KINGDOM OF PRAGJYOTISHA

Pragjyotisha was an ancient mythological kingdom associated with the historical Kamarupa which occupies current day state of Assam and North east. First references of this kingdom appear in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, being sections that were not written much prior to the first century. In the Kishkindha Kanda of the Ramayana, the kingdom appears in the west near Mount Varaha and the sea. In Aswamedha-parva (or the book of Horse Sacrifice) of the Mahabharata, Arjuna faced off against Vajradatta of Pragjyotisha. Vajradatta was the son and successor of king Bhagadatta and third in line to the throne of the Naraka dynasty that ruled the Pragjyotisha Kingdom. The ancient kingdom Pragjyotisha that is associated with Kamarupa followed on the Danava dynasty and co-existed with the Bana dynasty of Sonitpur (central Assam). This is universally accepted in the Hindu Epics and ancient Hindu texts. The Hindu Epics place the reign of King Bhagadatta of Pragjyotisha at the time of the Kurukshetra War, which was when he died. A number of measures of the kingdom were sourced from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Kalika Purana and the later Yogini Tantra among others. The Yogini Tantra is a 16th- or 17th-century tantric text from an unknown author from Assam and it is associated with the worship of the Hindu goddesses Kali and Kamakhya.

There are various references of Pragjyotisha kingdom in the Mahabharata such as:

• Arjuna defeats Bhagadatta, the king of Pragjyotisha, during his military campaign to collect tribute for Pandava king Yudhishthira’s Rajasuya yagya, or one could say the sacrifice.
• An encounter took place between Bhagadatta and Arjuna for days together, each desirous of a victory over the other. Bhagadatta, regarded Indra as his friend, and therefore, sooner than later he befriended Arjuna.
• King Bhagadatta of Pragjyotisha kingdom accompanied by all Mlechchha tribes inhabiting the marshy regions on the sea-shore; and many mountain kings came to attend Yudhishthira’s Rajasuya sacrifice. Mlechchhas, were people of foreign extraction in ancient India. The Sanskrit term, mlechchhawas used by the Vedic people.
• The great warrior king Bhagadatta, the brave ruler of Pragjyotisha and the mighty sovereign of the mlechchhas, at the head of a large number of Yavanas came to the Rajasuya Yagya sacrifice.
• Bhagadatta was one of the distinguished Chariot warrior (Maharathi) in the Kaurava army that fought the Kurukshetra War.
• The ruler of Pragjyotisha, the brave king Bhagadatta was the foremost of those maharathis, who could control an elephant with an elephant hook. He was skilled in fighting from the neck of a war-elephant and was also skilled in fighting from a chariot car.
• Bhagadatta, the king of Pragjyotisha, fought in Kurukshetra War as a general under the Kaurava generallisimo Bhishma. He also fought under Dronacharya another Kaurava generalissimo. He was killed by Arjun.
• After the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna fought a war with Bhagadatta’s son Vajradatta, at Pragjyotisha, to collect the tribute for Yudhishthira’s Ashwamedha yagya.
• By destroying the demons such as Mauravas and the Pashas, and after slaying Nisunda and Naraka, Vasudeva Krishna had again rendered safe the road to Pragjyotisha.
• The Asuras had a city named Pragjyotisha which was powerful, and inaccessible and more powerful. It was there that Naraka, the son of the earth (Bhumi), kept the jewelled ear-rings of Aditi, (mother of many Gods) that he taken by force. Aditi’s sons (the Devas) could not get them back. Seeing Krishna’s power and might and the weapon that was unyielding they made their request to Krishna for the Asuras to be destroyed. Krishna agreed to perform the great task that was difficult to do. In the town of Nirmochana Krishna killed 6,000 Asuras, and scattered its remains already cut into fine pieces by his weapon. He slew Mura and the many other Rakshasas, and then entered that city called Pragjyotisha, where the battle with the mighty Narakasur (son of Earth) began. Narakasur was slain by Krishna, and lay lifeless there after being slain by Krishna. Krishna having slain Naraka (Bhumi-putra), and also the demon Mura, and having taken back the jewelled ear-rings, returned to ever-lasting fame. Krishna earned the title of Murari (Mura killer) because he killed Mura.