Articles on Ancient Indian Kingship
On some recent Interpretations of the Mahābhārata: Theories of Kingship
By U. N. Ghoshal · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1955
This essay examines recent interpretations of the Mahābhārata’s political theory, focusing on its conception of kingship. The author surveys Sanskrit commentators and modern historians who view the epic as articulating a social contract model in which…
A comparison between ancient Indian and mediaeval European theories of the divine origin and nature of Kingship
By U. N. Ghoshal · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1955
This essay compares concepts of kingship in ancient India with the medieval European doctrine of the divine right of kings. Drawing on the Mahabharata and Dharmasastras, the author explains that early Indian texts portray kingship as deriving from cosmic…
Haibaya Coins of Mahākosala
By L. P. Pandeya Sharma · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1943
The essay on the Haibaya coins of Mahākosala traces the political history of a little‑known dynasty in south‑central India through its numismatic record. Starting from the conqueror Kaliṅgarāja, who seized South Kosala and founded a principality at Tummana,…
Hindu Theories of the Origin of Kingship and Mr. K. P. Jayaswal—A Supplement
The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1925
The text discusses Hindu theories on the origin of kingship, referencing Vedic and Puranic sources. It highlights the divine creation of kings, citing a text from an unknown Brahmana via Vivaripa’s commentary on the Yajnavalkya Smriti. This text describes how…
The Aryan Rule of India
By W. F. Gunawardhana · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1925
The text challenges the long-held assumption that Aryans, after conquering parts of North India, expanded to rule all of India, maintaining power until recent times. It questions the Aryan origin of the three prominent royal houses (Solar, Lunar, and…