the eve of Gupta expansion under
Samudragupta (4th century AD) Bengal remained divided into
independent states. Several discoveries during this period
prove that Gupta rule was firmly established in the Bengal
region. They also informed us that a well structured local
administration, with the participation of local people had been
flourished during the Gupta time.
• Under Gupta rule, Bengal became an important province.
During this period, Indian subcontinent was under a strong
benevolent central government that brought peace, wealth
and prosperity.
• Bengal enjoyed the benefit of being a part of an
all-Indian empire, with a strong and efficient
administration and remarkable success in trade and
commerce. The discoveries of Gupta coins (gold
and silver) in Bengal proved the economic
prosperity of the region. The period of Guptas is
also remarkable for its religious toleration. Although
imperial Guptas embraced Hinduism, they
patronized Buddhism and Jainism.
 Name of the Gupta rulers
1 Sri-Gupta I c. 240-290 CE
2 Ghatotkacha 290-305
3 Chandra Gupta I 305-335
4 Samudra Gupta 335-370
5 Rama Gupta 370-375
6Chandra Gupta II
(Chandragupta Vikramaditya ) 375-415
7 Kumara Gupta I 415-455
8 Skanda Gupta 455-467
9 Kumara Gupta II 467-477
10 Buddha Gupta 477-496
Chandragupta and Kumara
Devi depicted on the coin
 th
•During the first half of 6 century the rule of
Gupta dynasty came to the end. Due to the
invasion of the Hun tribes in India the Gupta
Empire became disintegrated and as a result a lot
of small independent kingdoms were formed.
Similar event occurred in Bengal and two
independent kingdoms were formed. One
kingdom was the independent ‘Banga’ state
(South East Bengal and South of West Bengal) and
another kingdom was the Gauda (Western
Northern part of Bengal).
GOLDEN AGE OF GUPTA EMPIRE
The Independent Kingdom of Gauda under King Shashanka

Shashanka the first important king of ancient Bengal, occupies

a prominent place in the history of the region. It is generally
believed that he ruled approximately between 606 AD and 625
AD.
Gauda comprised of present Murshidabad and southern part
of Maldah district. A vassal King (Mahasamanta) of Gupta
Empire Shashanka taking the opportunity created after the
disintegration of All-Indian Gupta Empire. Historical sources
suggest that king Shashanka liberated Gauda from the later
Guptas sometimes in 606 AD and became its king. His capital
was in Karnasuvarna which is now located at Kanasona in
Murshidabad district, West Bengal.
 The History of Shashanka is known to us based on few
sources. They are:
✔Accounts of Hiuen Tsang and Banabhatta’s Harshacharita
✔The Ganjam, Doobi, Midnapore, Kharagpur, Banskhera,
Madhuvan and the Nidhanpur Inscriptions.
✔Coins and Buddhist work of Arja Manjushree Mula Kalpa.

Shashanka within a very short time spread his

empire up to Magadha or south of Bihar, also up to
North of Orissa. His political power increased that
much that he began to interfere in the politics of
North India.
Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang visited Bengal during his time
and mentioned Shashanka as the emperor of Karnasuvarna.

Banabhatta in his biography of king Harsavardhana (C.

540-647 CE a ruler of Haryana Punjab. At the height of his
power he covered much of North ,North Westen India
extended his power till Kamrupa and South till Narmada
plains) stated Shashanka as Gaudaodhipati.

However, very little information about the early life of

Shashanka is known. It appears that he ruled for sometime
as a chieftain (Mahasamanta) of Rohtasgarh under the
Gauda king of Karnasuvarna, who possibly belonged to the
family of the Maukharis.
 Political Contributions of Shasanka
Shashanka has been described both in the inscriptions and literary accounts as the
ruler of Gauda. In the narrower sense Gauda is the territory between the river
Padma and Bardhamana region. But in course of time it embraced much wider
area.
Sources suggests that
•Shashanka possibly ruled over Northern and Western Bengal.
•We cannot definitely say if he ruled over the Southern and Eastern Bengal.
•Possibly before going out for conquering the territory outside Bengal, Sashanka had
conquered the whole of the country.

•From the Doobi Copper plate it is known that he had defeated and imprisoned the
Kamrupraj Bhaskaravarman.
•Sasanko dreamt for a vast empire. According to Dr. R.C. Mazumder his kingdom
extended in the South up to the Mahendra Mountain in Ganjam district.
✔The Maukharis of Kanauj were his most persistent enemies. Shasanka
wanted to secure his kingdom from the aggressive Maukharis.
Maukharis king, Grahavarma, married Rajyasri, the daughter of
Prabhakarvardana, the king of Thaneswar and made an alliance to
suppress Shasanka of Gauda.

✔In response to this alliance, Shasanka formed a counter alliance with

king of Malwa, Devagupta. The northern Indian power politics saw the
rise of two rival blocks and a conflict between these two became
inevitable.
✔Shasanka first successfully annexed his territory with Magadha and
also conquered Banaras.
✔When the Thaneswar king Pravakarvardana died, the Malwa king
Devagupta accompanied by Shasanka attacked the isolated Kanauj. King
Grahavarman was killed and widow queen Rajyasri was imprisoned.
Thus the Gauda and Malwa became the master of Kanauj.
✔In order to take revenge and to rescue his sister Rajyasri, the
Thaneswar‘s new king Rajyavardhana advanced with a strong
contingent and killed Malwa king Devagupta.
✔A counter attack by Shasanka also killed Rajyavardhana and made him
the lone master for the time being.
✔Very little information on Shasanka’s role in Kanauj after the death of
Rajyavardhana is available. Later sources indicate that the king of
Thaneswar, Harshavardhana occupied Kanauj.
✔The last years of Shasanka’s reign have proved his undiminished powers till
his death. Harshavardhana could captured Gauda only after Shasanka’s
death. The Ganjam inscription of 619 AD proved that till 619 AD Shasanka
was the sovereign ruler of Gauda, South Bihar and Orissa.

✔ Shashanka was a devout Shaiva worshipper whereas his opponent

Harsavardhana was a Buddhist king. During his visit Hieun Tsang mentioned
about several Buddhist viharas. Raktamrittika vihara in
Karnasubarna(Rangamati Murshidabad), Poshipo vihara or VasuBihar in
Pundravardhana (Shibganj,Bogra).

✔Hieun Tsang himself stayed in Nalanda vihara (Magadha, modern day Bihar)
for two years. From Hieun Tsang’s account it can be known that king
Shashanka cut the Bodhi tree in Magadha sometime before (637-638CE) and
died.
✔It is difficult to explain Shasanka’s later life in Gauda. Possibly Shasanka died
without leaving behind any heir. Sasanka appeared as a meteor in Bengal
and left a blazing trail of Glory.
After Shasankas’s death his empire was divided in-between
Harsavardhana (North Indian ruler) and Bhaskarvarmana
(Bhaskarvarmana 600-650CE. of Varman dynasty was perhaps the
illustrious monarchs of the ancient kingdom of Kamrupa, Assam).

Whether the accusations made by Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang ( a

friend of Harshavardhana who was a Buddhist king) are correct or not
we are not certain. However; political reasons , rather than religious
enmity may have prompted the persecution ( ill treatment,
victimization) of Buddhists in certain areas. Banbhatta was a biographer
of Harshavardhana also criticized Shashanka.

Despite his personal qualities Shashanka was the first king who made
the first attempt to establish supremacy over northern India. In this
sense he was the forerunner of aggressive north Indian policy of the
later day Pala rulers like Dharmapala and Devapala. King Shasanka thus
laid the foundation on which the Palas later built their vast empire.
Chinese traveller Hiuen-Tsang
Lo-to-wei(mo)-chi-sang-kia-lam,
rendered as Raktamrttika
Sanggharama, situated in the
suburb of Kie-lo-na-su-fa-la-na (ie
Karnasuvarna).

Ruins of Raktamrittika vihara

Karnasuvarna Murshidabad
 Matsyanyam
The death of Shasanka was followed by a period of anarchy and
lawlessness. For more than a century, roughly from 650 to 750
A.D the anarchy continued. This period in history is marked as
Matsyanyayam.
After the death of King Harshavardhana in 646 AD, Bengal saw the
emergence of two new lines of kings: The later Guptas in Gauda
and Maghada and the Khadgas in Vanga. However, neither of
these dynasties succeeded in establishing a united and strong rule
in Bengal.
In the century following the death of Sasanka, Bengal saw very
little of stable government and the whole country was torn by
internal strife and disturbed by invasions from outside.
Besides, in the first half of the 8th century, Bengal saw repeated foreign
invasions from different parts of the sub-continent. Of them most notable
were the invasion of Yasovarman of Kanauj and which lasted for only two
years; and the invasion of Lalitaditya of Kashmir.
The king of Tibet, the kings of the Saila dynasty, Harshadeva of Assam and
Vatsyaraj of Gurjara also invaded Bengal one after another. These
successive foreign invasions destroyed the political strength and speeded
up the process of disintegration of Bengal.

The condition of Bengal towards the middle of 8th century, before the rise
of Gopala can be found in Khalimpur Copperplate where it is mentioned
as Matsyanyayam.
The context of Matsyanyayam can be understood by the writing of
Taranath who wrote in his 'History of Buddhism in India’ :
‘’…every Ksatriya, Grandee, Brahman and merchant was a king in his own
house (or in the neighbourhood) but there was no king ruling over the
country’’.
The Sanskrit term Matsyanyayam has special significance. The Kautiliya
Arthasastra explain the term as follows:

''When the law of punishment is kept in abeyance, it gives rise to such

disorder as is implied in the proverb of fishes, ie, the larger fish swallows a
smaller one, for in the absence of a magistrate, the strong will swallow the
weak’’.

The writer of the Manjusrimulakalpa declared that after Shashanka the

state of Gauda was paralysed, and whoever was king thereafter would not
be able to rule for even a year. According to the same source there was a
disastrous famine in the period in the eastern region of India.
The contemporary Pala record uses this significant term to describe the
prevailing political situation in Bengal.

It is needless to stress that due to internal disorder and external

aggression condition in Bengal became desperate. The small local rulers
were mutually at war, the stronger was oppressing the weaker, and the
more powerful was attacking the less powerful. This is the period which is
historically known as Matsyanyayam.

The state of Matsyanyam was described in Khalimpur copperplate of the

Pala dynasty. Gopala the founder of the dynasty emerged as the ruler out
of this chaos and put an end to the state of lawlessness.
To overcome this anarchism almost about 100 years some of the feudal
vassal kings of North and West Bengal decided to nominate a new
leadership for the Varendra region.
RISE OF 400 YEARS OF PALA RULE IN VARENDRA
REGION AND SOME PARTS OF BENGAL FOR
SOMETIME …..to be continued ………….