Emperor Bharata

Encyclopedia : E : EM : EMP : Emperor Bharata

Map of Epic India.

Bharata according to Hindu legend was the first king to conquer all world as known to the Vedic aryans, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as Bharatavarsha.

According to the Mahabharata^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, Bharata's empire covered all of the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan and Persia. The Republic of India is also known as Bharat after Bharata.

Contents

1 Son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala
2 Son of Rishabha
3 Bharatvarsha
4 The Bharata Race
5 Literary sources
6 In history
7 See also

Son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala

According to one legend, Bharata was the son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala and thus a descendant of the Lunar Dynasty of the kshatriya creed. Both he and Bharata, the son of Rishabha (see below), are believed to be the person after whom India was named Bharatavarsha. He was originally christened Sarvadamana (subduer of all); the Mahabharata traces the events in his life by which he came to be known as Bharata (the Cherished).

Son of Rishabha

In another version from mythological sources, Bharata was the eldest son of King Lord Rishabha. Both he and Bharata, the son of Dushyanta, are believed to be the person after whom India was named Bharatavarsha. In his later years, this Bharata renounced the throne and became an ascetic in a forest. Though he had renounced most worldly desires, he is said to have become very fond of a deer fawn in the forest. Hence he is said to have been reborn as a deer, and then again reborn as Jadha Bharata in a Brahmin family.

Bharatvarsha

Bharatvarsha.

Emperor Bharata is regarded as the first and only emperor to rule all of India. Shown here is the approximate extent of Bharatvarsha, the land ruled by Bharata.

The Bharata Race

See Also: Mahabharata, ancient India The imperial dynasties of ancient India, such as the Kauravas and Pandavas of Hastinapura, are recognized in the Mahabharata and Ramayana as the descendants of Bharata.

Bharata was the greatest king of the Chandravanshi (Lunar Dynasty) of the kshatriya race.

Literary sources

Bharata's exploits as a child prince are dramatised in Kalidasa's poetic play The Recognition of Shakuntala.

Emperor Bharata's life and exploits are recounted in the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, in its Adi Parva.

In history

Bharata's paramount position as founder of modern India is imbibed in the consciousness of Indians, but mainly through sources of Hindu mythology and Hindu religious works. Archeological evidence of Bharata's kingdom and reign is scarce.

Bharata is construed by many historians as having been an Indo-Aryan king, and as king he unified all of the Indian subcontinent with the Dravidian peoples and other indigenous peoples as his subjects.