Harsh’s contemporary Gounaresh shashank shine in front of us like a meteor. We are not sure about his lineage or family. So clear, that he was the king of Gaun (Bengal). Both Baan and Hiuensang have mentioned it.
Shashank gets the name Narendragupt in a manuscript of Harshacharit. Historian Buller is credited with finding it. Based on this name, some scholars like R D Banerjee have concluded that Shashank was probably related to the Chakravarti Gupt dynasty or the later Gupt dynasty. But in this regard, we cannot say for sure.
A cruel killer
Shashank first appears in history as a ruthless murderer. Harshacharit reveals that he killed Rajyavardhan by trapping him in his false manners. This cowardly act almost brought an end to his political life. From the inscription on the seal obtained from Rohtasgarh, some information about Shashank’s early life is available. It is known that he was the Mahasamant earlier. (Shreemahasamantshashankdevsy). It seems that he must have been the ruler of Maukhari Naresh Avantivarman – who was his contemporary. Avantivarman had authority over the greater part of Magadh, as is evident from the article in Devabarnak (Shahabad District, Bihar).
The chaos that spread in the Maukhari kingdom as a result of the death of Grahvarma and Devgupt’s authority over Kannauj gave Shashank a golden opportunity to fulfill his political ambitions. Probably he came there with the purpose of seizing Kannauj from Devagupt. Probably he came there with the purpose of seizing Kannauj from Devagupt. The success of Rajyavardhan was an open warning to Shashank. So he thought it appropriate to eliminate the Vardhana king in some way. For this purpose, Shashank invited Rajyavardhan to his camp and killed him by deception. But his trouble increased with this torture. When Harsh leaves with his huge army against him, he is frightened and runs away.
It seems that at the end of his life, he reached the status of Emperor from the feudal status. It is possible that after the death of Avantivarman (after 622 AD) he may have declared his independence. He took possession of Bengal and Orissa and his kingdom was extended to the Godavari River in the south. Magadh was ruled from feudal period. From Ganjam of Orissa, 619 AD, the copper of Madhvaraj II of his feudatory is found, From which it is known that till this time he was a sovereign ruler and his title was that of Maharajadhiraj.
His gold coins also attest to his independent existence, mostly from Bengal. Two copper sheets from Midnapore (Bengal) also report his suzerainty over Bengal. Thus it becomes clear that Shashank became the most powerful king of eastern India. A verse from the Aryamanjushri Moolakalpa reveals that Harsh attacked and defeated Soma (Shashank )’s capital, Pundra, and forced him to remain in his kingdom. But the historicity of this medieval Buddhist scripture is questionable.
The description of Hieunsang suggests that Shashank died a few years before 637 AD. Under what circumstances did it end, it has not been known. But it is so clear that in his lifetime, Harsh did not win his kingdom.
Shashank’s religion
Shashank was a staunch Shaiva. Above his coins are found the figures of Shiva and Nandi. Hiuensang tells us that he cut the Bodhivriksha of Bodh Gaya and threw it into the Ganges and removed the Buddha statue from a nearby temple and got the statue of Shiva installed in its place. Similarly, a stone-pillar kept in the temple of Pataliputra, on which Buddha’s feet were inscribed, he also threw it in the river Ganges.
He also got the Buddhists of a monastery of Kushinara expelled from there. He is also depicted as a Buddhist rebel in Aryamanjushrimalakalpa, Who burnt the sacred Buddhist relics and destroyed the viharas and samadhis. Some scholars like R D. Banerjee and RP Chanda are of the opinion that Shashank became a Buddhist for political reasons and otherwise did not have chastity. All the evidences that proved Shashank as a Buddhist are related to this religion. Hence their description cannot be said to be impartial.
The conclusion
Thus we can say that Shashank has been a completely unrelated and neglected ruler, About which our information is very less. Along with that both his dynasty and the kingdom kept going and Harsh included his kingdom in his empire. Surely he was a great diplomat and courageous warrior.
Reference : https://www.indiaolddays.com
