Alok
kumar
The coronation ceremony in ancient India
formed an Integral part of the polity. In course of time, it became elaborate
ritualistic and technical. The coronation ceremony marked a step forward in the
development of Indian Polity. The Rajasuya,
Vajapeya and the Sarvamedha
ceremonies formed an integral part of the system. The Devasuhavimsi ceremony expresses different kinds of authority out
of which Kshatra Janarajaya are important, where territorial sovereignty was
absent. It might indicate the tribal state and had practically nothing to do
with the territorial state. The Rajasuya
is the most important ceremony and in this ritual the king is sprinkled over by
the representatives of the three upper classes and the Janya, identified with
Shudra. The most noticeable feature is the express recognition of Shudra as a
part of society and from the constitutional point of view, this is a great
change. The Sprinkling ceremony is followed by investiture ritual in which the
prince is invested with a strong bow with three arrows (by the priests) to protect
the people. The bows and arrows represent the strength and when invested the
prince becomes fit for consecration. The Kshatra becomes the symbol of Power.
By the performance of the this sacrifice, the king attains sovereignty. In the
Vedic period the tribal character of the state persisted. By offering the Rajasuya, he becomes a Raja. It has
been said in the Shatpatha Brahmana
“to the king (Rajan) doubtless belongs the Rajasuya for by offering the
Rajasuya, he becomes king and unsuited for the kingship is the Brahmana”.
The Rajsuya consisted of a long succession
of sacrificial performances, starting on the first day of Phalguna and
spreading over a period of two years. The details of the sacrifice are
preserved in the Shatpatha Brahmana.
The main features of the sacrifice were…………..
(i)
The
Ratininamahavimshi-
presents to the divinities of the bejewelled ones viz the chief queen and court
officials.
(ii)
The
Abhishechniya- besprinkling ceremony
(iii)
The
Digvijasthapana- King’s symbolical
walking towards the various Quarters as an indication of his universal rule.
(iv)
Treading
upon a tiger skin- i.e. gaining the pre-eminence of the tiger.
(v)
Narration
of the Hotri priest of the story of Sunahshepa.
(vi)
A
mimic cow raid against the relatives or a sham fight with the member of the
ruling arristocracy or Rajanya.
(vii)
Enthronement.
(viii) A game of dice
in which the king is made the victor.
The Ratininamhavimshi included the Senani
(Troops commander), the Purohita
(Royal Chaplain), the Mahishi (chief
Queen), the Suta (charioteear) the Gramani (Leader of the village), the Ksharti (Chamberlain), the Sangrahitri (Treasurer), the Bhagadudha (Collector of the Royal
share), the Akshavapa (Keeper of
dice), the Govikarttana (King’s
Companion in the chase) and the Palagal (the
courtier). The Ratninamahavimshi formed an integral part of the Rajasuya
Ceremony. The Sacrificing king had to go to the house of each Ratnin and offer
Oblations. The ratnins constituted the different functionaries of the state and
their political importance has been discussed threadbare in the contemporary
literature. The king regards them as sustainers of his realm and they are
described as givers and takers of the kingdom. They made the kingdom vigorous
and energetic. The king is consecrated for the sake of Ratnin and he makes the
ratnin his faithful follower. They sustained the kingship. Dr.K.P. Jayaswal describes them as high functionaries of the state
and the king is required to secure their support. The allegiance of every
functionary is considered to be equally important for the king. Besides the
performance of the Rajasuya Sacrifice in the kuru- Panchal region, it is likely
that the custom was also prevalent in the territory of Videha, where the number
of Ratnins seems to have been twelve. Sthapati is mentioned in the Shatapatha Brahmana in connection with
the concluding ceremonies of the Rajasuya. The sacrificial sword (sphya) given by the priest to the king
is passed on successively to the king’s brother, the Suta or the Sthapati,
the Gramani and finally to a
tribesman (Sajata). We have further
reference to Pariveshtri, the Kshatri Sabhasadas in connection with
the horse sacrifice.
The Ratinins may be compared with the
organised bureaucracy of Kautilya. The list gives an idea of the highly
developed administrative system of the later Vedic period. The growing
expansion of the Aryans necessitated the reconstruction of administrative
machinery and the territorial character of the state came to be fully
recognized. Dr. K.P. Jayaswal
describes his opinion that the Ratnins were recruited from different castes and
classes.
The most essential part of the Rajasuya was
the Abhisheka or besprinkling ceremony. The sprinkling was performed by a
Brahmana Priest, kingsmen or brother of the king elect, a friendly Rajanya and
a Vaishya. The consecration water was made up of seventeen kinds of water
collected from river Saraswati, ocean etc. The ceremony began with offerings to
various deities. The King was consecrated after his election or succession with
an eleborate ritual which is described in the Brahman Texts. Those who aided in
the consecration of the king were called Rajakartri or Rajakrit or King Makers,
In the Shatapatha Brahmana, the
persons meant and specified are the Suta (minstrel) and the Gramani. Both
officials and non- officials were represented in the function. The principal
ceremonies or sacrifices of royal inauguration were the vajapeya, Rajasuya, the
Punar- Abhisheka and Aindra- Mahabhisheka.
The
vajapeya bestowed on the performer, a superior kind of kingship, called Samrajya, while the Rajasuya conferred
the monarchical dignity. The Punarabhisheka made the king- elect eligible for
all sorts of royal dignity and the object of Anidramahabhisheka was to attain pre- eminence or supremacy over
all kings. The Vajapeya rites included a race of seventeen chariots, in which
the sacrificer is allowed to carry off the palm, and from which the ceremony
probably derives the name. According to Hillebrandt, it reminds us of a relic
of an old national festival. After the chariot race, the next interesting item
is the mounting of a pole from which homage is made to the mother earth. He is
then offered a throne seat with a goatskin spread thereon and is addressed by
the priest as follows-“Thou art the ruler, the ruling lord- thou art firm and steadfast,
here I seat thee for the tilling, for peaceful dwelling, for wealth, for
prosperity, of the welfare of the people and the common weal.” The supreme
power is vested in the king for the promotion of agriculture.
The Punarabhisheka is described in the
Aitareya Brahman. It was intended for Conquering Kshatriya monarchs. The
interesting part of the ceremony was the king’s ascent to the throne, made of
Udumbara wood interwoven with the Munja grass. While besprinkling, the king
said –“Do thou become here the overking of kings- the superme ruler of the
earth or the peasantry.” He, then, had to make obeisance to Brahmana.The Aindra
Mahabhisheka Consisted of the following five ceremonies –
I.
Oath,
administered by the priests
II.
Arohana
( Enthronment)
III.
Utkroshana
(Proclamation)
IV.
The
king makers declare him “Kshatriya”i.e king
V.
When
he is proclaimed king, he is annointed (abhishechana)
Closely
connected with the Aindra Mahabhisheka is another important ceremonial, called
the Ashwamedha or horse- sacrifice. In the Aitareya Brahmana, it is said that
all the kings, consecrated with Indra’s great functions, should go round the
earth completely conquering on everyside, and offering the horse in sacrifice.
A paramount king performed the Ashwamedha Sacrifice.
In
the Rajasuya sacrifice there are the following ceremonies which are very
important and remarkable-
I.
The priest silently strikes the king with sticks on
the back, According to the Shatapatha Brahmana the king is made exempt from
judicial punishment through this process. K.P Jayaswal believes that by this
method, the king is brought under laws. It marked the authority of the priests
over royalty.
II.
In the ceremony of cow raid, according to the Shatapatha Brahmana, the king takes
more than a hundred cows. The significance of this ceremony is not very clear
from the text. The ceremony might have indicated his ability to assert royal
power over others. Professor R.S. Sharma
says- The whole ceremony means defeating the relative and then reinstating the
vanquished in his position by doing him an act of grace.”
III.
The game of dice disclosed the political sagacity of
the ruler.
IV.
The chariot race in the Vajapeyi is reminiscent of
such earlier practices among the Indo- Aryans. Though it aimed at winning the
race before being consecrated, in the long run, the king was deliberately made
to win. Sarvamedha indicated a sacrifice for universal rule. It was an
exceptional ceremony performed by Emperors who were already consecrated to
rulership.
V.
Oath-the coronation oath played a very important
part in the constitutional history of ancient India. The king elect is
unanimously regarded to have taken a vow before he is seated on the throne. He
is also known as Dhrita- Vrata. The coronation Oath is as follows- “ Between
the night I am born and the night I die, whatever good I might have done, my
heaven, my life and my progeny may I be deprived of, If I oppress you’’
According to the Aitareya Brahmana,
the Oath was common to all constitutions. After the king ascends the throne, he
is addressed with these words- “To thee, this state is given, thou art the
director and regulator, to thee this is given for agriculture, for well being,
prosperity, and for development". It is by virtue of the above formulae
that sovereignty is vested. The king is declared the strength of the whole
people and this makes him legally and constitutionally superior to all classes
and castes. According to the Aitareya
Brahmana, the coronation Oath should be repeated with faith. The king
promises-“I will never be arbitrary.” It appears that the Oath originated with
the kingship. An analysis of Oath discloses the following points.
a.
That
the trust in king’s hand is his foremost solemn obligation.
b.
That
the country put under him is to be regarded as nothing less than God.
c.
He
is not to be arbitrary and to act according to the established law.
d.
To
offend against the country was to offend against God.
If a monarch failed to keep his coronation
Oath, he would be false in his vow and would forfeit claim to the throne. The
charge of breaking the Oath was at times constructively extended. If the
Monarch failed to maintain the integrity of the state, he was considered guilty
of breaking his vows. If a king acted unlaw fully he would be considered to
have broken faith.Coronation laws were strictly compiled with. Any dereliction
of duties, on the part of the king amounted to the breaking of vows taken at
the time of accession. A code of conduct was to be observed. K.P. Jayaswal is of opinion that the
coronation Oath was Contractual in nature but there is nothing to support the
view. The consecration was a form of initiation. By an oath, the king bound
himself no to do harm to the priest in view of the sacred powers which he was
invoking at the time of the coronation for the prosperity and safety of the
king. The pledge was not given to the people as a whole.
References:-
1.
Altekar
A.S., State and Government in Ancient India, Banaras, 1958.
2.
Bandopadhyaya
N.C., Development of Hindu Polity&Political Theories, Calcutta, 1927.
3.
D.R.
Bhandarkar, Some Aspects of Ancient Hindu Polity, Banaras, 1829.
4.
Ghoshal
U.N., A History of Indian Political Ideas, Oxford University Press, 1959.
5.
Jayaswal
K.P., Hindu Polity, Banglore, 1943.
6.
Pannikar
K.M., The Origin and Evolution of kingship in Ancient India, Baroda,1938.
7.
Sharma
R.S., Aspects of Political Ideas and
Institutions in Ancient India, Delhi 1968.
8.
Choudhary
R.K., Kautilya’s Political Ideas and Institutions, Chowkhamba Publication
Varanasi 1929.
Dr.Alok kumar,
Reader, Dept.Of
History,
Dr. Shakuntala Misra
Rehabilitation University,
Lucknow, u.p.
