Vatsa

The territory of Vatsa was located to the south of the Gaṅgā river, and its capital was the city of {{Transliteration|sa|Kauśāmbī}} or Kosambi, on the Yamunā river and corresponding to the modern-day location of Kosam.{{cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |date=1953 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of Gupta Dynasty |pages=131–133 |url= |location= |publisher=University of Calcutta |isbn=}}

The Vatsas were a branch of the Kuru dynasty. During the Rig Vedic period, the Kuru Kingdom comprised the area of present day Haryana/ Delhi and the Ganga-Jamuna Doab, till Prayag/ Kaushambi, with its capital at Hastinapura. During the late-Vedic period, Hastinapura was destroyed by floods, and the Kuru King {{IAST|Nicakṣu}} shifted his capital and all his subjects to a newly constructed capital that was called Kosambi or Kaushambi. In the post Vedic period, when Aryavarta consisted of several Mahajanapadas, the Kuru Dynasty was split between Kurus and Vatsas. The Kurus controlled the Haryana/ Delhi/ Upper Doab, while the Vatsas controlled the Lower Doab. Later, The Vatsas were further divided into two branches—One at Mathura, and the other at Kaushambi.

The Puranas state that after the washing away of Hastinapura by the Ganges, 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|Bhāratas}} family ({{IAST|Bhārata-kula}}). The Puranas provide a list of {{IAST|Nicakṣu}}’s successors which ends with king {{IAST|Kṣemaka}}.{{cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |year=1972 |title=Political History of Ancient India |publisher=University of Calcutta |location=Calcutta, India}}{{rp| p.117–8 }}

Other Puranas state that the Vatsa kingdom was named after a {{IAST|Kaśī}} king, Vatsa.Pargiter, F.E. (1972) Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Chaunan, 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 Mahabharata and the Harivansa states the close connection between the Vatsas and the Bhargas (Bhaggas).{{rp| p.98 }}

File:Vatsya coin (400-300 BCE).jpg

{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}

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|Mṛgāvatī}}, 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}}.{{rp| p.119}}

The wife of Śatānīka and the mother of Udayana was Queen Mṛgāvatī (in Sanskrit) or Migāvatī (in Prakrit). She was the daughter of Chetaka, the leader of Vaishali.{{cite book | last=Jain | first=K.C. | title=Lord Mahāvīra and His Times | publisher=Motilal Banarsidass | series=Lala Sunder Lal Jain research series | year=1991 | isbn=978-81-208-0805-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC&pg=PA67 | language=lv | access-date=2018-07-16 | page=67}} It is recorded that she ruled as a regent for her son for some period of time, although sources differ about the specific circumstances. According to the Jain canonical texts, Udayana was still a minor when Śatānīka died, so "the responsibility of governing the kingdom fell on the shoulders of queen Migāvatī ... till her son grew old enough".{{cite book | last=Jain | first=J.C. | title=Life in Ancient India: As Depicted in the Jain Canon and Commentaries, 6th Century BC to 17th Century AD | publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal | year=1984 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ObUAAAAMAAJ&q=migavati | access-date=2018-07-16 | page=470}} On the other hand, Bhāsa's Pratijñāyaugandharāyaṇa says that she took "full charge of the administration" while Udayana was held as a prisoner by King Pradyota of Avanti, and "the way in which she discharged her duties excited the admiration of even experienced ministers".{{cite book | last=Altekar | first=A.S. | title=The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day | publisher=Motilal Banarsidass | year=1956 | isbn=978-81-208-0324-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VYG4K0yYHQgC&pg=PA187 | access-date=2018-07-16 | page=187}} Mrigavati, is notable for being one of the earliest known female rulers in Indian history.

{{Main|Udayana (king)}}

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 a contemporary of Buddha and of Pradyota, the king of Avanti.{{rp| p.119}}

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.{{rp| pp.180, 180n, facing 565}}

Vatsa was ultimately annexed into Magadha by Shishunaga.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=272}}

• Kingdoms of Ancient India

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{citation |last=Singh |first=Upinder |author-link=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ |publisher=Pearson PLC |year=2016 |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 |ref={{sfnref|Upinder Singh|2016}} }}

{{Mahajanapada |state=collapsed}}

Category:Kingdoms of the Puru clan

Category:Mahajanapadas

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