Woman Ruler Woman Rule

Gosvaminidevi
Ruled c.843-861
Bhauma-Kara Dynasty, Orissa, India

Excerpts from Woman Ruler: Woman Rule
©2001 Elin Sand

I, Gosvamini, adorned with hundreds of auspicious signs of sovereignty over the entire earth,
I, mounted on a lion, ascended the lion-seat throne like Katyayani, the fearful goddess of Orissa, who takes delight in meat and wine, who is beautiful, who is a warrior.
I issue forth for the conquest of the world.
I, Gosvamini, known as Tribhuvana Mahadevi in the three worlds, took up the burden of administration of the entire kingdom and shone like the Great Serpent Sesa, holding up the entire earth on his hoods. I was prudent and loved statecraft.

During my rule the country advanced in the three branches of administration: foes were extirpated, our glory spread abroad and there was harmony among the people. I maintained an army of thirty thousand men and recognized the suzerainty of no other power. I promoted the general happiness of the people by building pools, wells, bridges and roads. I performed religious duties and endowed temples with daily offerings of milk, ghee, rice, curds, cake, betel-leaf, sandalwood paste, lamps, incense, fresh leaves and flowers and garlands of flowers for the gods. I participated in rites and the discussion of religious doctrines. I kept my officials in check so they did not oppress the people. I helped those in distress by maintaining charitable houses and by making offerings to the poor and needy. I provided resources against the disasters of famine, war and pestilence. I promoted education, the arts, and architecture. I preserved the caste system. I made the trade flourish of large elephants, pepper, aloes, rattan, cotton, and the white conch which is blown like a trumpet.

* * * * *

In the religious polity that was ancient Vedic India, the pre-Aryan traditions continued for a while. Women were nearly full citizens: they were educated, they were eligible to study Brahmanic lore, to be initiated into the Brahmanic mysteries, to conduct sacrifices and to read the sacred texts. Women like men wore the sacred thread. And--far from being secluded as they were in later times--the early Vedic marriage hymn expressed the hope that the bride would speak composedly and successfully at the public assemblies that governed the people.

As time went by women's position steadily declined…

From partner--in marriage, in religion, in governance--she had declined to virtual prisoner: "day and night women must be kept in dependence by the males of their families. Her father protects in childhood, her husband protects in youth, and her sons protect in old age; a woman is never fit for independence." (Manu IX.2-3) And because woman had such an unredeemably evil nature, "Even though the husband be of bad character and seeks pleasure elsewhere he must be constantly worshipped as a god by a faithful wife." (Manu V.154) A woman's only option was abject obedience.

It was only in Orissa under the Bhauma-Karas that women ruled in their own right, even when male heirs were available, and even, it is presumed, received military training. Outside Orissa women ruled only as regents for their sons, natural or adopted, or in the absence of their husbands. The origins of the unusual Bhauma-Karas are murky but there is some evidence that they came from a non-Aryan matriarchal tribe who had migrated into Orissa from neighboring Assam. (Matriarchal tribes were common in both areas.)

Despite the fact that Gosvamini was one of the greatest of the Bhauma rulers, and one of her descendants, Queen Dandi Mahadevi, was another such, modern Indian historians ambivalently attribute the decline of the Bhauma-Karas to the consecutive rule of four women, because they were women. The Bhauma-Kara dynasty did indeed decline. Some reasons were: the farming out of large tracts of land to administrators and to Brahmanas, thus eroding the power base; the growing independence of the feudatories; and the growing power of the neighboring Somavamsis who finally took the throne from old Queen Dharma Mahadevi and killed her. Thus ended this unique dynasty of Orissa, and of India, put on its feet by the spectacular Gosvamini who maintained an army of 300,000 men and considered no one her superior.

*For information about: pre-Aryan matriarchy in India; Vedic Aryan culture; decline of women’s rights; Atman; Tantrism; Buddhism; Hinduism; Saktism; sati; caste; Orissa; Vedic law; Mahabharata; Laws of Manu; bibliography and more see *the book

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*contact Elin Sand at womanruler@yahoo.com

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