Niishad Shetty at 01:20, 24 October 2025

2025-10-24T01:20:55Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image = Kashmir region.jpg
| image_size = 285px
| succession = King of Kashmir
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| dynasty =
| title = Nripa
| predecessor =
| successor =
| spouse = Isana-devi
| issue =
| father = [[Ashoka]]
| mother =
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
}}

'''Jalauka''' (also known as '''Jaluka''') was, according to the 12th century [[Kashmir]]i chronicle, the [[Rajatarangini]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rajatarangini {{!}} Sanskrit, Chronicle, Meaning, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rajatarangini |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> a King of Kashmir, who cleared the valley of oppressing [[Mleccha]]. Jaluka was reputed to have been an active and vigorous king of Kashmir, who expelled certain intrusive foreigners, and conquered the plains as far as [[Kannauj]]. Jalauka was devoted to the worship of the Hindu god [[Shiva]] and the Divine Mothers, in whose honour he and his queen, Isana-devi, erected many temples in places which can be identified.<ref name="Smith99" />On Ashoka’s death his mighty empire had fragmented into as many as four or five regional kingdoms each ruled by his sons or grandsons, among them Jalauka in Kashmir, who reversed his father’s policies in favour of Shaivism and led a successful campaign against the [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom]], themselves seeking to take advantage of the power vacuum in north-west India to reclaim [[Taxila]].<ref name="CHARLES"> Pg.396 "Ashoka’s death his mighty empire had fragmented into as many as four or five regional kingdoms each ruled by his sons or grandsons, among them Jalauka in Kashmir, who reversed his father’s policies in favour of Shaivism and led a successful campaign against the Graeco-Bactrians, themselves seeking to take advantage of the power vacuum in north-west India to reclaim Taxila."{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|page=396|first=Charles|date=2012-02-21|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0388-5|language=en}}</ref> According to [[Dwijendra Narayan Jha]], the Rajatarangini associates Jalauka with the destruction of Buddhist monasteries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reviews-and-essays/dn-jha-destruction-buddhist-sites|title=Monumental Absence: The destruction of ancient Buddhist sites|last=Jha|date=2018-05-31|publisher=Caravan|language=en}}</ref> [[Aurel Stein]]'s translation of the Rajatarangini infers that the king first appears in the work as an opponent of Buddhist worship, but is later converted to a more friendly attitude by divine intercession.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.1527/page/n101/mode/2up?q=jalauka|title=Kalhana's Rajatarangini: A Chronicle of the Kings of Kasmir|last=Stein|page=75|first=Marc Aurel|date=1900|publisher=Archibald Constable and Company Ltd|isbn=9788120803695|language=en}}</ref>

== Historicity ==

The story of Jalauka, notwithstanding the topographical details, is essentially legendary, and no independent corroboration of the Kashmir tradition has been discovered.<ref name="Smith99">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0EbAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA180|title=The Early History of India|publisher=Oxford University|year=1908|pages=180|oclc=235958116|last1=Smith|first1=Vincent A.|isbn=9788185205212 |author-link=Vincent A. Smith}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
<blockquote>
"In the [[Brahmi]] script of the Aśokan period, the name [[Kunala]] would be written thus, [[File:Kunala in Brahmi.jpg|24px]] and the name Jalauka thus, [[File:Jalauka in Brahmi.jpg|24px]]. It is possible that after the invasion of the Bactrian Greeks and the Kuśāņas with their foreign names, a name such as Jalauka became accepted without much questioning." <br>—[[Romila Thapar]] (1963). ''Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas''.{{sfn|Thapar|1963|p=189}}
</blockquote>

''Rajatarangini'' mentions that Jalauka's father and predecessor as [[Ashoka]].

{{quote|text=
अथाऽशोककुलोत्पन्नोयद्वाऽन्याभिजनोद्भवः ।
भूमि दामोदरो नाम जुगोप जगतीपतिः ।।१५३॥
|title= Rajatarangini 1.143 |author=[[Kalhana]]}}

''Translation : Jalauka who born in the lineage of Ashok, become the father of a son named Damodara.''

According to the dates given in that text, this Ashoka would have ruled in the 2nd millennium BCE, and was a member of a Mauryan Dynasty . Kalhana also states that this king appeased ''Bhutesha'' ([[Shiva]]) to obtain his son Jalauka. Multiple scholars identify Kalhana's Ashoka with the [[Maurya Empire|Mauryan]] emperor [[Ashoka]], who had adopted Buddhism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Umair Mirza |url=http://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofindianrulersvol7 |title=Encyclopaedia Of Indian Rulers |date=2015-04-01}}</ref>{{sfn|Guruge|1994|pp=185-186}}{{sfn|Lahiri|2015|pp=378-380}} [[Romila Thapar]] equates Jalauka to the Mauryan prince [[Kunala]], arguing that "Jalauka" is an erroneous spelling caused by a typographical error in [[Brahmi script]].{{sfn|Guruge|1994|p=130}}

==Religion==

*Ashoka
In Rajatrangani Ashoka was a truthful and spotless king, and a follower of Buddha.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hoiberg |first=Dale |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISFBJarYX7YC&dq=kashmir+jalauka+book&pg=PA254 |title=Students' Britannica India |date=2000 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=978-0-85229-760-5 |language=en}}</ref> He also maintained his [[Shavite]] belief . He worshiped Lord Shiva for a son so after his worship Jalauka was born from his queen.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mittal |first=Neha |date=2023-06-08 |title=Nandi-Kshetra: The Ancient Tirtha of Kashmir |url=https://www.indica.today/research/conference/nandi-kshetra-the-ancient-tirtha-of-kashmir/ |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=Indic Today |language=en-US}}</ref> Ashoka also built many [[Stupas]] and a Shiva temple in Kashmir -

{{quote|text=
सभायां विजयेशस्य समीपे च विनिर्ममे । शान्तावसादः प्रासादा अशोकेश्वर संज्ञिती ॥१०६॥
|title= Rajatarangini 1.103 |author=[[Kalhana]]}}
''Translation :Near the assembly hall of Vijayeshvara, the king Ashok built two Temples, which were called Ashokeshwara, free from any unrest..''

{{quote|text=
शुष्क लेत्रवितस्तात्रौ तस्वार स्तूपमण्डलैः ॥१०२।।
|title= Rajatarangini 1.102 |author=[[Kalhana]]}}
''Translation : The king [[Ashoka]] adorned the dry and vacant land with stupas and mandalas.''

*Jalauka
The Kalhana's [[Rajatarangini]] mentioned that Jalauka was very orthodox follower of [[Shaivism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last = Thapar | first = Romila | journal = Economic & Political Weekly | volume = 44 | issue = 5 | date=2009-11-07 |title=Ashoka - A Retrospective |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2009/45/perspectives/ashoka-retrospective.html |language=en}}</ref> He was intolerant toward [[Buddhism]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dulat |first1=A. S. |title=Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years |last2=Sinha |first2=Aditya |date=2016-10-20 |publisher=HarperCollins India |isbn=978-93-5264-081-2 |edition=1st |language=English}}</ref> :-

{{quote|text=
तत्कालप्रबलप्रेद्धबौद्धवादिसमूह जित्
अवधूतोऽभवत्सिद्धस्तस्य ज्ञानोपदेशकृत् ॥११२॥
|title= Rajatarangini 1.112 |author=[[Kalhana]]}}
''Translation :The teacher of victorious king Jalauka, defeated the powerful and arrogant group of Buddhists, became an accomplished sage, a teacher of knowledge.''

==Origin==
The Kalhana's [[Rajatarangini]] provide information about the clan of Jalauka -

{{quote|text=
महाशाक्यः स नृपतिर्न शक्यो बाधितुं त्वया।
तस्मिन्दृष्टे तु कल्याणि भविता ते तमःक्षयः ॥१४१॥
|title= Rajatarangini 1.141 |author=[[Kalhana]]}}

''Translation : The great king Jalauka was not possible to be defeated by you, O Bhadra, the excited monks had thought to send me to your destruction. The [[Bodhisattvas]] summoned me. Thus, O Kashyani, '''this king is the great [[Shakya]]'''.''

Further Kalhana mentioned that Ashoka ancestry belong to the lineage of Ikshuvaku [[Gandhara Kingdom|Gandhara]] king [[Sakuni]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Vincent A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8XXGhAL1WKcC&dq=jalauka+son+of+ashoka&pg=PA191 |title=The Early History of India |date=1999 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-7156-618-1 |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |editor=Nuradha Seneviratna |title=King Asoka and Buddhism: Historical and Literary Studies |author-link=Ananda W. P. Guruge |first=Ananda |last=Guruge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iE5uAAAAMAAJ |year=1994 |publisher=Buddhist Publication Society |isbn=978-955-24-0065-0 }}
* {{cite book |last=Lahiri |first=Nayanjot |author-link=Nayanjot Lahiri |title=Ashoka in Ancient India |year=2015 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=9780674057777 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJ_XCgAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book | last = Thapar | first = Romila | author-link = Romila Thapar | title = Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas | publisher = Oxford University Press | date = 1963 | url = https://archive.org/details/asokadeclineofma0000romi/page/n7/mode/2up?view=theater | url-access = registration }}

[[Category:Rulers of Kashmir]]

Jalauka - Revision history

Niishad Shetty at 01:20, 24 October 2025