South Indian Inscriptions

THE EARLY GURJARAS

to the ruler of Valabhī against the armies of the most powerful ruler of the time with the resources of a vast empire at his command. Besides, it is noteworthy that Dadda himself is silent about this glorious achievement ascribed to him;¹ for there is no mention of it even in his grants of K. 392 (641-42 A.C.), which were made towards the end of his reign and before which the event must certainly have happened. Scholars are, however, not agreed about the power that supported him. According to Dr. R. C. Majumdar, Dadda II was at the time a feudatory of the dynasty of Harichandra which bore hereditary enmity to the royal house of Thaneshvar.² It is, however, doubtful if the Pratīhāras of Māndavyapura were then so powerful as to resist the victorious march of the mighty Emperor of North India. From the Aihōlē inscription³ and the account of Yuan Chwang,⁴ on the other hand, we learn that gathering troops from the five Indias and the best generals from all countries, Harsha advanced in person relying on his formidable elephant force. He was opposed by Pulakēśin II, the great king of Maharashtra. The battle was probably fought on the bank of the Narmadā⁵ in the heart of the Gurjara kingdom. Harsha’s huge elephants fell in the fight and turned the scales in favour of his enemy. In this war the Gurjara Dadda was probably fighting on behalf of his liege lord Pulakēśin II. Though he himself did not claim credit for the victory, his descendants who were less punctilious in this regard ascribed it solely to his arms.

One of the causes of this war may have been the protection that Dadda gave to the king of Valabhī when he was attacked by Harsha. Dr. Altekar⁶ points out that the war could not have been fought during the first two of three decades of the seventh century A.C. when Harsha and Pulakēśin, both of whom aspired for the most enviable position of Chakravartin, were increasing their power and consolidating their position by conquering small kingdoms in the north and the south respectively. Pulakēśin’s victory is mentioned in the Aihōlē inscription of 634 A. C., while the earlier Lōhanēr plates⁷ issued by him in 630 A. C. are altogether silent about it. The war seems, therefore, to have been fought between 630 A. C. and 634 A. C. The Valabhī ruler who sought Dadda’s protection was Dhruvabhata II alias Bālāditya, whose earliest grant is dated in G. 310 (629-30 A.C). From Yuan Chwang’s account we learn that Harsha later⁸ made peace with the Valabhī ruler and cemented the alliance by giving his daughter in marriage to him. As stated above, Dadda II probably flourished from 620 A. C. to 645 A. C.

Dadda II was succeeded by his son Jayabhata II, who is known only from the grants of his successors. He is praised therein in general terms, altogether devoid of historical information. Soon after his accession, his country seems to have been invaded by the Valabhī ruler Dharasēna IV, the son and successor of Dhruvasēna II, who from his grants is known to have assumed the imperial titles Paramabhattāraka, Mahārājādhirājā, Paramēśvara
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¹ Pandit Bhagvanlal tentatively suggested that ‘the protection given to the Valabhī king is perhaps referred to in the Khēdā grants in the mention of ‘strangers and suppliants and people in distress.’ but further on he admitted that ‘the phrase quoted is by no means decisive.’ Bom. Gaz., Vol. I, part i, p. 116.
² J. D. L., Vol. X, p. 12.
³ Ep. Ind., Vol. Vol. VI, p. 6.
⁴ O. Y. C., Vol. II, p. 239
⁵ In the Aihōlē inscription, after mentioning the defeat of Harsha, Ravikirti describes the army of Pulakēśin II as encamped on the bank of the Rēvā (Narmadā) at the foot of the Vindhya mountain.
⁶ A. B. O. R. I., Vol. XIII, pp. 302 ff.
⁷ S. M. H. D., Vol. I, pp. 1-8.
⁸ I do not agree with Dr. Altekar’s view that ‘Harsha’s conquest or winning over of the Valabhī ruler must have preceded his offensive against Pulakēśin’. There seems to have been only one war during which the ruler of Valabhī fled to the court of Dadda. He was pursued by Harsha, who was defeated by Pulakēśin and his feudatory Dadda II.