The Queen Regent Mahadevi Prabhavati

This is a collaboration post with "Kathaavali" blogger, Shomik, who gave his much-needed insight and expertise, as well as his extensive research on the topic and ancient India and introduced me to this forgotten queen who deserved a blog on her.

The discovery:

Around the 1970s, excavations were underway at Ramtek Hill in Maharashtra under Dr A.P. Jamkhedkar, the Director of the Archaeological Survey of India. The idea was to further study the Maratha fort at Ramtek and their lineage owing to the Ram Temple constructed by Raghuji Bhonsle, the ruler of Nagpur in the 18th century. As the excavation progressed, a temple was unearthed. It was soon discovered that the temple was not from the Maratha times after all. In fact, this Vaishnava temple dates back to the 5th century CE and soon shed light on one of the most important Queens of ancient India, forgotten like many others in the tide of time.

The Sanskrit inscription on the temple wall at Ramtek Kevala, although badly damaged, managed to reveal the name of this quite unknown queen. Quite simultaneously, excavations near Pune revealed a well-preserved copper plate, where her name was found in light and the story of Mahadevi Prabhavati was registered as one of the most influential women of ancient India.

It was customary for ancient Indian kings to put their lineage on stones; their achievements and feats were often recorded in seals and inscriptions. What really stood out was that a queen would do the same and have the power and achievements to inscribe her feats on the walls of the Narasimha temple.

Who was Prabhavati?

Although limited in nature, as is the case with many ancient Indian rulers, dynasties and queens, Prabhavati’s life was unveiled in bits and pieces, from the Poona copper plate inscription, the Ramtek Kevala temple inscription, the plate of Pravasena II now at Patna Museum and coins revealed to have her name on them.
Prabhavati was married to one of the kings of the Vakataka dynasty, Rudrasena II, who was discovered to have died after a short and less significant rule of merely five years, leaving behind three sons and a daughter, from Prabhavati, all of whom were below ten years of age. This opportunity of an almost heirless throne could have been seized by many of his kinsmen. However, realising the intensity of this opportunity and removing any possibility of a coup, Prabhavati declared herself a Maharani and the acting regent for her eldest son and the crowned prince, Divakarasena. Prabhavati reigned with an iron hand for the next twenty-five years, stabilising the Vakataka authority over the Deccan, consolidating the borders and strengthening their infantry.

Divakarasena died young, leaving the middle son, Damodarasena, as crown prince, who wasn’t allowed to sit on the throne even when he came of age. The reasons for this are unknown. It was only after Pravarasena II, her youngest son, that she left the throne to him and, by that time, became the most powerful woman of North India and the Deccan. She stayed at the helm of affairs, directing her son into what was best for the state.

Who were the Vakatakas?

The Vakataka kingdom extended from the southern extremities of Malwa and Gujarat in the North to the Tungabhadra River in the South and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the edges of Chhattisgarh in the east (approximately).
After the fall of the Satavahana dynasty, there was a brief period of unrest in the Deccan for about twenty-five years until Vindhyashakti established the Vakataka dynasty in 250 CE. Evidence attesting to his being the Vakataka founder comes from the Ajanta caves. His son was Pravarasena I, who rigorously expanded the empire, from parts of Maharashtra in the South to parts of Kalinga and acquired a major part of the Deccan. He had four sons, and during his time, the Vakatakas split into four sections -two of which are unknown, and the others are known. One was the Nandivardhana-Pravarapura branch, and another was the Vatsagulma Branch.

In the Nandivardhana Branch,

Rudrasena I sat on the throne. Nothing much is known about his reign except that he was a staunch Shaivite. His son Prithvisena I was one of the finest kings of the Nandivardhana branch. He expanded the empire, conquering the entire Bundelkhand region despite a much more powerful contemporary Gupta empire. He even helped the Vatsagulma branch king raid the Kuntala region, and himself came closer to the Western Satraps, which brought him to the attention of Chandragupta II.

In the Vatsagulma Branch,
When Rudrasena I ruled Nandivardhana, his brother Sarvasena I sat on the Vatsagulma throne. Not much is known about him except that he was a great poet. He was succeeded by his son Vindhyasena or Vindhyashakti II. He enjoyed a long and peaceful reign and was helped by Prithvisena I during his war with the Kuntala. He was succeeded by his son Pravarasena II (not to be confused), who had another uneventful reign, but the presence of Prabhavati made Vatsagulma a subordinate to Nandivardhana. He was succeeded by Sarvasena II, who ascended the throne when he was eight years old. He had a fairly long and peaceful reign, being supported by Nandivardhana, and he completely decimated the Kadamba rulers of the South. He was succeeded by his son Devasena, under whose reign the Vatsagulma power started rising. He made an alliance with the Vishnukundins and had a plethora of able officers who helped him establish the Vatsagulma authority, breaking away from the dominion of Nandivardhana. The last ruler was Harishena, who saw the fall of Nandivardhana, and he is known as the one who commissioned the Ajanta caves. However, he was betrayed, cheated, and finally killed in a battle. With him, the Vakatakas finally came to an end.

The Gupta alliance:

Mahadevi Prabhavatigupta was the daughter of Chandragupta Vikramaditya, the granddaughter of Chakravarti Samudragupta, two of the most powerful rulers of that era. She was also the sister of Chandragupta’s heir, Kumaragupta.

When Vakataka king Prithvisena I successfully conquered Vidarbha, the most prominent Gupta emperor, Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was looking to completely destroy the remaining Satraps. Hence, as the Vakatakas approached their borders closely, he decided on a marital alliance with the dynasty. Hence, his only daughter, Prabhavati, was given in marriage to the Vakataka heir, Rudrasena II. Prabhavati, born to one of the greatest rulers of ancient India, Chandragupta II and his queen Mahadevi Kubernaga, who hails from the prestigious Naga household of Central India, always flaunted her Vaishnava Dharana Gotra despite being married to a Shaivite household.

The Vakataka prince, Rudrasena II, who later ascended the Vakataka throne, and Prabhavati received much respect and prestige. Having married in the Shaivite Vakataka kingdom, she proudly embraced her Vaishnava lineage, granting lands, issuing coins and constructing temples dedicated to Vishnu while being in a Shaivist dynasty. Such was her devotion that the residents of Nandivardhana, the erstwhile capital of the Vakatakas, called her Atyanta-Bhagawad. More than being devoted, she was politically prolific, monetarily resplendent, witty, intelligent, and a woman with an iron will. Her role in saving the Vakataka dynasty became more prominent due to her sudden demise.

It is strongly believed that Prabhavati actively assisted her father, Chandragupta Vikramaditya, in completely subjugating the Western Satraps and conquering Gujarat. Her father sent several court officials for her assistance, most notably Kalidasa. Her daughter, Atibhavati, commissioned the inscription at Ramtek Hill Narasimha temple, dedicating it to the lineage and mother. Kalidasa is believed to have composed Meghadūta at the same time as Ramtek. Her authority, political dogma, reign, and ideology were somewhat unchallenged. While many may argue that being the daughter of Chandragupta Vikramaditya gave her many advantages, Prabhavati always wanted to create her own space in the Vakatakas while never forgetting her Gupta origins. Under Prabhavati, the Gupta-Vakataka alliance, a Shaiva-Vaishnava alliance, became prosperous and masters of the entire North and the Deccan. After being a competent ruler for twenty-five odd years, she left the reign in her youngest son’s hands.

Aftermath:

When her youngest son ascended the throne, his reign was peaceful until the last few years, when the Gupta king, Kumaragupta, the brother of Prabhavati, died, leaving the North in a state of unrest. There were a few uprisings, and he even dared to invade the Gupta territories, but he died soon after. There was a war of succession, and Narendrasena emerged victorious. Since Skandagupta was engaged in a war with the Huna, Narendrasena raided Central India and conquered many parts, most notably Chhattisgarh. He was succeeded by his son Prithvisena II. During his time, the Vishnukundins became too powerful, and he had to accept their supremacy since he had no successors. After his death, the Nandivardhana branch came to an end.

A woman whose story may have been completely lost was discovered, and people got to know that there lived a woman whose political prowess stood at par, perhaps more, than any contemporary woman of her time in the world. She never declared herself an empress; neither called herself a ruler or a protector. Prabhavati, with every bit of wit and might, performed every duty of an empress while being a regent of her sons. From a Gupta Kumari to a Vakataka Mahadevi of unparalleled prowess, her name continues to be a glinting lantern from the depths of Ajanta to the ruins of Nalanda.

You can further read historical fiction on the same at Shomik's blog

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