In Hindu religion, Ashwamedha yajna is the famous horse ritual performed by the kings in ancient India for establishing their status as a samrat or emperor. The horse was chosen as the sacred animal as it symbolized area of reign and also Surya (the sun), Varuna (the water god), the fire and Prajapati (the creator). A horse with specific features was selected for the sacrifice. If the selected horse was lost before the commencement of Ashvamedha yajna, it spelt some calamity for the king. After certain consecratory rituals, the horse was allowed to wander for a year followed by 400 fully armed guards, including 100 princes. If the horse was captured by anyone, it was taken to be a challenge to the dominance of the king, and a battle was mandated. If the horse was not returned, the ritual was nullified.
Two of the most famous Ashwamedha Yajna are the one
performed by Bhagavan Sri Rama in the Ramayana and the one performed by
Yudhishtira in the Mahabharata.
Ashwamedhayajna belongs to great antiquity. Rig Veda refers to
it, and details are also found in later texts, though with certain
modifications. The sacrificial horse possessed a mystic status. It was
conceived as having the forefeet of a deer, wings of a hawk and fashioned by
the vasus from the sun. After the ritual, it was believed to be flying in the
sky, only its head, resembling the sun, being visible.
The expected gains or benefits from Ashvamedha Yajna
according to Rig Veda are
- Herds of cattle
- A multitude of horses
- Children
- Wealth
- Prowess
- Unity of the people.
There is a philosophical exegesis also, available for
instance in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
The last important king who performed Asvamedha yajna or
horse sacrifice was Yudhisthira of the Mahabharata just before Kali Yuga (the
current age) started. It has been forbidden in Kali Yuga. But several kings is
said to have performed Asvamedhayajna in the current age. This includes
Pushyamitra Shunga, 2000 years ago, and the king of Jayapur in the 18th
Century CE.
Many instances of the horse ritual being successfully
performed, and others being unsuccessful due to the capture of the horse, are
recorded. In the Ramayana, Dasaratha performed it.
Kalidasa, in his Raghuvamsha, mentions Dilipa performing the
Ashwamedha Yajna. Sudraka, the author of Mricchakatika, is said to have
performed the ritual. Sagara is one of the legendary rulers who failed to
complete the ritual. The Chalukya emperor, Pulakeshi, is said to have performed
this sacrifice in 757 CE. Prithvidhara, the king of the Nishadas, performed it,
but was challenged and defeated (9th century CE). In the recent
past, Sawai Jaisingh, king of Amber (Amer), in the first decades of the 18th
century CE, performed the Ashwamedha Yajna.
Bhagavan Sri Rama, after he became king of Ayodhya,
performed Ashvamedha Yajna. He had exiled his wife Sita before this and never
remarried. He got a gold statud of Sita made and performed the ritual with her
as if she were his wife. Kumarila Bhatta observes that this was a one-time exception
and the rule remains inviolate.