Abstract
The legendary king Vikramaditya, revered in India as an epitome of valour and justice is an enigmatic paradox of historical reality and mythic truth. Despite several textual references, his historical presence, is ambiguous and lacking in epigraphic evidence. The credibility of the Vikramaditya legend has often been disregarded by factual historians sniffing and screening out elements of fantasy in the tales. However, the eternal spirit of Vikramaditya is beyond what eyes can see and beyond what the mind can prove. While from a historical standpoint an accurate account of the King would inevitably remain incomplete, Vikramaditya, the archetypal hero is absolute and ephemeral. His identity as an archetypal the hero, typically confirms to the archetypal structure of the ‘mono-myth’ and is analogous to mythic parallels of several cultures. This paper undertakes to examine king Vikramaditya with respect to the archetypal manifestation of his existence, in the mythic perspective.
Highlights
The legendary king Vikramaditya appears in literature and myths as the epitome of justice, valour and rightful conduct
The legend transmitted initially through the oral tradition, lives on to give testimony, where historic records have failed. He is usually regarded as the universal ruler of India with his head- quarters at Ujjain in the Malwa region, though, in a few early cases, he is called ‘the lord of Pataliputra’
Several Indian kings, revered the legendary king Vikramaditya and his name became a venerable title for seekers aspiring for the glory
Summary
The legendary king Vikramaditya appears in literature and myths as the epitome of justice, valour and rightful conduct. There are multitude myths, highlighting qualities of the ideal king, reiterating the significance of the mythic rather than historic persona of the legendary hero. The king Vikramaditya, defeated the Sakas, and started an era or his own, known as Vikram Samvat.
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