Pragjyotisha Kingdom


Pragjyotisha was a mythological kingdom that later came to be associated with the historical Kamarupa.
The first mentions of this kingdom are found in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, in the sections not written much earlier than the first century. In the Kishkindha Kanda of the Ramayana, the kingdom is placed in the west near Mount Varaha on the sea. In Aswamedha-parvan of the Mahabharata, Arjuna faced Vajradatta of Pragjyotisha.
The ancient kingdom was preceded by Danava dynasty and was contemporary of Bana dynasty of Sonitpura. It is indiscriminately mentioned in the Hindu Epics and ancient Hindu literature.

History

According to the legends, King Naraka ruled the kingdom. He was succeeded by his son Bhagadatta who was died in hands of Arjuna during Kurukshetra War. Much details of the kingdom is culled from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Kalika Purana and the later Yogini Tantra among others.