Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya (IAST: ) was an emperor of ancient India. He is often characterised as the ideal king, known for his generosity, courage, and patronage of scholars. Vikramaditya is featured in hundreds of traditional Indian legends, including those in Baital Pachisi and Singhasan Battisi. Many of the legends present him as a universal ruler with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Pratishthana in a few stories). According to the popular tradition, Vikramaditya started the Vikrama Samvat era in 57 BCE after defeating the Shakas. Thus, those who believe him to be based on a distinct historical figure place him around the 1st century BCE. However, this era is mentioned as "Vikrama Samvat" only after the 9th century CE. Other scholars argue that Vikramaditya is a mythical character, as several of the legends about him are fantastic in nature. "Vikramaditya" was a common title adopted by several Indian kings, and it is possible that the various Vikramaditya legends are embellished accounts of different kings, particularly Chandragupta II. Many of these legends, especially the Jain ones, associate him with another legendary king—Shalivahana of Pratishthana. In some, he is defeated by Shalivahana (who establishes the Shalivahana era) while in others, he is an ancestor of Shalivahana; a few legends also apply the title of Vikramaditya to the king of Pratishthana. The political rivalry between the two kings is sometimes also extended to patronage of language, with Vikramaditya supporting Sanskrit and Shalivahana supporting Prakrit.