Sridharavarman
| Sridharavarman | |
|---|---|
| General, Great Satrap and King | |
| Reign | Circa 339-368 CE |
Sridharavarman (Gupta script: 
, Shri-dha-ra-va-rmma-na, ruled circa 339-368 CE)[1][2] was a Saka (Gupta script: 
, Śaka, Indo-Scythian) ruler of Central India, around the areas of Vidisa, Sanchi and Eran in the 4th century CE, just before the Gupta Empire expansion in these areas.[2][1] He calls himself a general and "righteous conqueror" (dharmaviyagi mahadandanayaka) in an inscription, and "Rajan" ('King") and "Mahaksatrapa" ("Great Satrap") in a probably later inscription at Eran, suggesting that he may have been a high-ranked officer who later rose to the rank of a King.[2]
Although Sridharavarman took the title of "Mahakshatrapa", the traditional title of the Western Satraps, he probably did not belong to the line of Chastana, the founder of the dynasty, and belonged to a different Saka family.[2] He probably suffered a defeat against Gupta Emperor Samudragupta around 365 CE, who then occupied the area around Eran.[2] After submitting to Samudragupta, he and his successor may have ruled a bit longer in Eastern Malwa, until they were vanquished by Chandragupta II in his "conquest of the whole world".[2]
Inscriptions
Kanakerha inscription
Sridharavarman is known from two inscriptions: the first one is the Kanakerha inscription at Sanchi.
Eran inscription
Another inscription of the same Sridhavarman with his Naga military commander is known from Eran.[1] It is dated to the 27th years of Sridharavarman's reign.[2] Another famous inscription was later added on the same pillar, the inscription of Goparaja, who died in Eran during the rule of Gupta ruler Bhanugupta, who is also only known from this very inscription.[3][2]
The Eran inscription of Sridharavarman reads:
Success! In the victorious twenty-seventh year, augmenting [his dominion for a thousand years] of the Rajan (and) Mahakshatrapa Sridharavarman, the son of the Saka Nanda —the righteous conqueror, who has obtained abundant fame by means of victories won by his valour, [who meditates on the feet of the divine Mahasena whose army has never been vanquished] on this day (namely) ..... in the adhishthana (town) of Erikina in Bahirika in this ahara of Nagendra, a flight of steps [at the river Venva] [has been caused to be constructed] with devotion by [Nara]yanasvamin for the well-being of the adhishthana headed by the cows and the Brahmanas, (and) for the increase [of the religious merit of his mother and father].
[At the same adhishthana in his own bhoga there has been erected this yashti] by Satyanaga, the Senapati (General) and Arakshika of the King, who is a native of Maharashtra and is foremost of .... for the removal of calamities, for the attainment of prosperity and for the happiness and well-being of all creatures.
Moreover-
While (our) King is ruling over the wide earth ..... may this yashti, (raised) by the Nagas themselves, remaininf unimpaired, proclaim by its form the duty of the warlike people...; for this is the (meeting) place of (all) people - friends as well as foes - in (a spririt of) service and reverence!
— Translation by Yasudev Vishnu Mirashi[4]
At Eran, it seems that this inscription is succeded chronologically by a monument and an inscription by Gupta Empire Samudragupta (r.336-380 CE), established "for the sake of augmenting his fame", who may therefore have ousted Sridharavarman in his campaigns to the West.[5]
Connected rulers
While the Western Satrap Rudrasimha II ruled in the western India, the Gupta Emperor Samudragupta may have ousted Sridharavarman during his campaigns in Central India.[5]
-
Rudrasimha II ruled the Western Satraps at the time of Sridharavarman. -
Samudragupta ruled in the East at the time of Sridharavarman.
References
- ^ a b c Buddhist Landscapes in Central India: Sanchi Hill and Archaeologies of Religious and Social Change, c. Third Century BC to Fifth Century AD, Julia Shaw, Routledge, 2016 p58-59
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mirashi, Vasudev Vishnu (1955). Corpus inscriptionum indicarum vol.4 pt.2 Inscriptions of the Kalachuri Chedi Era. Archaeological Society of India. pp. 605–611.
- ^ Fleet, John Faithfull (1960). Inscriptions Of The Early Gupta Kings And Their Successors. pp. 91–93.
- ^ Mirashi, Vasudev Vishnu (1955). Corpus inscriptionum indicarum vol.4 pt.2 Inscriptions of the Kalachuri Chedi Era. pp. 610–611.
- ^ a b "During the course of this expedition he is believed to have attacked and defeated the Saka Chief Shridhar Varman, ruling over Eran-Vidisha region. He then annexed the area and erected a monument at Eran (modern Sagar District) "for the sake cf augmenting his fame"." in Pradesh (India), Madhya; Krishnan, V. S. (1982). Madhya Pradesh: District Gazetteers. Government Central Press. p. 28.