6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

80 SIX GLORIOUS EPOCHS OF INDIAN HISTORY
Ujjaiii his son, Agnimitra, as the viceroy of the region. General
Agnimitra was a brave and able commander like his father.
He forced the land up to Vidarbha in the South to acknow­
ledge his overlordship. But later Vidarbha refused to do so.
Hence Agnimitra attacked it. In the battle Vidarbhadhish
(the lord of Vidarbha) was defeated**. Amidst all this con­
fusion. Princess Malavika, the daughter of the Vidarbharaj,
was enamoured of the bravery and other virtues of Agnimitra
and was very eager to marry him. So with the consent of
Pushyamitra, the King of Vidarbha celebrated her marriage
with Agnimitra. This not only created the bonds of friend­
ship but also the bonds of blood-relation between the two
royal families. On this romantic theme itself has Kalidas
composed his famous play Malavikagnimitra.
A HORSE-SACRIFICE IN THE VERY PATALIPUTRA
OF ASOKA!
196. Pushyamitra, who had completely destroyed the
Greeks, the age-old alien enemies of the nation, and rejuve­
nated the Indian empire, had acquired with his own splendid
victories the right to perform a horse-sacrifice according
to the Vedic tradition. About this right of Samrat Pushya­
mitra Vincent Smith writes in his Early History of India
(1924), "The Yavanas and all other rivals having been
disposed of in due course, Pushyamitra. was justified in
his claim to reign as the paramount power of north India
and straightaway proceeded to announce his success by a
magnificent celebration of the Ashvamedha Sacrifice at his
capital. (P.212)*6.
197. This declaration of celebrating a horse-sacrifice
by Samrat Pushyamitra tlirilled the whole country, barring
the minority community of the Buddhists, with national
pride and martial triumph. In the very capital of Asoka,
who had deprived the Vedic Hindus of their religious free­
dom by means of his supreme political authority, was this
Ashvamedha of Samrat Pushyamitra to be performed. This
horse-sacrifice of Pushyamitra was in fact a public imperial
proclamation of Samrat Pushyamitra that all the restrictions