Shashanka
There are several major contemporary sources of information on his life, including copperplates from his vassal Madhavavarma (king of Ganjam), copperplates of his rivals Harsha and Bhaskaravarman, the accounts of Banabhatta, who was a bard in the court of Harsha, and of the Chinese monk Xuanzang, and also coins minted in Shashanka's reign.
It may be noted that Indian archeologist Shanker Sharma has argued that the empire's end was precipitated by a massive deluge around the middle of the sixth century C.E.
[13] Near the end of the sixth century, the empire was ruled over by a feeble ruler belonging to the Later Gupta dynasty, Mahasenagupta (r. c. 562-601 C.E.).
Numerous local kings and rulers like Yashodharman emerged, and started vying for control of the many pieces of the former empire.
Shashanka emerged as one of these ambitious local rulers, aiming to seize control of Gauda and its surrounding region.
The first mention of Shashanka is found in the 7th century hill fort Rohtasgarh in the small town of Rohtas in the kingdom of Magadha.
Some historians believe that Shashanka began his career as a feudatory chief (maha samanta) under Mahasenagupta, of the Later Gupta Dynasty.
[15] And that after the death of Mahasenagupta, Shashanka drove the later Guptas and other prominent nobles out of the region and established his own kingdom with his capital at Karnasubarna.
Other historians like Sailendra Nath Sen are of the opinion that Mahasenagupta - already under pressure from the Maukharis (for failing to provide adequate protection) - wouldn't have knowingly appointed Shashanka to such an important position.
Middleton (2015) argues in a similar vein that Shashanka served as maha samanta to a Gauda king, possibly Jayanaga.
[16] Kamarupa king Bhaskaravarman describes the Gauda army as fielding a strong naval force.
[19] However Hiuen Tsang who visited Bengal possibly in 638 AD, didn't mention the name of Karnasuvarna's ruler in his description.
[19] Hans Bakker argues that the army that set out to attack the Maukharis in Kanyakubja was more of a "confederation of all those who held a grudge", and that it was led by Shashanka.
No conclusive evidence exists but it is possible that Shashanka, who joined the battle as an ally of Devagupta, murdered him.
The only source available in this matter is the Harshacharita by Bāṇabhaṭṭa, who was a childhood friend and constant companion of Harsha; neither of these men were present at the death.
[6] He formed astute political alliances, notably with the Malva king, Devagupta, to counteract the combined might of the Kanauj-Thaneshwar coalition.
As king, Shashanka continued many Gupta-era traditions, e.g., making land grants to Brahmins, as evidenced by the copperplate inscriptions from the era.
[29] Shashanka is reputed to have cut the Bodhi tree where the Buddha found enlightenment, in the Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya.
[30][31] R. C. Majumdar states that this account is doubtful because it was written 500 years after the alleged persecution,[32] and that it is "unsafe to accept the statements recorded in this book as historical".
So, if one attempts to write our history, one must begin with Gaur.”[36] King Shashanka's unification, and subsequent defence, of local, disparate kingdoms including Vanga, Samatata and Gauda, against the mighty king Harsha, is considered seminal in the formation of the idea, and the polity, of Bengal.
According to Bengali folk lore and legends, the dighi was excavated at the behest of King Shashanka.
[41] Published in 1914, Shashanka is a historical novel penned by the famous Indian archaeologist Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, who is best known for his discoveries in Mohenjo Daro.
