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Sunday, October 16, 2016

Kingdom of Brahmapura

Dr.Sushil Bhati

(Keywords – Brahmapura, Taleswar, Brahmor, Chamba, Sulika, Gurjara, Gujari, Bahlika)

Kingdom of Brahmapura was first noticed and mentioned by Indian astronomer Varahamihira in Brihat Samhita and Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang (629-647) in his book Si Yu Ki. Hiuen Tsang mentions it as the vast kingdom 300 Li (50-60 miles) north of Matipura (Mandawara) -Haridwar. According to Hiuen Tsang Brahmpura kingdom was 4000 Li in circuit with mountains on all sides. According to the estimation of Hermann Gotez the kingdom of Brahmpura had a circumference of 630-800 miles. It had a diameter of 50-70 miles and was extended over 250-350 miles covering most of the Panjab Himalayas from west Kumaun to the Banihal hills. Thus, Brahmpura kingdom was situated in the Spadalaksha region comprising Shivalik hills extending from the Chenab River to Kumaon.

The Kingdom of Brahmapura was named after the capital town of the same name. The identity of Brahmapura has been a subject of speculation and debate among scholars.  Cunningham identified it with ‘Lakhanapura’ and placed it in Garhwal and Kumaon. Atkinson identified Brahmapura with Barahat in Garhwal. Powell Price placed it in Katyur Valley. Herman Goetz talks of two Phases of Brahmapura kingdom. In the first phase, the Capital was Brahmapura situated at ‘Taleswar’ 40 km from Dwarahat in Kumaon. In the second phase Kingdom was ruled from Brahmapura situated at the present archaeological site of ‘Brahmor’ 70 km from Chamba.

In 1915, two copper plate grants were discovered while digging the foundation for a wall at Taleshwar.  Copper plate grants revealed a bit of History of the first phase of the kingdom. Copper plate grants were issued by Dytivarman and Vishnuvarman respectively from Brahmapura. Historians are of the view that Taleswara itself or some nearby town was Brahmapura at the time of issuance of the grants. Taleswar plate grants state that donors (kings) descended from the lunar as well as solar family and belong to the royal lineage of the Pauravas. Thus kings seem to be confused about the concept of the lunar and solar families. But they were Brahmanical as they wished for the welfare of cows and Brahmanas.  Hermann Goetz connects Taleshwara-Brahmapura kings with Gurjaras “ By the middle of the 6th century the Sulikas, a people from  Central Asia associated with Gurjaras, overran northwestern India, but were defeated by Maukharis and founded the vassal kingdom of Brahmapura which extended from Kumaon to Chenab..”

Another Sulika dynasty seems to be the vassal of the western part of the Taleswara-Brahmpura kingdom. Possibly due to the conquest and direct control of Kulu valley by Harshavarhan of kannauj in the early seventh century, the western vassal became practically independent of Taleshwar-Brahmpura control.
Taleshwar-Brahmpura in Kumaun was destroyed by Tibetan invader Srong-Batsan-Sgam-Po during the chaos and confusion that prevailed after the death of Harshavardhan in 647 A D. Taking advantage of the situation Western vassal under Diwakarvarman or his Son Meruvarman proclaimed their independence and to assert their claim on Brahmapura Kingdom established the new capital, with the same name of older capital Brhmapura, at the present site of Brahmor in Budhal valley near Chamba. Probably Meruvarman conquered the whole Brahmpura kingdom and built richly carved temples with brass images in the new capital Brahmor-Brahmpura in Chamba. The family of Meruvarman claimed Suyavanshi genology, but according to Herman Goetz, as said earlier, they belonged to the Sulika tribe associated with Gurjaras. According to Goetz Sulikas introduced the Gurjara Pratihara civilization and art in Brahmapura.

After the end of the Taleshwar-Brahmpura phase Gurjara population, probably shifted towards western part of the kingdom. At present, we have the Gujar Mahar or Mehra community in Kumaon as well as the Garhwal region which is mentioned as people of Gurjara origin by Hari Krishan Raturi in his book on History of Garhwal. A temple of the early medieval Period ‘Gurjara Dev’ situated at Dwarahaat in Kumaun region is evidence of the glory of unknown Gurjara rulers.

Hermann Goetz was the first to identify the later capital-town Brahmpura with Brahmor near Chamba in Himanchal Pradesh. He Says “ As ancient name of Brahmor near Chamba was  Brahmapura, as the most interesting monument there belongs to the 7th century, it is tempting to identify Brahmor with Brahmpura”, the capital of the second phase of the kingdom. Meruvarman is the greatest ruler of the kingdom and is credited for building the earliest monument at Brahmor. As per Meruvarman’s inscriptions ‘Moshuna’ was the ancestor of the dynasty. Then after a gap names of Adityavarman, Balavarman, Divakarvarman, and Meruvarman are given in the inscription.  
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According to Goetz, the ancient kingdom of Brahmapura ruled from Brahmor-Brahmapura is identical to the Western Pahari-speaking area lying West of Mussorie to Bhadarwah on Chenab. Western  Pahari spoken in Bhadrwah, Padar, Pangi on the Chenab, in Chamba, Kullu, Mandi, Suket, Bilaspur, former Shimla State, Lower Balshar, Sirmur, Jaunsar-Bawar differs but slightly from Gujari, the Language of Gujars, the descendants of ancient Gurjaras. Both the ‘Bharat Natya shastra’ and ‘Varahmihira’ observes that Khasa adopted the Bahlika language which, in this case, can mean only Gujari, as the Gurjara had come from Central Asia, as there is no vestige of any other language from the Bahlika country Balkh. But all such imposition of new language in the course of History was the result of colonization or conquest. The introduction of the Gujari dialect like western Pahari can be understood only as a result of Gurjara conquest or occupation.”
  
Thus according to Goetz the close relationship between the western Pahari dialect and Gujari and also the History of Brahmapura reveals that the dominant population there in the sixth and eighth century had been Gurjara. There are evidences of the formation of Gurjara kingdom of Brahmpura in the Western Himalayas- Western Pahari region in the seventh century on linguistic and ethnographical grounds. Goetz also states that the Gurjara came from the settlement areas of the yue-chis in the former Kushan Empire. Yue-chis in his view were allied or identical with the Tokharian. Following the Goetz, the Brahmapura kingdom was a Gurjara State, like Takka Desa, Bhinmal, Mandor, and Bhroach founded in the late sixth century.

Khasas are the first to settle down the Pahari tract and then the Gurjaras settled down after the sixth century and occupied Sapadlaksha which comprised the region of Shivalik hills running from Hoshiyarpur in Panjab to Kumaon in Uttarakhand. The kingdom of Brahmapura declined by the end of the eighth century. According to Grierson and D R Bhandarkar, It is from here that later Gurjaras moved to the modern Rajasthan area.

Brahmapura kingdom became a vassal of Kashmir in the early 8th century and lost its Sulika-Gurjara character because of the considerable transfer of population by Lalitadiya Luktapida Kashmir. The kingdom was destroyed by the second Tibetan invasion under Khari-Sron-ide-btsan in later 8th century. Nothing was heard of Gurjara upper class there as it became merged with other aristocratic classes of the region.

In the 10th century A D the fortunes of the Brahmor dynasty were restored by Sahilvarman (920-940) a distant descendent of Meruvarman who founded the Chamba state in the tenth century. Sahil Varman rose as a general of Gurjara-Pratihara of Kannauj. He became their military governor of the mountain frontier of Gurjara-Pratiharas against the encroachment of Utpal rulers, particularly Sankarvarman (883-902 A D), of Kashmir. One of the impacts of this development was that the Shahis of Udhanabhanda, who were then vassal of Kashmir, asserted their independence and became an ally of Gurjara Pratihara. According to B N Puri “The evidence available from inscriptions and the artistic influence on temples and sculptures reveals Pratihara or Gurjara Pratihara impact both political and cultural on Chamba and its rulers.”

Sahil Varman crushed the power of the fief holders and consolidated his vassal state. Sahila Varman claimed to belong to the line of MosHuna and Meruvarman of Brahmora. If it is true, approximately sixty-seven kings of this dynasty ruled from Brahmor and Chamba since the accession of Meruvarman.

References-
1. Hermann Goetz, The early wooden temples of Chamba, Leiden, 1955 https://books.google.co.in/books?id=kMwUAAAAIAAJ

2. Hermann Goetz, Studies in the History and Arts of Kashmir and the Indian Himalayas, Wiesbaden, 1969

3. G A Grierson, Linguistic Survey of India, Volume IX, Part IV, Calcutta, 1916

4. Alexander Cunningham, Archaeological Survey Report, vol. II,

5. Kamal Prasad Sharma & Surendra Mohan Sethi, Costumes and Ornaments of Chamba, New Delhi, 1997.

6. Dinesh Pratap Saklani, Ancient Communities of the Himalayas, New Delhi, 1998

7. Fauja Singh (Edit), History of Punjab A D 1000-1526, Punjab, 1972, 

8. Ayodhya Singh Upadhyay “Hariodh”, Antrang aur Bahirang bhasha

9. Bhisma Kukreti, Sapadlaksha or shivalik hills

10. Mukesh Rawat, A Lost Past (Article) The Hindu, 26 November 2013

11.B N Puri, Chamba under Gurjara Pratiharas (ResearchPaper),

12. Hari Krishn Raturi, Garhwal Ka Itihas

13. Badri Dutt pandey, Kumaon Ka itihas

14. D R Bhandarkar, Gurjaras (Art.), J B B R S, Vol. XXI,1903 .