Vatsa

Vatsa (also known as Vamsa, Batsa, or Bansa) was one of the "solasa" (sixteen) Mahajanapadas (great kingdoms) of Uttarapatha of ancient India mentioned in the "Anguttara Nikaya".

Vatsa's geographical location was near the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. Its capital was IAST|Kauśāmbīcite book | title = Geographical Review of India | publisher = Geographical Society of India | date = 1951 | location = Original from the University of Michigan | pages = page 27 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=O0YMAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Vatsa%22+-wikipedia+Mahajanapada&dq=%22Vatsa%22+-wikipedia+Mahajanapada&ie=ISO-8859-1&pgis=1 | doi = | id = ] cite book | last = Hermann Kulke, Dietmar Rothermund | title = A History of India | publisher = Routledge | date = 2004 | location = | pages = page 52 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=V73N8js5ZgAC&pg=PA52&ots=nFgTJUSX4W&dq=%22Vatsa%22+-wikipedia+Mahajanapada&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=gNA0TAMQ46emLHXOpILk1x1nzCE | doi = | id = ISBN 0415329205 ] (present day Kosam, 35 miles southwest of Allahabad).

The early period

The Puranas state that the Vatsa kingdom was named after a IAST|Kaśī king, Vatsa. [Pargiter, F.E. (1972) "Ancient Indian Historical Tradition", Motilal Banarasidass, Delhi, pp.269-70] The Ramayana and the Mahabharata attribute the credit of founding its capital IAST|Kauśāmbī to a Chedi prince IAST|Kuśa or IAST|Kuśāmba. The Puranas state that after the washing away of Hastinapura by the Ganga, the IAST|Bhārata king IAST|Nicakṣu, the great-great grandson of Janamejaya, abandoned the city and settled in IAST|Kauśāmbī. This is supported by the IAST|Svapnavāsavadattā and the IAST|Pratijñā-Yaugandharāyaṇa attributed to IAST|Bhāsa. Both of them have described the king Udayana as a scion of the IAST|Bhārata family (IAST|Bhārata-kula). The Puranas provide a list of IAST|Nicakṣu’s successors which ends with king IAST|Kṣemaka. [Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972) "Political History of Ancient India", University of Calcutta, Calcutta, p.117-8]

IAST|Śatānīka II, Parantapa

The first ruler of the IAST|Bhārata dynasty of Vatsa, about whom some definite information available is IAST|Śatānīka II, Parantapa. While the Puranas state his father’s name was IAST|Vasudāna, IAST|Bhāsa tells it was IAST|Sahasrānīka. IAST|Śatānīka II married a princess of Videha, who was the mother of Udayana. He also married IAST|Mṛgavatī, a daughter of the Licchavi chieftain IAST|Ceṭaka [Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007). "Ancient India", S.Chand & Company, New Delhi, ISBN 81 219 0887 6, pp.171-2] . He attacked IAST|Campā, the capital of IAST|Aṅga during the rule of IAST|Dadhivāhana. [Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972) "Political History of Ancient India", University of Calcutta, Calcutta, p.119]

Udayana

Udayana, the son of IAST|Śatānīka II by the Videha princess succeeded him. Udayana, the romantic hero of the IAST|Svapnavāsavadattā, the IAST|Pratijñā-Yaugandharāyaṇa and many other legends was contemporary of Buddha and of Pradyota, the king of Avanti. [Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972) "Political History of Ancient India", University of Calcutta, Calcutta, p.119] The IAST|Kathāsaritsāgara contains a long account of his conquests. The IAST |Priyadarśikā narrates the event of his victory over the ruler of IAST|Kaliṅga and restoration of IAST|Dṛḍhavarman to the throne of IAST|Aṅga. The commentary on the Dhammapada describes the story of his marriage with IAST|Vāsavadattā or IAST|Vāsuladattā, the daughter of Pradyota, the king of Avanti. It also mentions about his two other consorts, IAST|Māgandiyā, daughter of a Kuru Brahmin and IAST|Sāmāvatī, the adopted daughter of the treasurer Ghosaka. The IAST|Milindapañho refers to a peasant girl IAST|Gopāla-mātā who became his wife. The IAST|Svapnavāsavadattā of IAST|Bhāsa mentions about another queen named IAST|Padmāvatī, a sister of king IAST |Darśaka of Magadha. The IAST |Priyadarśikā tells us about the marriage of Udayana with IAST|Āraṇyakā, the daughter of IAST|Dṛḍhavarman, the king of IAST|Aṅga. The IAST|Ratnāvalī narrates a story of romance between him and IAST|Sāgarikā, an attendant of his chief queen, IAST|Vāsavadattā. The name of his son by his chief queen is Bodhi. [Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972) "Political History of Ancient India", University of Calcutta, Calcutta, pp.179-80]

The Buddha visited Koushambi several times during the reign of Udayana on his effort to spread the dharma, the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths. Udayana was an Upasaka (lay follower) of Buddha. The Chinese translation of the Buddhist canonical text IAST|Ekottara Āgama states that the first image of Buddha, curved out of sandalwood was made under the instruction of Udayana.

Later developments

According to the Puranas, the 4 successors of Udayana were IAST|Vahināra, IAST|DanḍapāṇI, Niramitra and IAST|Kṣemaka. Later, the Vatsa kingdom was annexed by the Avanti kingdom. Maniprabha, the great-grandson of Pradyota ruled at IAST|Kauśāmbī as a prince of Avanti. [Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972) "Political History of Ancient India", University of Calcutta, Calcutta, pp.180, 180n, facing 565]

Notes

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