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Anga Kingdom

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This article is about the kingdom of Anga in Indian epic literature. For the historical kingdom, see Anga.
Anga was a kingdom ruled by non Vedic rulers. Anga king Lomapada was a friend of Kosala king Dasaratha. Kosala Princess Santha, elder to Raghava Rama, lived as the daughter of Lomapada, since he was childless. Duryodhana established Karna as the ruler of Angas. It is believed that there were many Anga kings who ruled different parts of Anga kingdom, contemporary to Karna. Champa was the capital of Anga ruled by Karna. Magadha (south-west Bihar) king Jarasandha gifted another city called Malini, to the Anga king Karna.

The founders of five eastern kingdoms, which included:

  1. Angas (east-central Bihar)
  2. Vangas (southern West Bengal
  3. Kalingas ([coastal Orissa)
  4. Pundras (southern Bangladesh)
  5. Suhmas (northern Bangladesh)
were the adopted sons of the king Vali, born to Dhirgatamas in the line of Gautama and Angiras.

Contents

References in Mahabharata

Anga mentioned as a kingdom in Ancient India (Bharata Varsha)

MBh 6.9 The Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Yakrillomans; the Mallas, the Suddellas, the Pranradas, the Mahikas, the Sasikas; the Valhikas, the Vatadhanas, the Abhiras, the Kalajoshakas; the Aparantas

Origin of the five royal lines including the Angas

One day a king named Vali, who was childless, went to the Ganga river to perform his ablutions. Then a raft to which the old sage Dirgatamas, cast away by his wife and sons, was tied, approached him. The king took the old man. Vali, chose him for raising up offspring. King Vali sent his wife Sudeshna unto him. But the queen knowing that the latter was blind and old went not unto him, she sent unto him her nurse. And upon that Sudra woman the Rishi begat eleven children of whom Kakshivat was the eldest. And beholding those eleven sons with Kakshivat as the eldest, who had studied all the Vedas, king Vali one day asked the Rishi saying, ‘Are these children mine?’ The Rishi replied, ‘No, they are mine. They were begotten by me upon a Sudra woman. The king Vali then again sent unto him his queen Sudeshna. The Rishi by merely touching her said, ‘Thou shalt have five children named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma. And after their names as many countries shall be known. It is after their names that their dominions have come to be called Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma.

The same history is repeated with slight changes at (2,21):-

It was in the city of Girivraja, the capital of Magadha Kingdom, that the illustrious sage Gautama (Dirghatamas is mentioned as Gautama here, since he belongs to the race of Gautama) begat on the Sudra woman Ausinari (the daughter of Usinara) Kakshivat and other celebrated sons. It was here that in olden times the mighty monarchs of Anga, Vanga and other countries, came to the abode of Gautama, and passed their days in joy and happiness.

Karna becomes the king of Anga

Duryodhana said:- The scriptures have it that three classes of persons can lay claim to royalty, viz., persons of the blood royal, heroes, and lastly, those that lead armies. If Arjuna is unwilling to fight with my friend Karna, who is not a king, I will install Karna as the king of Anga. Saying this, Duryodhana caused the priests to install Karna as the king of Anga.

Karna is sometimes described as the king of both Anga and Vanga. (2,43)

Karna's son Vrishasena is described as a chief of the Angas (6,17)

Karna's friendship with Magadha king Jarasandha

Hearing of the fame of Karna the ruler of the Magadhas, king Jarasandha, challenged him. While engaged with him in mortal combat with bare arms, Karna was about to sever the two portions of his antagonist’s body that had been united together by Jara. The king (of Magadha) cast off all desire of hostility. From friendship he then gave unto Karna the town Malini. Before this Karna had been king of the Angas only, but from that time the grinder of hostile forces began to rule over Champa also, agreeably to the wishes of Duryodhana.

Yudhisthira's sway over the Anga kings

The prosperity which the Pandavas had acquired at Indraprastha, and which, unobtainable by other kings, was beheld at the Rajasuya sacrifice, conducted by king Yudhisthira. In that sacrifice, many kings, even those of the Vangas and Angas and Paundras and Odras and Cholas and Dravidas and Andhakas, and the chiefs of many islands and countries on the sea-board as also of frontier states, including the rulers of the Sinhalas, the barbarous mlecchas, the natives of Lanka, and all the kings of the West by hundreds, and all the chiefs of the sea-coast, and the kings of the Pahlavas and the Daradas and the various tribes of the Kiratas and Yavanas and Sakras and the Harahunas and Chinas and Tukharas and the Sindhavas and the Jagudas and the Ramathas and the Mundas and the inhabitants of the kingdom of women and the Tanganas and the Kekayas and the Malavas and the inhabitants of Kasmira, were present in obedience to the invitation and they performed various offices, at the command of Yudhisthira. (3,51)

Military campaign of Karna

Karna reduced the Angas (the other Anga kings), and the Bangas (alias Vangas), and the Kalingas, and the Mandikas, and the Magadhas. the Karkakhandas; and also included with them the Avasiras, Yodhyas, and the Ahikshatras.

Karna had subjugated many invincible and mighty foes—the Gandharas, the Madrakas, the Matsyas, the Trigartas, the Tanganas, the Khasas, the Pancalas, the Videhas, the Kulindas, the Kasi-kosalas, the Suhmas, the Angas (the other Anga kings), the Nishadhas, the Pundras, the Kichakas, the Vatsas, the Kalingas, the Taralas, the Asmakas, and the Rishikas. Subjugating all these brave races, Radha’s son, had caused all of them to pay tribute to us for the aggrandisement of Duryodhana.

Vasudeva Krishna's conquests

Vasudeva Krishna slew the king of Chedis, that leader of kings, as if he were some animal, on the occasion of the latter’s disputing about the Arghya. Madhava hurled unto the sea the Daitya city called Saubha, (moving) in the skies, protected by Salwa, and regarded as impregnable. The Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Magadhas, the Kasis, the Kosalas, the Vatsyas, the Gargyas, the Karushas and the Paundras,--all these he vanquished in battle.

Bhargava Rama's conquests

MBh 7.68

The valiant son of Jamadagni, Bhargava Rama, proceeding against the Kashmiras, the Daradas, the Kuntis, the Kshudrakas, the Malavas, the Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Videhas, the Tamraliptakas, the Rakshovahas, the Vitahotras, the Trigartas, the Martikavatas, counting by thousand, slew them all by means of his whetted shafts.

Arjuna's conquests after the Kurukshetra War

MBh 14.83

Sarabha, the son of Sisupala first encountered Arjuna in battle and then worshipped him with due honours. He then proceeded to the realms of the Kasis, the Angas, the Kosalas, the Kiratas, and the Tanganas. Receiving due honours in all those realms, Dhananjaya turned his course. He then proceeded to the country of the Dasarnas.

Angas in the Kurukshetra War

All the Anga kings allied with the Kauravas, owing to the strongest Anga king Karna, the closest ally of Duryodhana

A Mleccha king of Anga, slain by Pandava Bhima

Beholding Duryodhana thus afflicted, by Bhima, the ruler of the Angas on his elephant came there for afflicting Bhima. Thereupon, Bhimasena deeply pierced with a long arrow that elephant. That arrow, penetrating through its body, sank deep in the earth. And at this the elephants fell down. While the elephant was falling down, the Mleccha king also was falling down it. But Vrikodara, cut off his head with a broad-headed arrow before his antagonist actually fell down. When the heroic ruler of the Angas fell, his divisions fled away. (7,24)

A Mleccha king of Anga, slain by Pandava Nakula

Sahadeva, struck the elephant of Pundra depriving it of its standard and driver and armour and life. Having thus cut off that elephant, Sahadeva proceeded against the chief of the Angas. Nakula, however, causing Sahadeva to desist, himself afflicted the ruler of the Angas with three long shafts, each resembling the rod of Yama, and his foe’s elephant with a hundred arrows. Then the ruler of the Angas hurled at Nakula eight hundred lances bright as the rays of the Sun. Each of these Nakula cut off into three fragments. Nakula then cut off the head of his antagonist with a crescent-shaped arrow. At this that mleccha king, deprived of life, fell down with the animal he rode. Upon the fall of the prince of the Angas who was well-skilled in elephant-lore, the elephant-men of the Angas, filled with rage, proceeded with speed against Nakula. (8,22)

Other mentions in the Kurukshetra War

Views of Karna and Shalya on Angas and other tribes

Shalya was the king of Madra Kingdom, in the region of Arattas, as Karna was the king of Angas. Both engage in a verbal fight debating on the good and bad of their respective countries and tribes.

Karna:- Fie on the Arattas and the people of the country of the five rivers! Commencing with the Pancalas, the Kauravas, the Naimishas, the Matsyas,--all these,--know what religion is. The old men among the Northerners, the Angas, the Magadhas, (without themselves knowing what virtue is) follow the practices of the pious.

Shalya:- The abandonment of the afflicted and the sale of wives and children are, O Karna, prevalent amongst the Angas whose king thou art. Recollecting those faults of thine that Bhishma recited on the occasion of the tale of Rathas and Atirathas, drive away thy wrath. Do not be angry. Brahmanas may be found everywhere; Kshatriyas may be found everywhere; so also Vaishyas and Shudras.

Anga king Lomapada

The son of sage Kasyapa, Vibhandaka, having proceeded to a big lake, devoted himself to the practice of penances. He beget a son named Rishyasringa in Urvasi of the Apsara clan. At this very period there was a ruler of the land of Anga known by the name of Lomapada who was a friend of Kosala king Dasaratha. We have heard that he from love of pleasure had been guilty of a falsehood towards a Brahmana. He was shunned by the priestly class. And he was without a ministering priest (to assist him in his religious rites). There were no rains in his territory for many years; so that his people began to suffer a draught. Lomapada, caused the youthful sage Rishyasringa to come to his kingdom, by attracting him using courtesans in his country. After Rishyasriga performed a sacrifice, rain came back to his kingdom.

An Anga king named Chitraratha

An invitation came to Ruchi from the country of the Angas. The sister of Ruchi, named Prabhavati, was the spouse of Chitraratha, the ruler of the Angas. Ruchi, of very superior complexion, having attached those flowers to her hair, went to the palace of the king of the Angas in answer to the invitation she had received. Beholding those flowers on her hair the queen of the Angas, possessed of beautiful eyes, urged her sister to obtain some for her. Ruchi, of beautiful face, speedily informed her husband of that request of her sister.

An Anga king named Vrihadratha

Vrihadratha the king of the Angas, fell a prey to death. While the king of Anga performed his sacrifice by the hill called Vishnupada, Indra became intoxicated with the Soma he drank, and the Brahmanas with the presents they received. No other man was born, or will ever be born, that gave or will give away so much wealth as was given away by the king of the Angas in the seven sacrifices he performed

An Anga king named Vasuhoma

There was among the Angas a king of great splendour, called Vasuhoma. That king was always engaged in acts of piety, and accompanied by his spouse he always practiced the most rigid penances. He repaired to the spot called Munjaprishtha held in high esteem by the Pitris and the celestial Rishis.

An Anga king mentioned among the 24 great kings

These were Puru, Kuru, Yadu, Sura and Viswasrawa of great glory; Anuha, Yuvanaswu, Kakutstha, Vikrami, and Raghu; Vijava, Virihorta, Anga, Bhava, Sweta, and Vripadguru; Usinara, Sata-ratha, Kanka, Duliduha, and Druma.

Other Anga Kings

See also

Kingdoms of Ancient India

Anga

References

 

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