Bhaskaravarman

Introduction 

• Bhaskaravarman (600–650) of the Varman dynasty was perhaps the most illustrious of the monarchs of the ancient kingdom of Kamarupa. His name has been immortalised in the accounts of the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Xuanzang, who visited Kamarupa during his reing. Kamarupa was one of the most advanced kingdoms in India under Bhaskaravarman.
• He came to power after his brother Supratisthitavarman had died. A bachelor king, he died without an heir. After his death Salasthambha, who established the Mlechchha dynasty, acquired power in Kamarupa Kingdom after overthrowing Bhaskaravarman's immediate successor, Avantivarman.
• Bhaskaravarman is known for his alliance with Harshavardhana against Shashanka, the first major ruler of Bengal (Karnasuvarna). He issued the Nidhanpur copper plate grant from his camp at Karnasuvarna and it moved into his control for a short period.
• Bhaskaravarman (b?a?sk?r?'v?rm?n) (600–650) of the Varman dynasty was perhaps the most illustrious of the monarchs of the ancient kingdom of Kamarupa. His name has been immortalised in the accounts of the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Xuanzang, who visited Kamarupa during his reing. Kamarupa was one of the most advanced kingdoms in India under Bhaskaravarman.
• He came to power after his brother Supratisthitavarman had died. A bachelor king, he died without an heir. After his death Salasthambha, who established the Mlechchha dynasty, acquired power in Kamarupa Kingdom after overthrowing Bhaskaravarman's immediate successor, Avantivarman.
• Bhaskaravarman is known for his alliance with Harshavardhana against Shashanka, the first major ruler of Bengal (Karnasuvarna). He issued the Nidhanpur copper plate grant from his camp at Karnasuvarna and it moved into his control for a short period.

Background

• After Susthitavarman was defeated by Mahasenagupta, his son Supratisthitavarman came to power, who built Kamarupa's elephant army but died prematurely without an heir. Thus, the younger son, Bhaskaravarman, came to power in Kamarupa. Even after he succeeded to the throne c.?600 CE, Bhaskaravarman was known as kumara (prince).The reasons why he was called Kumara are not quite clear. It could be that he was a bachelor throughout his life.

Rivals

• On ascending the throne Bhaskaravarman found two strong rival powers growing in northern India, viz. one in central and northern Bengal under Shashanka and the other in mid-India under Prabhakaravardhana, the father of Harshavardhana.
• Kamarupa kings had extended their sway over northern and perhaps central Bengal after the decline of the Gupta power. About the last quarter of the sixth century, Mahasena Gupta tried to check the growing aggressions of the Kamarupa kings. It seems that Shashanka gave powerful aid to Mahasena Gupta who inflicted a defeat on Susthitavarman, the king of Kamarupa.
• The Magadha king thus recovered northern and central Bengal over which Shashanka was appointed as Maha-samanta or governor. Subsequently, taking advantage of the death of Mahasena Gupta and the weakness of his minor son Madhava Gupta, Shashanka proclaimed himself as independent king of central and northern Bengal and also struck coins.
• He soon attained to such power that he not only challenged the feeble Magadha ruler Madhava Gupta on the west and the Kamarupa power on the east but also subjugated the whole of lower Bengal, Chota Nagpur and Orissa on the south.
• Towards the west of Kamarupa, Shashanka appears to have held possession of that portion of territory which included the lands granted by Mahabhutavarman to a large number of Brahmans. It is therefore unnecessary to stress why he was regarded as the natural enemy of Bhaskaravarman who must have been waiting for a favorable opportunity to regain the lost dominions and to retaliate the defeat inflicted on his father.
• Shashanka was however too powerful a ruler to be dealt with and Bhaskaravarman therefore wisely refrained from precipitating matters by himself launching an attack on Karnasuvarna, the capital founded by Shashanka.
• The long looked for opportunity came when Shashanka treacherously murdered Rajyavardhana who had succeeded Prabhakaravardhana as the king at Thaneswar. This incident is mentioned not only by Bana but also by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang. On getting this information, Harsha, Rajyavardhana's brother and successor, resolved to take revenge on the murderer. He had just started on his march to subdue Shashanka when he was met by Hangsavega, an ambassador from Bhaskaravarman, with valuable presents.

Alliance with Harsha

• The Harsha Charita of Bana gives a detailed account of Hangsavega's meeting with Harsha. Plying him with gifts and praise, the diplomat was able to effect an offensive and defensive alliance between the two kings. The newly formed alliance was disastrous for Shashanka for while Harsha's cousin and general Bhandi probably attacked from the west, Bhaskaravarman at once attacked from the east and occupied Karnasuvarna which was near to Kamarupa.
• From his Nidhanpur copperplate inscription it appears that Bhaskaravarman attacked with a strong navy of huge boats, which must have passed down the Brahmaputra and then proceeded up the Ganges, and that his army consisted of war-elephants, cavalry and infantry. Being attacked from two sides and thus outflanked Shashanka fled towards Orissa.
• The Nidhanpur copper-plate grant was issued from Bhaskaravarman's victorious camp at Karnasuvarna. Thus the defeat of his father was avenged and the lost dominions were regained. Bhaskaravarman now became the master or overlord of practically the whole of Gauda excluding only Magadha which was included in the dominions of Harsha.
• Harsha died in the year 648 CE four years after Xuanzang left India, but Bhaskaravarman was reigning till about 650 CE Just after Harsha's death his minister Arjun or Arjunaswa usurped the throne. At that time an embassy arrived from the emperor of China. Alas, Harsha who had shown so much respect to the pious Chinese pilgrim who, on his return, must have prompted the Chinese emperor to despatch this friendly mission, was no longer living to receive the envoy in a befitting manner.
• On the contrary the usurper Arjun actually ill-treated the members of the mission and killed some of them. The rest, led by Wang-hiuen-tse, escaped to Nepal and sought the aid of the kings of Nepal and Tibet and of Bhaskaravarman.
• It appears from the Chinese accounts that the kings of Nepal and Tibet assisted with forces and Shi - kien ma (Sri Kumara), the "King of Eastern India" sent him "thirty thousand oxen and horses and provisions for all his army, to which he added bows, scimitars and collars of great value". With such assistance Wang-hiuen-tse defeated the usurper Arjun and capturing him took him as a prisoner to China. Bhaskaravarman probably did not continue to reign long after this event.

Xuanang's Account:

• Xuanzang, in his travelogue, noted that he crossed a great river Karatoya before entering the Kamarupa. The eastern boundary was a line of hills close to the Chinese frontier. He also said Kamarupa was nearly 1700 miles in circumference. The climate was genial. He mentioned that the people were are short height and of yellow complexion and Bhaskar Varman was Hindu and not Buddhist.
• The people were honest. Their speech differed a little from that of mid-India. They were of violent disposition but were persevering students. They worshipped the Devas and did not believe in Buddhism. The Deva-temples were some hundreds in number and the various systems had some myriads of professed adherents. The few Buddhists in the country performed their acts of devotion in secret.
• The pilgrim ascertained from the people that to the east of the country was a series of hills which reached as far as the confines of China. The inhabitants of these hills were akin to the "Man of the Lao". In the south-east of the country elephants were plentiful.

Nidhanpur inscription of Bhaskaravarman

• In his Nidhanpur copper-plate inscription Bhaskaravarman is said to have revealed the light of the Arya religion by dispelling the accumulated darkness of Kali age, by making a judicious application of his revenues; who has equalled the prowess of the whole ring of his feudatories by the strength of his own arm, who has derived many a way of enjoyment for his hereditary subjects whose loyal devotion to him was augmented by his steadiness, modesty and affability, who is adorned with a wonderful ornament of splendid fame made of the flowery words of praise variously composed by hundreds of kings vanquished by him in battle; whose virtuous activities, like those of Sivi, were applied in making gifts for the benefit of others; whose powers, as of a second preceptor of the Gods (Brihaspati), was recognized by others on account of his skill in devising and applying the means of politics that appear in suitable moments; whose own conduct was adorned by learning, valour, patience, prowess and good actions".
• It appears that Vasuvarna, the writer of the inscription, did not overdraw the picture of the illustrious king. The reference to the "ring of feudatories" seems to suggest that his vassal rulers combined to throw off the suzerainty of the Kumara raja but were unsuccessful.

Nalanda seal

• The Nalanda seal of Bhaskaravarman dated 643.
• Bhaskaravarman's close connection with Harsha and Xuanzang led to his association with the famous Buddhist university of Magadha, for his seal has been discovered at the site of Nalanda in the company of two fragmentary seals of Harsha. The seals were found by Dr. Spooner during the excavation of the ruins of Nalanda in the year 1917–18. 
• This genealogy agrees with that given in the Nidhanpur plate and also in the Harsha Charita of Bana. The mother of Susthitavarma' is however named "Nayana Shova" instead of Nayana Devi and the mother of Bhaskaravarman is named Syamalakshmi instead of Syamadevi as appearing in the Nidhanpur plate. K.N. Dikshit, in his "Epigraphical notes of the Nalanda finds", thinks that the seal probably accompanied Bhaskaravarman's letter to Silabhadra inviting Xuanzang.
• As however it was found in the company of the two Harsha seals the probability is that both Harsha and Bhaskaravarman, on their march from Rajmahal to Kanauj, visited Nalanda together with the Chinese pilgrim and, to commemorate their visit, left their respective seals at the university.

Death

• Bhaskaravarman reigned until about 650 CE. K.L. Barua opines that, after Bhaskaravarman's death, there was a Mlechha revolt in Kamarupa and Salastambha, the leader or governor of the Mlecchas, usurped the throne by deposing Bhaskaravarman's immediate successor Avantivarman.

Legacy

• Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University of Nalbari, Assam has been named after him.