Bhojas of Vidarbha and Goa: A Historical and Mythological Link Through Yadava Roots
- thenewsdirt
- May 8
- 6 min read

The green expanse of central India and the coastal terrain of Goa once bore witness to a shared historical thread that spanned centuries and regions.
Through scattered records, ancient scriptures, and traditional accounts, the Bhojas emerge as a link between two regions, Vidarbha and Goa.
Their journey, often overlooked in larger historical narratives, involved territorial shifts, dynastic re-establishment, and cultural adaptation, all while retaining roots in a broader Yadava identity.
Early Presence in Vidarbha
The Bhojas originated as a powerful Yadava clan in ancient Vidarbha, an area corresponding to present-day eastern Maharashtra.
They were part of the broader Yadava confederacy, known for its pastoral and martial traditions.
Texts such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana offer early references to this dynasty. King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha, a Bhoja ruler, is mentioned as the father of Rukmini, who was married to Krishna. Their base was Mrittikavati, situated along the Parnasa River. This region became central to their early authority and influence.
Their role extended into cultural and political domains. The Ramayana recounts the marriage of a Bhoja princess from Vidarbha to Prince Aja of the Kosala kingdom. These mentions reflect the Bhojas’ significance beyond their immediate geography.
The Vishnu Purana identifies the Bhojas as descendants of Mahabhoja, the son of Satvata, placing them within the lineage of the Andhakas and Vrishnis, both associated with Krishna. Such references place the Bhojas firmly within the Yadava framework, which had roots in Mathura and Dwaraka but extended across much of central India.
Ashoka’s rock edicts, inscribed in the 3rd century BCE, list the Bhojas among the prominent tribal entities of that time.
This indicates a recognised political presence in the region during the Mauryan period. They were not isolated rulers but part of a larger matrix of Yadava clans connected through shared kinship and political alliances.
Their identity revolved around cowherding, Krishna worship, and pastoralism. The Bhojas’ societal fabric reflected the characteristics of other Yadava clans, whose allegiance to Krishna often defined their political affiliations and internal customs.
Their strategic location in Vidarbha and participation in wider Yadava activities made them a significant component of central Indian polity.
Disintegration and Migration Southward

The Mahabharata’s Mausala Parva describes a destructive episode that impacted the Yadava clans, including the Bhojas.
Thirty-six years after the Kurukshetra war, internal conflict led to the downfall of major Yadava centres. Gandhari, blaming Krishna for the war’s devastation, cursed the Yadavas. This curse culminated in fratricidal violence during a festival among the clans. Leaders, including Krishna and Balarama, perished, and Dwaraka was submerged into the sea.
In the chaos that followed, Arjuna attempted to escort the surviving Yadavas northwards.
However, they were attacked during the journey, resulting in a large-scale dispersal across several regions. These included Gujarat, the Aravalli ranges, the Narmada valley, and areas of the northern Deccan. Some moved eastward toward the Ganges plain, while others travelled southward.
Historical interpretations suggest that the Bhojas were among the groups that moved south through Konkan, eventually arriving in the area known today as Goa.
Traditional accounts preserved in local narratives and supported by the Bhavishya Purana note this movement. The Purana describes the Bhojas of Goa as descendants of the Yadavas from Vidarbha and Dwaraka.
Their shift is often presented not as an isolated migration but as part of a collective displacement caused by the larger collapse of Yadava power centres in Gujarat.
Historian Puranik’s observations reinforce this belief, noting that the Bhojas of Goa belonged to the same Yadava stock.
The specific paths of the Bhojas' journey are not well detailed in surviving texts, but the broader context of post-Kurukshetra dispersal makes their southward relocation plausible.
Unlike other dynasties with well-documented founding legends, the Bhojas’ move to Goa lacks elaborate storytelling, possibly due to the obscure nature of their documentation.
Nonetheless, the emergence of Chandrapura (modern-day Chandor) as their capital in Goa indicates a conscious establishment of a new power centre.
The Establishment of Bhoja Rule in Goa
The Bhojas reappeared as rulers in Goa during the 3rd to 6th centuries CE, governing from their capital at Chandrapura.
Their dominion, known as Chandramandala, extended beyond present-day Goa into parts of the Konkan coast, including North Canara and Belgaum in Karnataka.
They operated as feudatories to larger empires, including the Mauryas of Konkana and possibly later under the Satavahanas or the Chalukyas of Vatapi. Their subordination to these major powers did not diminish their regional significance.
Their presence is confirmed through several copper-plate grants, most notably those issued by King Devaraja Gominam. These grants confirm Bhoja's administrative authority in Chandrapura and provide concrete evidence of their rule.
They illuminate governance practices such as land grants and taxation, standard elements of early medieval South Indian administration. The inscriptions serve as formal recognition of their functioning polity in Goa, though they do not mention their Vidarbha ancestry directly.
Commercial activities played a central role in this phase of Bhoja rule.
Their territory featured in maritime records, including those of Ptolemy and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, which referred to the region as Arieke or Sodon.
Goa’s coastal stretch under the Bhojas was known for maritime trade and was described as a "pirate coast" during the Satavahana period, a label that reflected both its commercial importance and the risks posed by seafaring raids.
Unlike the land-based lifestyle in Vidarbha, the coastal Bhojas relied on overseas trade to sustain and expand their economy.
Cultural adaptation marked their stay in the Konkan. While their Yadava identity, rooted in Krishna devotion, remained part of their social character, the Bhojas of Goa also engaged with Buddhist influences.
Their court reportedly included Buddhist converts of foreign origin, including Greeks and Persians. This openness was likely influenced by trade contacts, which brought diverse populations to their territory.
This multiculturalism, though a departure from their pastoral past, did not erase their foundational lineage. Instead, it demonstrated an evolution in response to their changed environment.
Links Between the Two Regions
Despite the geographical distance between Vidarbha and Goa, several threads connect the Bhojas across both locations. Textual sources such as the Bhavishya Purana link the Bhojas of Goa to the Yadava confederacy rooted in Vidarbha.
The Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana provide the mythological and genealogical framework, identifying the Bhojas as descendants of Mahabhoja, a Yadava ancestor.
These references anchor the Bhojas within the Yadava framework and trace a historical arc from Mrittikavati to Chandrapura.
Copper-plate inscriptions from Goa, including those issued by Devaraja Gominam, add to this historical layering.
Although these records focus on administrative matters, their dating aligns with the suggested timeline of post-Mahabharata migrations.
The inscriptions offer evidence of continuity in leadership and governance. The absence of direct mention of Vidarbha does not negate the connection, given that oral traditions and Puranic accounts fill the narrative gap.
Local traditions in Goa echo the theory of northern origin. These accounts maintain that the Bhojas settled in the region after the Mahabharata war.
The alignment of such beliefs with the Puranic narrative adds coherence to the story of a Yadava offshoot adapting to a coastal setting. Their capital at Chandrapura symbolised a renewal of rule rather than a complete break from their past.
Religious and social continuities also support this link. The Bhojas in both regions demonstrated devotion to Krishna, a central figure in Yadava tradition.
Their cultural practices, even as they evolved in Goa, retained aspects of their original identity. The movement from Mrittikavati to Chandrapura can thus be read not as a replacement but as a shift in context, shaped by external circumstances and internal adaptation.
The connection between Vidarbha and Goa through the Bhojas rests on three pillars of ancient textual references, inscriptional evidence from the early medieval period, and oral traditions preserved in the regions they ruled.
While there are gaps in the historical record, the cumulative evidence indicates a tangible relationship.
References
Arora, R. K. (1972). Historical and cultural data from the Bhavishya Purana. Sterling Publishers.
Shyam Singh, R. (2000). The Bhojas of ancient India. Indian Historical Research Institute.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bhojas of Goa. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhojas_of_Goa
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bhoja tribe. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhoja_tribe
Wikipedia. (n.d.). History of Goa. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Goa
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Vidarbha Kingdom. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidarbha_Kingdom
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Yadava. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yadava
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Mausala Parva. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausala_Parva
Goa Holiday Guide. (n.d.). Goa under the Bhoja Empire. Retrieved from https://www.goaholidayguide.com/history/?action=historyDetails&ID=goa-under-the-bhoja-empire
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