Ishvaravarman

Ishvaravarman was a king of The Maukhari Dynasty, classically called the Megar Dynasty, ruled a large region of North India for over six generations. The game of chess (then called Chaturanga, meaning "army") was invented during their rule in the 6th century. They earlier served as vassals of the Guptas. They were related to Harsha and his short-lived Vardhan dynasty.

From the Asirgarh Copper seal Inscription of Sarvavarman we get the names of Maukhari rulers as under:

• (1) Harivarman,
• (2) Adityavarman,
• (3) Isvaravarman,
• (4) Isanavarman,
• (5) Sarvavarman

Jaunpur Stone Inscription of Ishvaravarman

• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[Wielding] with (his) arms the bow of (the god) Âtmabhû, by means of (his) innate warriors skill that pervaded (his very) soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in the flourishing lineage of the Mukhara kings; whose prowess with the bow was displayed with all the energy of a man ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by the rite . . . . . . . . . ; (and his) religious merit arising from sacrifices, spread out over the sky (in the form of) the mass of the clouds of the canopy of the smoke (of his oblations) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . having the ends of (their) curls fallen down . . . . . . . . . . . . by the families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• (Line 4.)-Of him, whose spotless fame spread far and wide over the regions, the son (was) king Îshvaravarman, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with virtues which by means of compassion and affection allayed the troubles (caused) by the approach of cruel people, and which effected the happiness of mankind ; who, indeed, of virtuous people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; by him, a very lion to (hostile) kings, the throne was occupied. A spark of fire that had come by the road from (the city of) Dhârâ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the lord of the Andhras, wholly given over to fear, took up (his) abode in the crevices of the Vindhya mountains ; . . . . . . . . went to the Raivataka mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . among the warriors of the Andhra army, who were spread out among the troops of elephants (and) whose arms were studded with the lustre of (their) swords drawn out (from the scabbards), . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bathed with the waters, fragrant with benzoin, of the torrents of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and cleansing the lands, full of cool waters, of (Himâlaya) the, mountain of, snow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with the pollen . . . . . . . . . . . disordered by the breaking of the waves of the swollen mountain- streams, (and) flowing onwards, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . whose day, even in the hours that come next after daybreak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• From: Fleet, John F. Corpus Inscritptionum Indicarum: Inscriptions of the Early Guptas. Vol. III. Calcutta: Government of India, Central Publications Branch, 1888, 230.

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