Vatsa

 ( Kingdoms Of The Puru Clan ) 

Vatsa or Vamsa (Pali and Ardhamagadhi: , literally "calf") was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (great kingdoms) of Uttarapatha of ancient India mentioned in the Aṅguttara Nikāya.

---

Location The territory of Vatsa was located to the south of the Ganges river, and its capital was the city of or Kosambi, on the Yamuna river and corresponding to the modern-day location of Kosam.

---

The early period 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 Allahabad/ Kaushambi, with its capital at Hastinapura. During the late-Vedic period, Hastinapura was destroyed by floods, and the Kuru King 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 king , the great-great grandson of Janamejaya II, abandoned the city and settled in . This is supported by the and the attributed to . Both of them have described the king Udayana as a kinship of the family (). The Puranas provide a list of ’s successors which ends with king . Other Puranas state that the Vatsa kingdom was named after a 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 to a Chedi prince or .

The Mahabharata and the Harivamsa states the close connection between the Vatsas and the Bhargas ().

---

Mahajanapada period The first ruler of the dynasty of Vatsa, about whom some definite information available is II, Parantapa. While the Puranas state his father’s name was , tells it was . II married a princess of Videha, who was the mother of Udayana. He also married , a daughter of the Licchavi chieftain .Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007). Ancient India, S.Chand & Company, New Delhi, , pp.171-2 He attacked , the capital of during the rule of .

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.

K.C. Jain (1991). 9788120808058, Motilal Banarsidass. . ISBN 9788120808058

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 Jainism Jain Agamas, 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". 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".

A.S. Altekar (2025). 9788120803244, Motilal Banarsidass. . ISBN 9788120803244

Mrigavati, is notable for being one of the earliest known female rulers in Indian history.

---

Udayana Udayana, the son of II by the Videha princess succeeded him. Udayana, the romantic hero of the , the and many other legends was a contemporary of Buddha and of Pradyota, the king of Avanti.

---

Later history

According to the Puranas, the 4 successors of Udayana were , , Niramitra and . Later, the Vatsa kingdom was annexed by the Avanti kingdom. Maniprabha, the great-grandson of Pradyota ruled at as a prince of Avanti.

Vatsa was ultimately annexed into Magadha by Shishunaga.

---

See also

• Kingdoms of Ancient India

---

Citations

---

Sources

Categories: Kingdoms Of The Puru Clan, Mahajanapadas, Former Kingdoms, History Of Uttar Pradesh

Post Comment