Sugandha
Devi, the Queen in Kashmir's Golden Era
I
don't know if anyone else enjoys searching for namesakes. However, this pastime
of mine and a recent discovery of Indian literature led to an unanticipated
journey through the pages of history. The narrative of the Kashmiri kings is
mentioned in Kalhana's Rajataringini. Three ladies are included in this list,
Queen Sugandha being one of them. Continue reading to learn more about the life
and legacy of the Queen, whose reign is frequently referred to as the
"golden era" for Kashmir by historians.
Sugandha Devi's life and ascent
Sugandha
Devi, who was born in the ninth century, wed Shankaravarman (CE 883-902) of the
Utpala dynasty. Given that the Queen consort herself came from a wealthy
family, this relationship significantly increased the political standing of the
royal family. According to Kalhana's introduction in Rajatarangini, Sugandha
was "...the daughter of the great Svamiraja, the lord of the northern
region, named Sugandha was beloved as is the night of the full moon by the moon
(157)." Her bravery to accompany her husband in battles—a habit extremely
unusual in monarchical India—added to this list of qualities.
She
experienced grief shortly after Shankaravarman passed away while attempting to
recover from a war wound. Many people followed their king in passing, but
Sugandha Devi assumed the role of regent until her son Gopalavarman reached
adulthood. By installing the legitimate king on the throne, she created a means
for the lineage to survive. This arrangement did not, however, continue long
enough to stabilise Gopalavarman's hold on power. According to the chronicles,
the queen regent started having sexual relations with the minister Prabhakara.
The minister felt intimidated when the monarch learned about their relationship
and plotted regicide with a sorcerer's aid.
The
last of Shankaravarman's lineage, Samkata, Gopalavarman's brother, was
installed as king. But within ten days, he also passed unexpectedly in an
unexplained manner. She made multiple attempts—all of which failed—to reclaim
the throne within the royal line of the illustrious Hindu king Avantivarman
(the father of Shankaravarman). "Thus, when the dynasty of king
Samkaravarman had come to an end, upon the petition of the subjects, Sugandha
took royal authority in person," writes Kalhana (243).
Sugandha Queen's reign
Although
Queen Sugandha's regency was found wanting, her reign (CE 904–906) was
magnificent. Although it was brief, she did a lot, which is why it is frequently
referred to as Kashmir's "golden era." She established Sugandhapura
and Gopalapura as towns.
Premnath
Bazaz describes Queen Sugandha as being "liked by the people, trusted by
the courtiers, and admired by the soldiers, yet she couldn't live happily ever
after to serve her people as the kingdom was infected with conspirators and
opportunists who were ever ready to create trouble for her."
Two
strong groups ruled the Kashmiri court during those times, deciding who would
hold the throne. They were the royal bodyguards, the Ekangas, and the military
group, the Tantrins. Sugandha Devi attempted to reclaim control with the aid of
Ekangas and other allies during a power struggle and subsequent dethronement by
the Tantrins. When a battle broke out in the Srinagar suburbs in 914, they made
a final stand for their Queen. However, it was hopeless. Queen Sugandha, who
was imprisoned in the "Nispalaka Vihara," passed away there.
Her legacy through the feminist aesthetics perspective
The
copper and bronze coins are among the most significant finds during the reign
of Queen Sugandha. Numismatics fans will undoubtedly be intrigued by the
features of these coins.
Some
people might consider Queen Sugandha's usage of masculine titles as an attempt
to demonstrate her status as a man in a man's world. It may be viewed as proof
of the authority she held, which was comparable to a king's (a man). I present
an alternative analysis from the standpoint of feminist aesthetics in an effort
to shed insight on how gender categories were understood during the reign of
Queen Sugandha.
In
her book on feminist theory and the aesthetics therein, Anu Aneja outlines a
South Asian perspective of gender as a flexible term. She starts with the
artefacts from the Indus Valley Civilization and continues into Rekhta in her
examination. Aneja's points regarding mystic aesthetics should be taken into
account in order to better understand the connection I'm attempting to make.
She
says that both female and male mystics (in this case, the king) "appears
to embody/rise above these traits," where "the masculine and the
feminine see as dynamic attributes rather than as frozen bodily essences."
Similar to that, the marks on these coins suggest a flexible and
non-essentialist understanding of gender that may have been common at the time.
To
put it another way, our contemporary conception of gender roles causes us to
misinterpret sociohistorical cues in a way that supports our current
hypotheses. When the masculine and feminine are viewed from an analeptic
perspective, the situation is significantly altered. Regarding the notion of
gender in a bygone society, the coins that Queen Sugandha struck convey a
different tale. It demonstrates how the concept of gender was understood more
loosely back then, without essentialism, hierarchy, or superimposition of
traits. Instead, it shows how masculine and feminine titles might have been
employed interchangeably.
Lessons from the Kashmiri Queens
My
history textbook from an elementary school identified Razia Sultan as the only
woman to rule Delhi. Men owned the thrones and the dynasties. Women were not
included in the Law of Primogeniture and were only, at best, permitted to offer
advice while hiding. Many texts, notably the Manusmriti, support these viewpoints.
However,
Kashmir's history is proud to have produced numerous queens, including Didda,
Yasovati, Sugandha Devi, and Kota Rani. They were good rulers who possessed
beauty and ferocity. At the very least, bringing their stories out of obscurity
stimulates contemporary women to assume greater leadership positions, serves as
a reminder of how women rulers have changed our shared history, and most
importantly, empowers women to take care of their own lives.