Maharaj Agrasen: From Agroha King to Agrawal’s Founder (21 Historical Stories on Life Events)
Who was Maharaja Agrasen?
Brief Introduction to Maharaja Agrasen
Maharaja Agrasen is remembered as an embodiment of peace-maker, a messenger of non-violence, an icon of compassion, inspiration for sacrifice, and a true socialist.
He is one of those legendary personalities who got honored by the Government of India by issuing the postage stamp in his remembrance.
The Iconic King Agrasen’s Birthday
The Birth of Maharaja Agrasen during the Switch of Two Yugas
As per the popular calendar of today’s era, King Agrasen took birth about 5143 years ago (as per Oct 2018) in around year 3125.
It is believed that it was the era when Dwapar Yug (Dvaapar Yug) was at its last stages and Kalyug was at its beginning.
Family Background of Agrasen
The Suryavanshi Family Background of Maharaja Agrasen
He had taken birth to Pratapnagar’s King Vallabh (Also spelled as King Ballabh) as the eldest son. King Vallabh was a Suryavanshi, which means he belonged to the divine lineage from the Sun. He was a descendant of Mohan who was the son of Suryavanshi King Mandhata and the elder brother of Gunadhi.
Compassionate Prince Agrasen in childhood
Maharaja Agrasen as the Prince Agrasen of Pratap Nagar in Childhood
Prince Agrasen of Pratap Nagar was a very well-known personality from an early young age for his compassion. The conduct of his behavior with his nature of supporting equality was very pleased among people. He never discriminated and indeed inspired for indiscrimination to many.
Marriage of Maharaja Agrasen and Beautiful Madhavi
The Historic Wedding of Maharaja Agrasen: The Meet of Two Rich Cultures
At a young age, Agrasen attended the Swayamvar of King Nagaraj Kumud’s daughter, a very beautiful Princess Madhavi. As the result of Swayamvara, Princess Madhavi chose King Agrasen among various kings of Devas including Indra. She put the garland on King Agrasen as the gesture of her selection and will.
As King Agrasen was a Suryavanshi (from the family of the Surya, the Sun) and Princess Madhavi was a Naagvanshi (from the family of the Naaga, the snake), their wedding was an amalgamation of different cultures.
Till now Agrawals worship snakes because of the family background of Maharaja Agrasen’s queen, Maharani Madhavi. They believe snakes are from their maternal background.
The Story of War between Maharaja Agrasen and Indra Dev
The War of a Righteous King Agrasen and Annoyed Deva Indra
The King of Devas who is believed to control the rain and storm, Indra had been very impressed and indeed smitten by the spending beauty of Princess Madhavi and badly wanted to marry her.
As Indra couldn’t marry Madhavi because of Maharaja Agrasen, he got annoyed, furious, and jealous of him. He decided to take revenge against King Agrasen and took undue advantage of his power.
Indra, known as the Deva of Rain, stopped the rainfall in the kingdom of Maharaja Agrasen and made sure that he and his people suffer because of the lack of water.
The situation turned to worst in Pratap Nagar, Agrasen’s kingdom. It all pushed Agrasen towards waging the war against the Deva of Water Indra.
Maharaja Agrasen was right and with dharma, so this fight resulted in his favor and he vanquished the entire force of Indra.
Seeing the situation, Indra headed to Rishi Narada (the brainy celestial sage) and asked for his suggestion and for becoming the mediator for ending this all.
After the involvement of Narada, the war between Indra and Maharaja Agrasen ended with peace.
The Mythologies about Maharaja Agrasen
Other Beliefs about Maharaja Agrasen’s Family and Identity
He also married Sudaravati as per the advice of Maharshi (also spelled as Maharishi) Garg, for good health and wealth. Some believe that he had 17 Naga-Kanyas as his wives.
Another belief says that Agrasen King was contemporaneous to the famous Avatar of Lord Vishnu, named Lord Krishna.
It is also believed that Agrasen was the elder grandfather of Mahabharat’s Krishna and Balarama Vrishni, elder brother of Shoorsen, and the descendant of Khandavprastha’s King Yayati.
As per some ancient sources, King Agrasen had declared Agroha as the capital of his state and he also lived there. While on another side, his younger brother Shoorsen stayed in Dwarka (Also spelled as Dwarka or Dvaraka) along with Balarama and Krishna.
Maharaja Agrasen as a Devotee of Lord Shiva and Goddess Mahalakshmi
The Devotion of Worshiper Agrasen for His Deity and Kingdom
Realizing the condition of his kingdom, Maharaja Agrasen started worshiping Lord Shiva in Kashi. Seeing his great devotion, the pleased Lord Shiva appeared and suggested Agrasen for worshiping Goddess Mahalakshmi bringing back the prosperity of his kingdom. Maharaja Agrasen followed the advice and meditated and worshiped Goddess Mahalakshmi.
Maharaja Agrasen from Kshatriya to Vaishya Tradition of Business
The Turning Point of Maharaja Agrasen’s Life: Journey from Kshatriya to Vaishya Culture
Goddess Mahalakshmi was much impressed by the devotion of Maharaja Agrasen, and so appeared to bless him. She suggested Agrasen for taking up the Vaishya (also spelled as Vaisya) tradition of trading.
With taking up this business, she also suggested to Agrasen that he should search for a new kingdom and gave her words of bestowing prosperity there for him and his descendants.
As Goddess Mahalakshmi suggested, Agrasen followed her giving up the Kshatriya tradition and opted Vaishya tradition.
The Birth and Establishment of Agroha City
The Search of Maharaja Agrasen and Maharani Madhavi for the Land of Agroha
With the blessings of Goddess Mahalakshmi, Maharaja Agrasen headed for his journey of searching for the new kingdom with his wife, Queen Madhavi.
Maharaja Agrasen and his wife Madhvi traveled throughout India for finding the new kingdom and during this wondering, they found a few cubs of tiger and wolves playing together in a place. They found it an auspicious indication seeing that as a Veerbhoomi that is a land of braves and decided to choose that location naming that ‘Agreya’.
Later the name Agreya got famous as Agroha.
Soon Agroha became a very prosperous land and the business flourished there well with the blessings of Goddess Mahalakshmi. In its heydays, the city of Agroha has a hundred thousand businessmen and traders.
“One Brick and One Coin by Each to New”: Amazing, Indeed Unique Welfare Policy
Splendid Idea and Philosophy by Maharaja Agrasen
Also known as the “One brick, one rupee” policy, a welfare activity and worth considering tradition by King Agrasen has been very popular. It was the idea of facilitating a brick and a rupee by each and every inhabitant to the immigrant who wishes to settle in that place; so that he can have a thousand of bricks and rupees for starting his new business. How great and kind!
Agrasen Laid the Foundation of 18 Gotras of Agrawal
The Works of Maharaja Agrasen: 18 Maha Yagnas and 18 Gotras
For proper management, Maharaja Agrasen organized his kingdom by dividing it into 18 parts. He arranged 18 Maha Yagna, established 18 Gotra with the Gurus of his children, and distributed each among them.
All of these 18 Gotras are different in names yet they are one in whole like 18 different chapters of one Bhagavad Geeta.
Agrawal literally indicates to the "Children of Agrasen" or "the Agroha city’s people" who belong to Agrasen.
Let’s know the full story and names of 18 Agrawal Gotras below!
Kind Maharaja Agrasen Prohibited Animal Killing in His Kingdom
Another Great Idea by Maharaja Agrasen, A Compassionate and Kind King
Maharaja Agrasen used to perform many Yagna for the prosperity of his kingdom’s people. The performance of Yagna was seen as a symbol of prosperity those days.
Once during such Yagna, when Maharaja Agrasen saw a horse struggling for going far from the sacrificial altar, his heart filled with pity and he felt very bad for the horse and about the system.
Many ancient stories also indicate that the entire horse sacrificing event had happened during the eighteenth Yagna, the last one of the Great 18 Yagna when Maharaja Agrasen broke the tradition of sacrificing the horse for prosperity.
He thought what is the rationale of such prosperity in which an innocent and mute animal needs to be sacrificed. He got stuck with the idea of ahimsa that is non-violence. Agrasen raised his voice for the issue by putting his thoughts in front of his ministers.
In reply, his ministers raised one more vital point that as Yagna was considered to be the symbol of prosperity, the neighbor kings could take this decision as a sign of weakness and attack on the kingdom.
But Maharaja Agrasen justified their fears by mentioning that stopping the support to violence, killing of a mute animal, and such kind of injustice nowhere indicates the weakness.
He firmly stuck to his point and ahimsa and proclaimed that his kingdom will no more witness any kind of cruel gesture like the killing of a mute animal.
It is believed that the incomplete eighteenth yajna is the reason that when the pleased Gods appeared after the completion of yajna, they blessed the king with seventeen and a half gotras.
Following is the list of all 18 Gotras of the Agrawal (Agarwal) community:
The Late Years of Maharaja Agrasen
The Transfer of Throne for Heading towards Vanaprasth Ashram
The predecessor of Maharaja Vallabh, Maharaja Agrasen left his luxury making Vibhu his successor. In the late part of his lifespan, he announced his throne to his eldest son and went to the Vanaprastha Ashram for the rest of his life.
The Disperse of Agrawals into Throughout India
The Story of Richness and Regality Spread in India: Just Traces and Values of Agrasen Left behind
The prosperity of the Agroha kingdom and its people had been an attraction for many hearts that burned into jealousy. Many neighboring kings didn’t like the blossoming kingdom and so attacked its people frequently.
Their aggression and created problems became the root cause of the dispersion of the Agroha people. Their weakening strength was complemented by a huge fire that engulfed the entire city of Agroha.
This fire-dance in Agroha made its citizens flee from the place in various places of Bharat (Worldwide famous as India).
Where is the Agroha City of Maharaja Agrasen Now?
Hisar with Regal Stories of Maharaja Agrasen
Now Agroha is situated near Hisar that is in Haryana and has been developing as a holy place of Agrawals. The temple of Vaishnavi Devi and Maharaja Agrasen is much famous there.
Agroha Dham: The Temple Keeping theMemories of Agrasen Safe
Agroha Dham Temple Keeping the Remembrance of Maharaja Agrasen Alive
There is a famous temple in Agroha Dham which is in front of its trust compound. The main gate of the temple witnesses as if two guards in form of two splendidly sculpted elephants.
The temple compound can be seen with three main wings which center section has Kuldevi Mahalakshmi (Also spelled as Maha Lakshmi, and Mahalaxmi) in Mahalashami Shakti Peeth which was resurrected in 1984 on the 30th of October.
The huge dome of the temple stands tall with the height of 180ft from the base of the ground. There is a Kalash placed in the temple which is gold plated and an idol of Devi Mahalakshmi, seated on a lotus. The campus is filled with the spiritual appeal and the historic aura of the great King Agrasen.
People, especially the followers of Agrasen and people from Agrawal Samaj believe that since the goddess Mahalakshmi had blessed Maharaja Agrasen with a boon, whosoever asks, the wish of every person is heard and fulfilled there.
There is also a temple dedicated to the goddess Saraswati on its North-West side. Devi Saraswati is believed to be the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, and patience which are the prime ways and keys to generate wealth. As Agrawals belong to business acumen, this temple of Goddess Saraswati also holds great significance.
Where the temple complex’s North-west end has Goddess Saraswati’s temple, the east side of the temple complex has Maharaja Agrasen’s temple.
The main hall of the temple premises showcases the beautiful scenes and idols of King Agrasen and the important events of his life.
Where some scenes depict the story of “One brick and one coin for the newcomer”, the other gives glances of myths from Veda, Upanishad, and Puranas.
Other than the compound of trust and the temple complex, there is one more center of attraction in front of the main temple, which is a Satsang Hall (A place for preaching the holy words and sharing spiritual messages) spread in 120 Sqft by 160 Sq ft of area. Special in architectural design, the hall is the biggest one in India which stands without support of the pillars.
Agrasen Ki Baoli
Another Place with Traces of Agrasen Maharaj
One more construction called “Agrasen Ki Baoli” speaks about the traces of King Agrasen which was made my Agrawal community in Delhi during the 14th century, the epic era of Mahabharat.
Agarwalon Ki Utpatti: Agrawal Caste’s Ancient History
The Man behind the Agrawal Community: King Agrasen from Various Writers’ Pen
He can also be traced in an essay written by an Agrawal poet and author Bhartendu Harishchandra in 1871 named “Agarwalon Ki Utpatti” which means the origin of Agrawals.
Bhartendu has presented Maharaj Agrasen as a Suryavanshi Kshatriya king who was born in the epic era of Mahabharat that was held in the last stages of the Dwapar Yug.
As per the author’s claim, his compilation provides information about Maharaja Agrawal through ancient writings and traditions from the text Shri Mahalakshmi Vrat Ki Katha which is a part of the Bhavishya Purana.
However many independent writers find it difficult to trace Maharaja Agrasen in such resources.
Probing the History: Surprising Facts!
A historian Satyaketu Vidyalankar probed the text of Mahalakshmi Vrat Ki Katha that he claims to find in the personal library of the Agrawal Author Bhartendu Harishchandra.
Surprisingly, the copy of Mahalakshmi Vrat Ki Katha which he published nowhere contains traces or a glance about the origin of Agrawals.
Agarwals in India with the Legacy of Maharaj Agrasen
A Great Man in Still Alive with His Values and Principles
The Agrawal (Also spelled as Agarwal) community people are still known as Agrawals around the nation — India, and still have 18 Gotras and the legacy of Maharaja Agrasen.
The famous King Agrasen is not in this world with his physical appearance though, yet his deeds and followers are still spreading the words of harmony, social service, peace, and sacrifice.
Not only the name of Maharaja Agrasen but also his life is a part of the lives of Agarwals in the form of their spirit of performing social services for the welfare of others.
Agrawal Jayanti in Remembrance of Maharaja Agrasen
Maharaja Agrawal Jayanti: An Event of Historical and Religious Significance
Maharaja Agrawal Jayanti, also known as Agrawal Jayanti is observed by Hindu, Agrawal, and Jain community people for keeping the ideas and principles of Maharaja Agrasen alive. People celebrate this day with great joy and excitement by offering their services for social welfare and arranging various cultural programs.
Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti: 8 Info About Agrawal's Popular Event
