Padmavati may not be a familiar name today, but, to the Indologist, the very name serves as a reminder of the glory of the ancient Nagas who had flourished in the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. Padmavati was their magnificent capital city wherefrom they succeeded in the creation of a stable empire which included areas from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh to Ujjain and Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh.

The Naga power grew after the fall of the Kushanas who earlier ruled from Mathura. Historians like K.P. Jaiswal credit the Nagas as being one of the first dynasties to raise the banner of independence against the Kushana rulers who had foreign origins. It was due to their efforts along with that of other Indian dynasties of the time that a phase of Hindu revivalism was initiated, which continued and strengthened during the rule of the Imperial Guptas.

The Prayag pillar inscription of Samudragupta indicates that the Nagas of Padmavati under Ganapati Naga were defeated by the Gupta army, marking an end of the dynasty. The Nagas have been mentioned in the Vakataka records as the performers of ten Asvamedha yagya’s on the Ganga, symbolising a revival of the ancient Vedic culture.

Whether the Dasaswamedha Ghat existing today at Varanasi, has the origin of its name as a tribute to this activity of the Nagas, is not fully confirmed in the absence of historical sources. But their contribution in the ancient history of India is now quite well recognised from various sources apart from their coins which have survived in abundant numbers.

To be continued....