Adisura Be Adisira o anytifieal or historical personage, there is no denying the fact that he is undoubtedly one of the central figures of the social history of Bengal. The tradition that five Brahmins, conversant with Vedic rites and observances, migrated into Bengal from Madhyadeéa through his efforts is very deep-rooted in the Hind» anciaty. Tha genenlagieal hanks of Bengal claim the descent of most of the important Brahmins from the descendants of the five Brahmins who are said to have been brought by king Adiéira, They also assert that the social structure of the Brahmanical society was organised at a later period by giving higher ranks to the descendants of these immigrants. But what is more interesting is that the important Brahmin families of Bengal even now regard these immigrants from North India as their ancestors," Geographical situation, tradition and history all go to prove that Bengal received her Aryan stock of population somewhat later than the Upper Gungetie countrie It is too well-known to need repoti- tion that Magadha, Aiiga, Vaiga and Kalifiga are mentioned in the later Vedic and Brahmanical literatures with contempt and the spirit in them is that the Aryans should restrict their visit lo these countries, so far ay itis possible, 'Phix is corroborated by the Jaina Tearaiya Nitra? where Lila and Subbha are described as countries inhabited by wild tribes, Ii is very likely that Jainism, Buddhism and Brahmanism were spreading in Bengal during the Maurya period. If Divyavadana is to be believed, Pundravardhana was a great Jaina of Asoka. Yuan Chwang sew in Bengal many Buddhist stipas which tho great emperor built, But yet the fact seems to be that vigorous movement for the Aryanivation of Bengal began with the establishment of the Gupta empire in the fourth century A. D. In some of the old land granis of Bengal the Brahmin donees ure nitro at the time 1 For instance see P. K. Mukherjee, Rabindra Jivani, p. 1. The ancostry of the Tagore family is traced generally from Bhatfa Narayana, the famous author of Vent Samhara, whose father Ksitiéa is gonerally believed to be one of the five Brahmins brought by Adigara, 2 Juina Satras (trans, by Jacobi, SBE., 1. 8. 4), p, 84.Adisira cls described as Madhyadesa-vinirgata ‘coming out of Midland.’ Not only many people received these Brahmins well, but even the Kulaputras (aristoogatic families) from Ayodhya and other parts of Northern India bought land for them for Brahmanical temples in Bengal.’ This may be taken as the attempt of the Kulaputras to establish orthodox Hinduism and these Brahmins may be regarded as the “missionaries of Hindu Aryan or North Indian culture.” There is no doubt about the fact that these Brahmins, fresh from Madhyadesa, influenced the society deeply. ‘The upper classes of the society which are more susceptible to such influences could not escape them. But the Brabmins in their turn were also perhaps to a certain extent influenced by the prevalent social and religious conceptions of the country in which they permanently lived and in which they were far outnumbered. It is quite possible that they could not retain their rigid social system, and their religious rites and observances gradually ‘began to be deviated from the orthodox system as it was laid down in the Sruti and Smrti books. We have got at least one inscription which clearly illustrates that the Brahmins in Bengal could not keep intact the rigid caste system like their brethren in North India. The inscription is the Tippera copperplate grant of Lokanitha which, according to Dr. R, G. Basak,‘ belonged to the middle of the seventh century A, D, In it Lokandtha’s paternal predecessors are described as Brihmanas but his maternal predecessors were not pure Brahmanas His father had a Sidra wife and therefore is described as a parasava and Lokanatha himself as 0 karana by caste which, according to Manu, is amixed one. This inscription proves beyond doubt that the Brah- manas in the seventh century married Sidra women and there are reasons to believe that their customs and rites underwent a considerable change in the uncongenial social and religious atmosphere of Bengal, Similar to the account of the migration of the Sagnik Brahmins to Bengal through the efforts of Adisira, there is another equally strong tradition preserved in the genealogical books of the Vaidik Brahmins that the latter came into Bengal through the efforts of Samalavarman of the Varman dynasty of eastern Bengal. This tradition isin a way confirmed by the epigraphic records of the Varmans, In the Beliva 9 RG. Basak: “Damodarpur copperplates,” No. 5, of 59884 A.D. in Bp, Ind,, vol. KV, p. 116. 4 Dr. R. G, Basak, History of North-Eastern India, p. 195,R Aditira plate of Bhojavarmadeva it has been forcibly and proudly asserted that the Varmans were always true to the Vedas and nevor deviated from tha Vadie rites like the naked nse oT plate (v. 16) of Bhatt Bhavadeva the epithet Dharma-vijayint has been applied before the name of Harivarman, one of the Varman kings, What is more important to note is that the donee of the Belva copperplate was one Brahmin named Srirama- devasarman whose great-grandfather is described as madhya- desa-vinirgatat and the donor of the plate was Bhojavarman, son of Simalavarman, ‘Though the inscriptions of the Varmans in a way go to confirm the truth underlying the popular tradition, yeb it must be admitted that the account of the Vaidik Brahmins and Simala- varman given by the Kulaéastras clearly shows how far they have been fabricated by popular imagination, The outline of the story of the importation of the Vaidik Brahmins by Samalavarman has not yet heen corroborated by any other source and his parentage as handed down by the Kulaidstras has proved tobe untrue, In spite of the unreliability of the Aulasdstras as historical documents, the inscrip- tions of the Varmans, when read with the tradition preserved in the Kulasdstras, tend to show that there was another attempt about the eleventh century A.D. to reinforce the orthodox Mrihmanical element into Bengal. With such epigraphic evidence about the importation of the ortho- dox Brahmins in the 5th and 11th centuries and with such social and religious conditions in the background in Bengal, the spirit under- lying the story of the migration of five Brahmins through the efforts of Adisira (which is generally placed between the 5th and 1th centuries) does not at all seem to be historically inconsistent, We have come across one inscription which, it seems, may throw some light on the vexed question of Adisiira. This inscription, known as the Dudhpini rock inscription of Udayamina, has been published by Kielhorn in the Ep. Ind., vol. 11, p, 343. ‘The nurra- tive in the inscription is that three brothers, Udayamana, Sridhouta- mina and Ajitamana went on business from Ayodhya to ‘Tamralipti and made much wealth, When they were retarning home, they met inthe forest the king Adisiha of Magadha who came on hunting. The king Adisimha was very much pleased with Udayamina and conferred three villages on three brothers, We the Rnuvanadvara 5 Belava copperplate of Bhojavarman, line 6. 6 Ibid, line 43.Adisira 3 propose to identify this king Adisimha of Magadha with Adidira of Gauda of the Kulasastras, An regards the names ,Adidira and Adisimha there is no funda- mental difference in the meaning of these two words, 14 may also be mentioned here that according to Ravisena's Kulapradipa and Tayasena’s Vaidyacandrikd, Adisira is not a name but a title, Kielhorn, the editor of the Dudhpini rock inscription, has assigned it palwographically to the eighth century A.D. We know that the later Guptas ruled in Magadha from Adityasena to Jivitagupta IL, One of the known dates of Adityasena 1s 672 A.W. It is now generally believed that the king of Gauda and Magadha who was killed by Yasovarman is Jivitagupia IT of the later Gupta dynasty.’ Therefore from Adityasena to Jivitagupta we have one continuous line of kings ruling in Magadha and king Adisimha of the Dudhpini inscription must have ruled after Jivitagupta. If the identification of Jivitagupta TI with the defeated Gauda and Magadha king be accepted, the date of Jivitagupta IT depends on that of Yasovarman of Kanauj. ‘The date of Yasovarman is again dependent on that of Lalitiditya of Kasmira who defeated the former between 730 and 740 A. D.* ‘The invasion of Yasovarman, therefore, took place about 730 A. D, Again, it is certain that Dharmapala of the Pala dynasty ruled in the second half of the eighth century A. D. The mention of Pataliputra as jayaskandhavara in the Khilimpur plate of Dharmapala and Mudgagiri in the Monghyr plate of Devapala shows that the Palas fought with the Gurjara Pratibaras by mohing Magadha as the base of their operations. It is plain then that there can be no question of any independent kingdom in Magadha under Adisimha eithor before 730 A. D. or during the last part of the latter pani inscription then should be placed in the period between 730 A.D, and the last part of the latter half of the eighth century. Though it is really very difficult to arrive at any safe decision regarding the time of Adisira because different Aulasdstras supply different dates for the migration of the five Brahmins, yet a close study of the Kulaidstras reveals the fact that the majority of them date the event in 654 8, E.=732 A.D. The Varendra Kulapaiji records 7 Dr. R, G, Basak, History of North-Eastern India, p. 131. 8 Smith, Marly History of India, p, 343. f.n. La.a., uancu, 1936 104 Adisiva that this event took place in vedakalaikasathavimite i.e. in 654 8. E; Vieaspati Misra in redabdndigasake i.e. in 654 $8, 8; and Kularnava in vedabanahimetake? ise. in 664 8. F. Who kedajé genealogical table of the Lahidi family records that Adighti Ojha received some laud grant from Dharma and that he was the son of Bha{tana na and grandson of Kyitisa, one of the five Brahmins who are alleged to have been imported by Adisiira, Again, we have it on the authority of late Mm, HP. Sastri that in the kérikd of Harimisra (who flourished at the time of Danujamarddana in the thirteenth century) the migration of the Brahmins is placed before the foundation of the Pala empire, ‘Thus the date 732 A, D. of the Aulasastras is quite in keeping with the time of the king Adisimha, But the important point against the proposed identification lies in the fact that Adisimha of the Dudhpini inscription is called the king of Magadha, while Adisira of the Kulusastra king of Gauda. ‘The question is uoi so ditficul the first insiance. ‘The political history of Magadha and latter half of the seventh century and in the first half of the eighth clears the point, It is now held by competent scholars that Aditya- sena of the later Gupta dynasty of Magadha ruled over some parts. of northern and western Bengal and the supremacy of the latter over Cauda is traced from the victory of Mahasenagupta over Susihi varman of Kamariipa on the river Lauhitya. But the most important evidence on this point comes from the G.mdaraho of Vakpatiwhere the poet says that Gaudadhipa was Magadhanatha also, ‘The reasou why in the Kulasdstras Adisira is called king of Gauda is not far to seek. ‘The political history of the seventh century unmistakably shows that tho centre of gravity of northern Indian politics was moving west- wards from Magadha to Kanauj and to the eastin Gauda, Theattempt of Sasaika of Gauda to occupy Kanaujand the transference of the capi- tal from Thaneswara to Kanauj by Harga pointto that conclusion, That the poot Vakpati spoke of the slaying of the Gauda and Magadhe king in order to eulogise his patron and named his work Gaudavaho goes toconfirm that Gauda was perhaps more prominent than Magadha in the eighth century, Adisiira is said to have been the king of five Gaudas but the list of the five countries which constituted five Gaudas is, according to the Skandapurdna, Sirasvata, Kinyakubja, Gauda, Mithila and Utkala. The name of Magadha is conspicuous by absence, ‘The Dudhpani insoription is not an official one but a private record, As Udayamina was probably granted land in Magadha, so in this Ja, the second Pala emperor nown as the ( uppears in da in theAdisira % inecription Adisimha has been described as hing of Magadha, But as Gauga and Magadha were under one political suzerain and Gauda was more famous at this period, tho writers of the Kulasdstras dos- cribed him as the king of Gauda. Or, more probably, the fact is that Gauda was directly interested in ihe migration of the Brahmins and it was in the western and northern Bengal that the descendants of the five Brahmins are said to have lived permanently. Not only that, All the latter Sara’ kings, known from the epigraphic ot other reliable records and generally supposed to be the descendants of Adisira, are found to be ruling in western Bengal, i.e. in Gauda. Ranasiira of the Trimulaya inscription (c. 1025 A. 1).) was the king of Dakeina Radha, Laks of the Rémacurita was the ruler of Apiramandara, and Vijayasena of the Sena dynasty married a Stra princess of Radha in order to strengthen his position in Radha. We know from the Ganda- raho of Vakpati that Ganda and Vaiga were two separate kingdoms. Tut when the Khilimpur plate of Dharmapala was issued in the 82nd regnel year Vaiga, Ganda and Magadha must have formed part of the Pala empire and it seems that” Adisimha or his anccessors were ousted from Magadha and took refuge» in Radha where all the latter Siira kings are found ruling as sub- ordinate rulers. The Kulaéastras also preserve a tradition that there was some fight between the Siras and the Buddhist Vaia kings. It will not be out of place to discuss here some of the criticisms that are generally laid against the existence of Adisira and the importation of Brahmins by him from Upper India, Some scholars assert that in the Aulasdstras Adisira is claimed to be the king of five Gandas and nothing is known of a king of such great importance, IU must be remembered that the Kulasastras were written many centuries after the event of migration and the account of ‘Rdisiira has been much exaggerated in them, aud murevver, the fact is that. the exaltation of Adisira caste reflected glory on tho writers of the Kulagastras or for whom these genealogical hooks were meant, Again, it is sometimes contended that the evidence supplied by the Bhuvanesvara plate of IBhatta Bhayadeva goes against the account of the Kulasastras, The object of the Bhuvanesvara plate was to eulogise Bhat{a Bhavadeva and there was no necessity to emphasise tho fact that ho belonged ia one of the families imported by Adisira, His predecessors might or might not have migrated from Madhyadeca.16 Adisira The account of the Kulasdstras should not be taken to be literally and historically true, The desire to associate oneself with some great event for man ie too natural. Tha datnilad list of the families that. are said to have imported by Adisira should not be taken to be ipso facto true. But that does not disprove the fundamental fact that there may be an attempt to reinforce the Brahmanical society in Gauda, Lastly, some cholars labour under @ wrong impression that according to the Kula- dstras the Sagnik Brahmins came to Bengal for the first time in the reign of Adisira, But the Kulasdstras preserve one tradition that there was one class of Brahmins known as Saptadatis who were found incompetent to perform religious rites due to their social, religious and moral degradation, In the Damodarpur and Nidhanpur plates mention has been made of many Agnihotri Brahmins and therefore the contention that there was no Signik Brahmins before Adisira does not deserve any serious consideration. The contention of the Kulasastras is not that there were no Sagnik Brahmins in Bengal but that there were none fit to perform the religious observances according to strict Sastrik principle. The Damodarpur platesand Beliva plate of Bhojavarman unmistak- ably go to prove that the Brahmins from Upper India were highly honoured and welcome in Bengal and there can be no doubt about the fact that many Brahmins in ancient time came to settle here and many were still coming to settle. But when the peculiar social and religious condition of Bengal is taken into consideration and when in the epigraphic records if ix found that the Brahmins from Upper India—significantly described as madhyadesavinirgata—are granted land for the proper worship of their gods and their livelihood, it is evident that there have been attempts to add fresh orthodox Brahmanical elements from time to time, The ‘ippera inscription of Lokanatha of the mide of the seventh century reveals the fact that the Brahmins could not preserve their orthodox social system and that is also the contention of the Kulasdstras (as it is found in the account of the Saptasati Brahmins). If a king'with an orthodox bent of mind would have made ai attempt to reinforce the orthodox Hindu society, it does not seem to be at all historically inconsistent but is rather quite in keeping with the circumstances, The eighth century was the period when Hinduism was revived by Kumarila Bhal{a and Saikaracaryya and viewed in that light, the migration of the Brahmins in Bengal in that century becomes all the more intelligible. Prastove Las Pav.