DIVODAS

Ancestry of Divodas :

Chandrama → Buddh → Pururava → Ayu → Kshatra Vriddha → Suhotra → Kasya → Kasi → Rashtra → Dirghatams → Dhanvantari → Ketumat → Bhimaratha → Divodas → Dyumat (Also called Pratardana Satrujit and Ritadgvaja) → Alarka + Others.

 

Divodas ("heaven's servant") is a name of a tribal king in the Rigved (celebrated for his liberality and protected by Indra and the Ashvins in the Rigveda, RV 1.112.14; 1.116.18), the son of Vadhryashva RV 6.61.5. He is the father or grandfather of the famous king Sudas (RV 7.18.28) (of the Battle of the Ten Kings). Pijavana is the other name of Divodas according to Rigved. His son, Pratardan, is mentioned in the Kaushitaki Upanishad.

 

He was invited in the Ashwamegh Sacrifice performed by King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. He was the younger brother of Queen Sumitra and was a Brother-in-law of Dasharatha. He was also the son of King Bhimarath and was a grandson of Lord Dhanvantari. It is also the name of a king of Kashi surnamed Dhanvantari as per the hymn (RV 10.179.2), the founder of the Indian school of medicine called Ayurved.

 

The Rig Ved mentions the rivers which flow through Himachal Pradesh. The text also talks about Shambara, the powerful king of these hills before the advent of the Aryans, and his 99 strong forts in the region between the Beas and the Yamuna rivers. His war with the Aryan chief, Divodas, lasted 12 long years, wherein the latter emerged victorious. The Purans too, mention Himachal, calling it all sorts of nice names.