Yasomati
Lady Yasomati (died 604/605/606 CE) was an ancient Indian queen consort[1] as the chief wife of King Prabhakaravardhana of Thanesar.
- For a politician, see "Yashomati Chandrakant Thakur".
Yasomati | |
---|---|
Spouse(s) | Prabhakaravardhana |
Children | 3 |
Name
Yasomati is also known as Yasovati,[2] and as Yasomati Devi[3] (devi = "goddess"). Since "s" in the common English spelling of her name is pronounced as "sh" in "fish", her name is also spelled as Yashomati.
Biography
According to a theory, Yasomati was a daughter of King Yashodharman of Malwa and a sister of King Shiladitya of Malwa.[4]
Yasomati married Prabhakaravardhana (member of the Pushyabhuti dynasty), and she bore him three children:
- King Rajyavardhana
- King Harsha[5][6] (हर्षवर्धन)
- Rajyashri, Queen consort of Kannauj
Yasomati burnt herself to death, and this is sometimes considered sati, although sati is a term usually used for the widows who died by self-immolation, whilst Yasomati killed herself before her husbandʻs death. Poet Bāṇabhaṭṭa mentioned in Harshacharita that Yasomati distributed her jewellery to the other members of the royal court shortly before she killed herself.[7]
Bhandi — nephew of Yasomati — was a companion of Harsha.[8]
References
- Although it is unknown did she have an official title, she was likely a Rani.
- Bireshwar Nath Srivastava (1976). Harsha and His Times: A Glimpse of Political History During the Seventh Century A.D..
- Epigraphia Indica. Archaeological Survey of India. Published in 1971.
- Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya (1979). History of Mediaeval Hindu India: Rise of Hindu kingdoms. Yasomati is mentioned on the pages 38 and 39.
- Abraham Eraly (2011). The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. p. 372. "Two centuries later, in another celebrated incident, Harsha's mother Yasomati committed sati..."
- Andrea Major (2007). Sati: A Historical Anthology. Oxford University Press.
- Jakub Pigoń, ed. (18 December 2008). The Children of Herodotus: Greek and Roman Historiography and Related Genres. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-1443802512.
- Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published in 1909. Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society.