Vatsaraja

Vatsaraja (780–800) or Vatsraja was one of the rulers of Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. He was grand-nephew of Nagabhata I and his mother was queen Bhuyikadevi.[1] He was the first ruler of Rajasthan to win victories over the distant regions of Kanauj and Bengal. His extensive conquests mark the rise of the Imperial Pratiharas.[2]

Vatsaraja
3rd Gurjara-Pratihara king
Reignc. 780 – c. 800
PredecessorDevaraja
SuccessorNagabhata II
DynastyGurjara-Pratihara
MotherBhuyikadevi

Reign

After Nagabhata I, there have been two rulers namely Kakkuka and Devaraja before Vatsraja came to the throne. Kakustha or Kakkuka was the nephew of Nagabhata I and nothing much is known about him. The younger brother of Kakkuka, king Devasakti or Devaraja is described as having curbed the freedom of a multitude of rulers.[3]

The statement of Jaina preceptor Uddyotana Suri, that the narrative Kuvalayamala was composed by him at Jalor in AD 778 when the ruling king was Vatsaraja, reveals that Vatsaraja ruled at Rajasthan.[4] The evidence of the 795 CE inscription of his subordinate, brought to light by Shanta Rani Sharma, presents a detailed record of his victories over the Arabs, Indrāyudha and Bengal. It also presents evidence that contests the claim of the defeat of Vatsaraja by Dhruva.[5] According to the Gwalior inscription of his later descendant Bhoja, Vatsaraja had ‘subdued the entire world’, and was the ‘foremost among the most distinguished Kshatriyas’. It also mentions the defeat of the famous Bhandi clan by Vatsaraja. The Chahamana king Durlabharaja, described in the Prithviraja Vijaya as having bathed his sword at the confluence of the Ganga and the ocean, was a subordinate of Vatsaraja.[6][7]

See also

References
  1. Rama Shankar Tripathi 1959, p. 228.
  2. Sharma, Shanta Rani (2017). Origin and Rise of the Imperial Pratihāras of Rajasthan: Transitions, Trajectories and Historical Chang (first ed.). Jaipur: University of Rajasthan. p. 7-8. ISBN 978-93-85593-18-5.
  3. Sharma, Dasharatha (1966). Rajasthan through the Ages (first ed.). Bikaner: Rajasthan State Archives. p. 123.
  4. Sharma, Dasharatha (1966). Rajasthan through the Ages (first ed.). Bikaner: Rajasthan state archives. p. 125.
  5. Sharma, Shanta Rani (2017). Origin and Rise of the Imperial Pratihāras of Rajasthan: Transitions, Trajectories and Historical Change (first ed.). Jaipur: University of Rajasthan. p. 79-89. ISBN 978-93-85593-18-5.
  6. Sharma, Dasharatha (1959). Early Chauhan Dynasties (first ed.). Delhi: S.Chand &Co. p. 30-31.
  7. Sharma, Shanta Rani (2017). Origin and Rise of the Imperial Pratihāras of Rajasthan: Transitions, Trajectories and Historical Change (First ed.). Jaipur: University of Rajasthan. ISBN 978-93-85593-18-5.

Bibliography
  • Rama Shankar Tripathi (1959). History of Kanauj: To the Moslem Conquest. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0478-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sharma, Dasharatha (1959). Early Chauhan Dynasties (First ed.). Delhi: S.Chand & Company.
  • Sharma, Dasharatha (1966). Rajasthan through the Ages (First ed.). Bikaner: Rajasthan State Archives.
  • Sharma, Shanta Rani (2017). Origin and Rise of the Imperial Pratihāras of Rajasthan: Transitions, Trajectories and Historical Change (first ed.). Jaipur: University of Rajasthan. ISBN 978-93-85593-18-5.
Preceded by
Kakustha and Devaraja (760–780)		 Gurjara Pratihara Emperor
780–800 AD		 Succeeded by
Nagabhata II (800–833)
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