The Maukharis of Kannauj (510 - 605 A.D.)
The Maukharies were subordinate rulers of the Guptas and used the title of “Samanta.”
They ruled over Kannauj, western Uttar Pradesh.
• Decline
• Shashanka, the ruler of Bengal (Gauda), and Devagupta, the ruler of Malwa, jointly attacked and killed Grahavarmana, the last Maukhari king.
• Following a successful campaign by Harsha Vardhana, the kingdom of Kannauj was incorporated into the Pushyabhuti dynasty.
• Harsha relocatedhis capital f rom Thanesar (Kurukshetra) to Kannauj.
• Sources
• The Maukharies are referenced in Patanjali’s work, the Asirgarh copper plate inscription, and the Aphsad inscription.
• A clay seal inscribed with the legend "Mokhalinam" (Pali: "of the Mokhalis/Maukhalis/Maukharis") in the Brahmi script, dating back to the time of Mauryan emperor Ashoka (272 - 232 BCE), indicates that the Maukhari family existed during the Mauryan period (400 - 200 BCE).
Ishanavarmana (c. 554 CE):
• Ishanavarmana is considered the true founder of Maukhari supremacy.
• He took the title ‘Maharajadhiraja,’ as noted in the Asirgarh copper plate inscription.
• Ishanavarmana expanded the Maukhari kingdom into regions like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Gauda.
• He faced resistance from the later Guptas and engaged in a prolonged conflict with them.
• Ishanavarmana suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of Kumaragupta of the later Gupta dynasty.
• He successfully resisted the Hunas and is believed to have defeated them, possibly as a vassal of Baladitya of the imperial Gupta family. Harsha’s inscription further mentions that Ishanavarmana also defeated the Sulikas.
• Ishanavarmana is remembered as a learned, just ruler, a brave warrior, and a patron of education, as evidenced by seals and coins.
Sarvavarmana (c. 560−585 CE):
• He maintained control over Magadha and kept the later Guptas under subordination.
• He is victorious over Damodargupta according to the Asirgadh Inscription.
• He established Nimar as a ‘Maukhari outpost in the Deccan.’
• During his time, the later Guptas did not pose a significant threat.
Avanti Varmana (c. 585−600 CE):
• Succeeded Sarvavarmana.
• Also took the title of Maharajadhiraja.
• Expanded the kingdom’s boundaries by relocating the capital to Kannauj.
• Marked the peak of the Maukhari empire under his rule.
Grahavarmana (c. 600 CE):
• Succeeded Avanti Varmana.
• Married to Rajyashri, the daughter of Prabhakar Vardhana of the Pushyabhuti family of Thanesara.
• Killed by Deva Gupta of the later Gupta lineage.
