After the murder of Devabhuti Shunga, by his minister Vasudeva Kanva, the Shunga dynasty came to an untimely end. The Kanvas occupied Magadha and allowed the Shunga prince to rule in the Avanti region. The successors of Devabhuti were weak and one of the nobles or the Vassal captured the seat at Ujjain which became an important place in the history of India once again after the decline of Maurya and Shungas.

 

Gardabhila Dynasty (74BC-78CE)

The newly established Gardabhila dynasty of Ujjain is connected to the Vikrama and Saka eras which are used as the important calendars in north and south India respectively. Although the rulers of this dynasty ruled a small kingdom, they were contemporary of Sakas, Satavahanas and Pahlavas.

 

Gandharvasena (74BC-64 BCE):

He was a powerful Vassal or an officer in the court of the last Shunga ruler. He killed his master and captured the throne of Ujjain. He was also known as Darpan and Gadhrup.

Gandharvasena had mastery over the magical art of Gardabhi Vidya, which was named for the dynasty as Gardabhila. The details of the dynasty are available in the Jain books, Matsya and Vayu Puran. He married a princess of Dhar, neighboring kingdom and had a son named Vikramaditya.

He ruled the Avanti region centered at Ujjain for 10 years peacefully. In his later years, he kidnapped a Jain nun, who was sister of Kalakacharya, a Jain Monk. He forced the girl Saraswati to get married, but she was never interested in worldly happiness and was a nun by childhood. On an unsuccessful mission to free his sister from Gandharvasena’s capture, Kalakacharya went to Saka satrapas who were just settled in north western India and requested for help. The Sakas invaded Ujjain and killed Gandharvasena and freed Saraswati.

 

Interregnum period (64BC-57BC):

On winning Ujjain from Gandharvasena, the Saka chiefs ruled the region for next 7 years. The wandering Indo Scythians settled in Western India during this period. Kalakacharya on finding the worst state of Ujjain under foreign rulers, repented for his revenge and thought of replacing the Sakas with a native King. He managed to reach the prince of Ujjain, who was in exile and trained him against the Sakas. 

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Vikramaditya (57BC-17CE):

He was the son of Gandharvasena. He was in exile after his father’s death and was trained in war by the Jain monk Kalakacharya. He consolidated the loyal army and invaded Ujjain. He defeated and expelled Sakas from the region and regained his ancestral kingdom. He was titled “Shakari” as he vanquished Sakas from Ujjain. His courage and victory over Sakas is admirable and many future rulers carried his name as the title.

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He liberated subjects from the atrocities of Saka rule. He marked the victory over Sakas by establishing an era which later came to be known as Vikrama Era which is used till today in North and western India and is one the official calendar of Indian Government. The era is matched with Christian or Common Era by adding 57 to the particular year.

 He was around 25-30 years old when ascended the throne. He ruled for 60 years and died very old. He had good relationships with neighboring kingdoms such as Satavahanas. He is considered to be the contemporary of monks Padalipta, Nagarjuna and Arya Kaput according to Jain scriptures. He performed Jain sacrifices at Shantrujaya hills in Palitana.

 

No epigraphics are available about the rule and extent of his kingdom. His kingdom is believed to be prosperous and healthy. His dare devil temperament and determination to face any difficulty at any time won him the title of “Vira Vikrama”. He is also associated with stories of ‘Vikram and Bhetal’.

 

Shanku and Bhartahari are step brothers of Vikramaditya. Bhartahari assisted him in campaigns and administration. After his death, Bhartahari renounced the world and became ascetic and went to the Jungle.

 

Madhavaditya (17-39CE):

He was son of Vikramaditya. He married Sulochana, a princess of an Island Kingdom in Arabian Sea. He also performed Jain Sacrifices at Palitana.

 

Dharmaditya (32-43CE):

He was son of Madhavaditya

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Vikramacharitra (43-63CE):

By birth he was named as Madhavasena and on coronation he was called Vikramacharitra. He was son and successor of Dharmaditya. He was the contemporary of Jain monk Vajraswami. He annexed many territories in north India and extended upto Kashmir. He appointed his minister Mantrigupta to govern Kashmir.

The two mighty kingdoms of the period were Gardabhila and Satavahana. By the end of his reign, the Kushans occupied his northern territories including Kashmir.

 

 Bhaila and Naila (63-77CE):

The successors of Vikramacharitra were very weak and lost territories to the mighty Kushans, Sakas and contemporary kings.

Nabada (77-78CE):

He was the last ruler of the dynasty. He was attacked by Saka ruler Chastana in 78CE, who uprooted the Gardabhila dynasty. Chastana occupied the last piece of Gardabhila Kingdom and established an era marking the Victory over Ujjainians by Sakas. The Saka Era founded by Chastana was later renamed as Salivahana Era and till date is used in South India.

The Gardabhila dynasty and Sakas are responsible for the establishment of two major calendars of India, which are still in use officially.