Kunala

Allegiance: Maurya Empire

Maurya Empire

The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC...

 (Magadha Empire

Magadha

Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...

) Rank: Heir Succeeded by: Samprati

Samprati

Samrat Samprati was an emperor of Maurya dynasty who reigned from c.224–215 BCE. He was the son of Ashoka's blind son, Kunala. He succeeded his cousin, Dasharatha as emperor of the Mauryan Empire and ruled almost the entire present-day Indian subcontinent....

Kunala or Kunāl (3rd Century B.C) was the son of Emperor Ashoka

Ashoka

Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...

 and Queen Padmavati

Padmavati

-Mythology:* Alamelu, aka Padmāvatī, Hindu goddess and consort of Sri Venkateshwara of Tirupati* Another name for the Hindu serpent goddess Manasa* Padmavati , Jain goddess-Given name:...

, and presumptive heir to Ashoka and thus the heir to the Mauryan Empire which once ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

. While he was supposed to be the future heir to the empire, he was blinded by another of Ashoka

Ashoka

Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...

's wives, Tishyaraksha

Tishyaraksha

Tishyaraksha was one of the wives of emperor Ashoka, who was the ruler of India.As per some of the accounts she has been referred to as Tishyarakshita, too. It is believed that she was a favourite maid of one of the wives of Ashok and after the death of this wife, she went to Pataliputra as a...

, at a young age in jealousy. While he was not able to take the throne, his son, Samprati

Samprati

Samrat Samprati was an emperor of Maurya dynasty who reigned from c.224–215 BCE. He was the son of Ashoka's blind son, Kunala. He succeeded his cousin, Dasharatha as emperor of the Mauryan Empire and ruled almost the entire present-day Indian subcontinent....

, became his heir.

Significance of name

Kunal is the name of one of the Himalayan birds, (painted snipe

Painted snipe

Painted snipes are three distinctive wader species in the family Rostratulidae. The family is composed to two genera, Rostratula and Nycticryphes. The Australian Painted Snipe is often treated as a subspecies of the Greater Painted Snipe, but morphological and genetic differences have resulted in...

s). The meaning of Kunal in Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 is "Lotus" in Sanskrit. Kunal also means "bird with beautiful eyes", "someone who sees beauty in everything" or "one with beautiful eyes" to see..

Early life

Ashoka sent his son to Ujjain

Ujjain

Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...

, there to be brought up and carry out his princely education, to become the heir to the throne of the Mauryan Empire.

Blinding

When the prince was eight years old, the king wrote (in Prakrit

Prakrit

Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...

) to the tutors that Kunala should begin his studies. One of Ashoka's wives who wanted to secure the succession to her own son, being then present took up the letter to read it. She secretly put a dot over the letter 'a', changed Adheeyu into Andheeyu -- another word, meaning he must be blinded. Without rereading the letter, the king sealed and dispatched it. The clerk in Ujjayini was so shocked by the contents of this letter that he was unable to read it aloud to the prince. Kunala, therefore, seized the letter and read the cruel sentence of his father. Considering that as yet no Maurya prince had disobeyed the chief of the house, and unwilling to set a bad example, he stoutly put out his eyesight with a hot iron".

Alternatively, some stories explain that Kunala had been sent to Taxila

Taxila

Taxila is a Tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is an important archaeological site.Taxila is situated about northwest of Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi in Panjab; just off the Grand Trunk Road...

 to put down a rebellion, which he managed to do peacefully. But he was similarly blinded through the treacherousness of Ashoka's wife Tishyaraksha

Tishyaraksha

Tishyaraksha was one of the wives of emperor Ashoka, who was the ruler of India.As per some of the accounts she has been referred to as Tishyarakshita, too. It is believed that she was a favourite maid of one of the wives of Ashok and after the death of this wife, she went to Pataliputra as a...

.

Attempts to claim throne

Years later Kunala came to Ashoka's court dressed as a minstrel accompanied by his favourite wife Kanchanmala. When he greatly pleased the king by his music, the king wanted to reward him. At this, the minstrel revealed himself as prince Kunala and demanded his inheritance. Ashoka sadly objected that being blind, Kunala never could ascend the throne. Thereupon the latter said that he claimed the kingdom not for himself but for his son. "When," cried the king, "has a son been born to you?" "Samprati

Samprati

Samrat Samprati was an emperor of Maurya dynasty who reigned from c.224–215 BCE. He was the son of Ashoka's blind son, Kunala. He succeeded his cousin, Dasharatha as emperor of the Mauryan Empire and ruled almost the entire present-day Indian subcontinent....

" (meaning "Just now") was the answer. Samprati accordingly was the name given to Kunala's son, and though a baby in arms, he was anointed Ashoka's successor. However, when Ashoka died, Sampriti was as yet too young to rule. Therefore, Ashoka was succeeded by another, older grandson, Dasaratha

Dasaratha Maurya

Dasaratha Maurya was the Emperor of the Mauryan dynasty from 232 BCE to 224 BCE.-Accession:According to the Matsya Purana , Dasaratha succeeded his paternal grandfather Ashoka the Great as ruler of the Mauryan empire. was only about twenty years old, when he ascended the throne of the Mauryan...

. After the demise of Dasaratha, Sampriti did indeed become Emperor.

It is said that Prince Kunala established a kingdom in the Mithila region on the Indo-Nepal Border. It might be the same place where the present village, Kunauli

Kunauli

Kunauli or Kunauli Bazaar is a small town of Supaul district of Bihar, India. It is also known as Kanouli. This small busy town is situated at the borders of India and Nepal.-History:...

 (earlier known as Kunal Gram) at the bank of Kosi river at Indo-Nepal Border is situated. There are some historical and archaeological evidences to support this claim.

Portrayal in popular media

A semi-fictionalized portrayal of Kunal's life was produced as a motion picture under the title Veer Kunal (1925). Ashok Kumar, a Tamil film was produced in 1941 based on the life of Kunal.

Kunal Pathri Temple

Another reference of Kunal comes from place called Kunal Pathri Temple (located in the Dhauladhar Ranges in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh) which is rock pilgrimage near dharamsala

Dharamsala

Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....

. Its said that there used to live a great devotee of lord Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 named Kunal. This temple is dedicated to goddess Kapaleshwari. It has beautiful carvings of gods and goddesses. It is believed that the skull of Devi Sati (Dakshayani

Dakshayani

Dākshāyani or Satī is a Hindu Goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She is worshipped particularly by Hindu women to seek the long life of their husbands...

), the wife of Lord Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

, fell here after being cut off by the Chakra of Lord Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 into fifty-one pieces, to stop the ferocious dance, Tandava Nritya, of Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 carrying the corpse of Sati(Dakshayani

Dakshayani

Dākshāyani or Satī is a Hindu Goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She is worshipped particularly by Hindu women to seek the long life of their husbands...

).