Question

Write a short Note on the Ashwamedha ritual?

Answer 1

Hint: 'Ashwamedha' (horse sacrifice) was a ritual used to recognize men as rajas. One horse was left to wander freely. If it wandered into another state and the king of that state stopped it, they had to go to war. The 'Raj' who succeeded in the challenge was considered stronger. He then performed a yajna, in which other kings also used to come.

Complete solution:
One of the Vedic religious rites of ancient India, Ashwamedha, was performed by a king to celebrate his paramountcy. The ceremony is described in various Vedic writings, especially the Shatapatha Brahmin. A particularly fine stallion was selected and allowed to roam freely for a year under the patronage of an imperial guard. If the horse entered a foreign country, its ruler had either to fight or to accumulate.

If the horse was not captured during the year, it was triumphantly brought back to the capital with which the rulers of the land entered, and then sacrificed in a great public ceremony, with much feast and celebration. The wandering horse was said to be the symbol of the sun in its travels around the world and, as a result, the power of the king over the whole earth. Upon successfully sacrificing a horse, the king could assume the title of Chakravarti. Sanskar served not only to make the king proud but also to ensure prosperity and fertility of the entire kingdom. Not all of Ashwamedha's performances involved the actual killing of an animal, as indicated in the 12th book Shanti Parva of the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.

Note:
This practice was condemned by the Buddha in historical times and seems to have declined, but was revived by Pushyamitra Sunga. He is said to have defeated his horse, protecting the Greek warriors who had reached Punjab. Samudragupt issued coins in commemoration of his successful completion of an Ashwamedha, and the rites are mentioned in relation to other Gupta and Chalukya emperors. This may have continued until the end of the 11th century when it is said to have occurred during the Chola dynasty.