Sino-Kannauj war was a war fought between King Arunasva of Kannauj kingdom and forces of Chinese diplomat and general Wang Xuance.The battle resulted in victory Wang's forces and captivation of about 2,000 prisoners of war from Magadha.The victory in war earned Xuance the title of "Grand Master for the Closing Court".[1]
| Battle of Kannauj | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Forces of Wang Xuance | Kingdom of Kannauj | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,200 total (7,000 Nepalese and 1,200 Tibetan infantry) | Unknown | ||||||
Background
editWang Xuance was originally sent by Tang Dynasty emperor Tang Taizong in 648 in court of King Harshavardhana in response to latter sending an ambassdor to his court.However once in India he discovered Harshavardhana had died and the new king Aluonashun (supposedly Arunāsva) attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinates.[2] This led to Wang Xuance escaping to Tibet and then mounting a joint of over 7,000 Nepalese mounted infantry and 1,200 Tibetan infantry and attack on the Indian state.[3]
Battle
editHaving recruited the soldiers from Nepal and Tibet Wang attacked the Indian state.The details of conflict are known by writings of Tibetan and Chinese writers.The war eventually resulted in victory of Wang's forces.Some 2,000 were taken prisoners of war from Magadha by Nepali and Tibetan forces under Wang.The Nepal had been subdued by Tibetan king Songtsen.The Indian pretender was one of the captives.Wang also secured a reported Buddha relic for China.Battle earned Wang the title of "Grand Master for the Closing Court".The Battle happened around 649.[4][5][6][7] Taizong's grave had a statue of the Indian pretender.[8] The pretender's name was recorded in Chinese records as "Na-fu-ti O-lo-na-shuen" (probably a reference to Tirabhukti and Arunasva).[9][10] The war had lasted 3 days [11]
References
edit- ^ Sen 2003, pp. 9, 22–24.
- ^ The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient & Medieval Warfare By Matthew Bennett, Peter Connoll: pg 3ref36
- ^ Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations ... By Tansen Sen, pg 23
- ^ Tansen Sen (January 2003). Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600-1400. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 22–. ISBN 978-0-8248-2593-5.
- ^ Henry Yule (1915). Cathay and the Way Thither, Being a Collection of Medieval Notices of China. Asian Educational Services. pp. 69–. ISBN 978-81-206-1966-1.
- ^ Odorico (da Pordenone); Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb; Francesco Balducci Pegolotti; Joannes de Marignolis; Ibn Batuta (1998). Cathay and the Way Thither: Preliminary essay on the intercourse between China and the western nations previous to the discovery of the Cape route. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt.
- ^ "649 – the year China first invaded India – the Acorn".
- ^ Prabodh Chandra Bagchi (2011). India and China : interactions through Buddhism and diplomacy ; a collection of essays. Anthem Press. pp. 158–. ISBN 978-93-80601-17-5.
- ^ Sen 2003, p. 22-23.
- ^ D.C. Sircar (1990). Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 326–. ISBN 978-81-208-0690-0.
- ^ Sam Van Schaik (2011). Tibet: A History. Yale University Press. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-0-300-17217-1.