South Indian Inscriptions

THE EARLY GURJARAS

and Chakravartin, and appears to have been the most powerful ruler of the time. Dharasēna advanced to and occupied Broach, which was probably the Gurjara capital at the time.¹ From his victorious camp at Broach, Dharasēna issued two sets of plates² in the same year G. 330 (648 A. C.). The villages granted by him lay, however, in the Khētakāhāra vishaya (modern Kairā District) which was outside the Gurjara kingdom. It has, therefore, been suggested that Dharasēna IV was enjoying the hospitality of the Gurjara king.³ The argument does not, however, appear convincing; for though in ancient times kings sometimes made grants of land situated in the territory which they had recently conquered, they did not do so invariably—especially when the country was only raided and not permanently occupied.⁴ Again, the adjective ‘victorious’ prefixed to Dharasēna’s camp in these grants indicates that he had gone to Bharukachchha in the course of a military campaign. Dharasēna seems to have soon retired to his country, perhaps after exacting a heavy tribute from Jayabhata II.

Like his father, Jayabhata II was probably a devotee of the Sun, though there is no express mention of it in Gurjara records. A temple of the Sun called Jayāditya situated at Kōtipura near Kāpikā (modern Kavi in the Jambusar tālukā of the Broach District) was probably built by him.⁵ It is known from a grant made several year later (in 827 A. C.) for its repairs by Gōvinda of the Gujarat Rāshtrakūta branch.⁶ Jayabhata II may be referred to the period 645—665 A. C.

Jayabhata was followed by Dadda III, who was the first Gurjara prince to become a devotee of Śiva. Only one grant of his has been discovered so far, viz. that recorded on the Prince of Wales Museum plates, dated K. 427 (675 A. C.).⁷ He is also mentioned in the grants of his successors. He had the biruda Bāhusahāya (one whose sole helper is his arm)and attained the pañchamahāśabda. He seems to have pursued a more vigorous policy than his predecessor; for, he is said to have obtained victories over the kings of the east and the west. The king of the west was probably the Valabhī ruler Sīlāditya III (circa 660-685 A. C.) who was his contemporary. It seems that soon after his accession Dadda made an incursion into the Valabhī kingdom in retaliation for the previous invasion by the Maitrakas. He seems to have attained some success as suggested by the aforementioned statement. This occurred some time before 675 A. C., the date of his Prince of Wales Museum plates.⁷

During the reign of Dadda III the Gurjara kingdom was invaded by a ruler named Vajrata or Vajjada as stated in the Nasik plates of Dharāśraya--Jayasimha. Like the earlier invasion of Harsha, this attack also was repelled with the help of the Chālukya suzerain. The whole army of Vajjada was annihilated in the country between the Mahī and the Narmadā by Jayasimha, a younger son of Pulakeśin II.⁸ This victory of the Chalukya was regarded
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¹ The Gurjara capital till the end of Dadda II’s reign was Nāndīpura as all the four grants of his reign are issued from that city. The capital was shifted to Bharukachchha (Broach) sometime before K. 427(675 A. C.), the date of the Prince of Wales Museum plates of Dadda III (No. 121).
² Ind. Ant., Vol. VII, pp. 73 ff and Vol. XV, pp. 339 ff.
³ Bom. Gaz., Vol. I, part ii, p. 316; J. D. L., Vol. X, p. 18.
⁴ As instances we may point out that the Vadnēr plates of Buddharāja, though issued from his victorious camp at Vidiśā in Eastern Malwa, record the grant of a village in the Nasik District and the Karhad plates of Krishna III, though issued from his victorious camp at Mēlpāti in North Arcot, record the grant of a village near Karhad in the Satara District of the Bombay State.
⁵ As shown above, Jayabhata I did not probably rule in Gujarat and Jayabhatas III and IV were devotees of Śiva.
⁶ Ind. Ant., Vol. V, pp. 144 ff.
⁷ No. 121.
⁸ See No. 28, ll. 9-10.