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73-768: The Somavamshis may have been related to the Panduvamshis , who ruled the Dakshina Kosala region in central India. They were probably driven out from this region by the Kalachuris , following which they conquered the Kalinga and the Utkala regions in present-day Odisha, supplanting the Bhauma-Karas . The Somavamshis introduced a new style of art and architecture in Odisha, and their rule saw

146-500: A Buddhist shrine originally built by Suryaghosha. Under his patronage, the monastery attached to the shrine was painted and adorned with a stepped well and gardens. Ishanadeva constructed the Lakshmaneshvara temple at Kharod , and granted some villages for its maintenance. Nannaraja I was probably a Shaivite , as a Sirpur stone inscription of his descendant Balarjuna states that he "covered the earth" with Shiva temples. Tivaradeva

219-511: A collateral branch of the Mekala family, but this cannot be said with certainty in absence of concrete historical evidence. The inscriptions of the Panduvamshi kings are dated in their regnal years instead of a calendar era . Therefore, historians have tried to determine the period of their rule using various other methods. V. V. Mirashi and D. C. Sircar dated the Panduvamshi ruler Tivaradeva to

292-525: A new temple at Puri, and re-installing the image of Purushottama (Jagannatha) there. His reign marks the beginning of the Somavamshi style of temple architecture, which features form, ornamentation and iconography not previously seen in Odisha. This new style can probably be attributed to the dynasty's central Indian origins. Little is known about Yayati I's successors Bhimaratha, Dharmaratha, and Nahusha. Dharmaratha seems to have died without an heir, and Nahusha

365-415: A part of the neighbouring Utkala and Vidarbha regions at different times, but their control of these regions did not last long. Their capital was probably located at Shripura (modern Sirpur ). The later Somavamshi dynasty , which claimed lunar lineage, appears to have been related to them, but this cannot be said with certainty. Several records of the family claim a lunar lineage for it: Within

438-545: A portion of Vidarbha was under the rule of Nannaraja II, although based on the available evidence, it cannot be determined for how long the Panduvamshis continued to control this territory. A Rashtrakuta feudatory chief named Nannaraja is known to have ruled in a part of Vidarbha during the late 7th century and early 8th century, but it is not certain if he was related to the Panduvamshi king Nannaraja II in any way. Nannaraja II probably died without an heir, because of which he

511-464: A remarkable shift from Buddhism to Hinduism in the region. The Somavamshi rule ended in the early 12th century, when the Eastern Ganga ruler Anantavarman Chodaganga captured their territories. The Somavamshis may have been related to the Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala , whose rule in the Dakshina Kosala region seems to have declined in the 8th century. Both dynasties claimed lunar lineage ;

584-641: A small vishaya (district) centered around the present-day Dhenkanal district . According to this theory, the king of Odra referred to in the inscription was probably a rebel Bhanja vassal. During his long reign of 34 years, Janmejaya issued a number of grants (recorded in form of copper-plate inscriptions) at various "victorious camps". This suggests that Janmejaya consolidated the Somavamshi rule in western Odisha moving from place to place. During his 31st regnal year, he issued three grants from Kataka, which has been identified as Chaudwar near modern Cuttack. This suggests that his influence extended to eastern Odisha by

657-678: A son named Shivanandin. There is no record of Panduvamshis after Balarjuna, and their rule in Dakshina Kosala probably ended in the 8th century. Their territory was subsequently ruled by the Nalas , the Banas and the Kalachuris . An inscription of the Nala king Vilasatunga, dated to the 8th century based on palaeographic grounds, records the construction of the Rajiv Lochan temple at Rajim . This suggests that

730-554: Is 1014.5 mm. The average maximum and minimum temperatures are 40 degree C and 10 degree C respectively. Overall, the climate of the District is neither hotter nor cooler. The summer season is from March to June when the climate is hot and humid. Thunderstorms are common at the height of the summer. The monsoon months are from July to October when the town receives most of its rainfall from the South West Monsoon. The annual rainfall

803-422: Is also true for the Panduvamshis after Tivaradeva. Like the later Panduvamshis, the Somavamshi kings adopted names ending in -gupta . Multiple Somavamshi rulers bore the regnal name "Maha-shiva-gupta"; the Panduvamshi kings Tivaradeva and Balarjuna bore the regnal titles "Maha-shiva" and "Maha-shiva-gupta" respectively. While the Panduvamshi copper-plate inscriptions are inscribed using "box-headed" characters, all

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876-454: Is around 1014.5 mm. The winter season from November to February is characterised by mild temperatures and occasional showers. As of 2011 Indian Census , Jajpur municipality had a total population of 37,458, of which 19,216 were males and 18,242 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 3,823. The total number of literates in Jajpur was 29,975, which constituted 80.0% of

949-476: Is no evidence to suggest that the Panduvamshis originated from Vidarbha. The capital of the dynasty was most probably located at Shripura ( IAST : Śrīpura; modern Sirpur ), which had also served as the capital of the preceding Sharabhapuriya kings. The copper-plate charters of Tivaradeva and his son Nannaraja II state that they were issued from Shripura. The subsequent inscriptions of the dynasty do not mention their place of issue, but many of them, issued during

1022-511: Is some evidence that the Paramaras of Malwa and the Kalachuris of Tripuri also invaded the Somavamshi kingdom. Nahusha was succeeded by his younger cousin Yayati II a.k.a. Chandihara, who was a descendant of Janmejaya I through Vichitravirya (grandfather) and Abhimanyu (father). The Brahmeswara Temple inscription suggests that Yayati II restored order to the kingdom after being appointed as

1095-421: Is that Indrabala's brother ruled as a feudatory: his son Bhavadeva became the next king, because at the time of Indrabala's death, Indrabala's sons Ishanadeva and Nannaraja I were too young to ascend the throne. Subsequently, Nannaraja I ascended the throne, and Ishanadeva ruled as his feudatory. Nannaraja I was succeeded by his son Tivaradeva, who is also known as Mahashiva Tivara. The name "Tivaradeva" occurs on

1168-437: Is the earliest ruler of the dynasty certainly known to have ruled over at least a part of Dakshina Kosala. The Kharod Lakshmaneshvara Temple inscription credits him with destroying his enemies, and states that "the rows of the crest-jewels of all the princes adorned his lotus-like feet". This description suggests that he was a sovereign monarch for some time. The inscription also mentions a town called Indrapura, which served as

1241-503: The Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I , his father Govinda III defeated a ruler called Chandragupta. Historian D. R. Bhandarkar identified this defeated ruler as the Panduvamshi king Chandragupta, but this identification is not correct: it results in chronological impossibilities, and moreover, the Sanjan inscription mentions Kosala as a later, distinct conquest of Govinda III. Chandragupta

1314-463: The Uchchhakalpas invaded Mekala, forcing Indrabala to migrate to Kosala, where he first ruled as a Sharabhapuriya feudatory , and later, overthrew his overlords. However, this identification is based solely on similar-sounding names ("Indrabala" and "Bharatabala alias Indra"), and cannot be considered as certain. The order of succession after Indrabala is not clear. The Arang stone inscription from

1387-615: The "later" Somavamshis who ruled a bigger part of Odisha. Janmejaya I (c. 882–922) probably controlled a part of coastal Odisha, & appears to have made inroads into the neighboring Bhauma-Kara kingdom, through his daughter, who married the Bhauma-Kara king Shubhakara IV. After Shubhakara IV, the kingdom was ruled by his brother Shivakara III. Subsequently, Janmejaya's daughter ascended the Bhauma-Kara throne as Tribhuvana-Devi II around 894 (with her father's support, according to most historians). A Brahmeswara Temple inscription states that

1460-472: The 6th century, but A. M. Shastri later disputed their methodology, and theorized that Tivaradeva ascended the throne around 660 CE. According to Shastri's theory, the Panduvamshi rule in Dakshina Kosala started in the early 7th century, and ended in the 8th century. The following is a chronology of the dynasty's rulers, according to A. M. Shastri 's methodology (the rulers are sons of their predecessors, unless specified otherwise): The Panduvamhis ruled

1533-456: The 7th and the 8th centuries. They may have been related to the earlier Panduvamshis of Mekala : both dynasties claimed lunar lineage and descent from the legendary Pandavas . After the fall of the Sharabhapuriyas in the late 6th century, Dakshina Kosala appears to have been controlled by petty chiefs until the Panduvamshis gained control of the region. The Panduvamshis may have captured

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1606-523: The Bhauma-Kara capital Guheshvarapataka (modern Jajpur ), which was renamed to Abhinava-Yayatinagara ("the new city of Yayati"). It is not clear when the Somavamshis gained control over most of Odisha, but this may have happened by the time of Yayati I. Yayati I seems to have continued the expansionist policies of his father, further consolidating the kingdom. This is apparent from his inscriptions, which record grants of villages that were formerly not part of

1679-468: The Buddhist past of the town. Jajpur is located at 20°51′N 86°20′E  /  20.85°N 86.33°E  / 20.85; 86.33 and has an average elevation of 8 metres (26 ft). The climate of Jajpur District is normal as per Indian standards. All the seasons arrive in the District at their usual time. The District's average height from the sea level is 331 m and its average rain fall

1752-527: The Mattamayura schools of Shaivism appear to have been popular during their time. A gradual move from Buddhism to Brahmanism (the precursor of modern Hinduism) had started during the preceding Bhauma-Kara period, and this development accelerated during the Somavamshi reign. The traditional accounts of Odisha credit the Somavamshis with making great contributions towards the propagation of Hinduism . The Somavamshi kings were great temple builders according to

1825-461: The Nalas (possibly a branch of the earlier Nala dynasty ) had conquered the area around present-day Raipur by the 8th century. The Somavamshi dynasty , which ruled in present-day Odisha between 9th and 12th centuries appears to have been related to the Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala. Both dynasties claimed lunar lineage . The Somavamshis did not claim descent from the legendary Pandavas , but this

1898-466: The Pandava king Udayana built a Bhadreshvara ( Shiva ) temple at Kalinjar . Assuming this refers to the Panduvamshi king Udayana, it appears that Udayana was the ruler of a principality centered around Kalinjar. He may have conquered Dakshina Kosala, but this cannot be said with certainty. Most probably, he did not rule Dakshina Kosala, and the region was conquered by his descendants. Udayana's son Indrabala

1971-844: The Panduvamshi copper-plate inscriptions are inscribed using "box-headed" characters, all the stone inscriptions starting from the reign of Balarjuna are inscribed in the Nagari script , which is also the script of the Somavamshi inscriptions. The early Somavamshi kings ruled in western Odisha, which once formed the eastern part of Dakshina Kosala, and the Chaudwar inscription of the earliest known Somavamshi king Mahashivagupta I (alias Janamejaya) describes him as Kosalendra ("lord of Kosala"). Several Somavamshi inscriptions record grants to people from Kosala, grants of villages located in Kosala, and appointment of Kosala-specific officers. All these similarities indicate that

2044-651: The Pāṇḍuvaṁśins, all in Sanskrit , have been discovered. Jajpur Jajpur (also known as Jajapur ) ( listen ) is a town and a municipality in Jajpur district in the Indian state of Odisha . It was the capital of the Kesari dynasty , later supplanted by Cuttack . Now, it is the headquarter of Jajpur district . Jajpur, the place of the ancient Biraja Temple ,

2117-543: The Shailodbhava king Dharmaraja II (alias Manabhita) states that his brother Madhava tried to overthrow him, but was defeated at Phasika; Madhava then allied with king Trivara, but Dharmaraja defeated both rival kings at the foot of the Vindhyas . The Trivara of Dharamraja's inscription can be identified with Tivaradeva. Tivaradeva was succeeded by his son Nannaraja II, after whom the throne passed to his brother Chandragupta. He

2190-403: The Somavamshi period. However, Brahmeswara Temple is the only shrine that bears an inscription explicitly attributing its construction to the Somavamshis. According to one legend, Yayati Keshari brought 10,000 Brahmins from Kanyakubja to his kingdom for an ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) ceremony. A number of copper-plate inscriptions, and a smaller number of stone inscriptions, issued during

2263-730: The Somavamshi reign have been discovered, all of them in present-day Odisha. The copper-plate inscriptions are similar to those of the Śarabhapuriyas and the Panduvaṃśīs: each inscription is a set of three copper-plates. The following inscriptions of the Somavamshis, all in Sanskrit language have been discovered: Ranakesarin, who issued the Govindapur inscription, may have belonged to the Kesari (Somavamshi), but this cannot be confirmed in absence of any corroborating evidence. The Lingaraja temple inscription of Viranarakesari has been wrongly ascribed to

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2336-498: The Somavamshi reign. The name of the issuer was misread as "Viravarakesari", and it was suggested that he belonged to Kesari (Somavamshi) dynasty. However, Viranarakesari is actually the Ganga king Narasimha . Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala The Panduvamshis ( IAST : Pāṇḍuvaṁśī) or Pandavas (IAST: Pāṇḍava) were an Indian dynasty that ruled the historical Dakshina Kosala region in present-day Chhattisgarh state of India, during

2409-449: The Somavamshi territory. For example, Chandagrama (modern Changan south-east of Cuttack) used to be a part of the Bhauma-Kara territory, while Gandatapati (modern Gandharadi ) used to be located in the Bhanja territory. Before the Somavamshi conquest of Odisha, an image of Jagannatha had been removed from Puri , during the Rashtrakuta invasion of c. 800. Yayati I is credited with building

2482-482: The Somavamshis were related to the Panduvamshis, but this cannot be said with certainty. According to one theory, the Panduvamshis were driven out of Kosala by the Kalachuris , and migrated eastward. There, they established their capital at Vinitapura (modern Binka ) on the banks of the Mahanadi River . The rulers whose territory was limited to the area around Vinitapura are termed as "early" Somavamshis, as opposed to

2555-506: The dynasty as "Panduvamshi" so as to distinguish them from the later Somavamshi dynasty . Th Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala may have been related to the Panduvamshis of Mekala , an earlier dynasty that ruled an adjacent area. Both dynasties claimed descent from the legendary Pandavas, and also claimed the lunar lineage. However, based on the available evidence, the relationship between the two dynasties, if any, cannot be determined with certainty. Several arguments can be made in favour of

2628-436: The dynasty descended from him. It is possible that Bhavadeva, Ishanadeva, and Nannaraja I, all ruled different parts of the kingdom simultaneously; Nannaraja I subsequently acquired control of the entire kingdom, either by forcibly dethroning the other two rulers, or after the other two rulers died without heirs. Alternatively, it is possible that Bhavadeva and Ishanadeva ruled as subordinates of Nannaraja I. A third possibility

2701-554: The dynasty originated from Vidarbha, based on an inscription from the reign of Nannaraja I, which records the construction of a Buddhist temple by his relative Bhavadeva. Rev. Dr. Stevenson, who first published this inscription, gave the find spot of this inscription as Bhadravati (Bhandak) in the Vidarbha region. However, Indologist Lorenz Franz Kielhorn stated that this inscription was found at Ratanpur in Chhattisgarh, from which it

2774-436: The early Panduvamshi kings also claimed descent from the legendary Pandavas, unlike the Somavamshi, but this was not the case with the later Panduvamshi kings. The later Panduvamshis, like the Somavamshis, adopted names ending in -gupta . The Panduvamshi kings Tivaradeva and Balarjuna bore the regnal titles "Maha-shiva" and "Maha-shiva-gupta" respectively; multiple Somavamshi rulers bore the regnal name "Maha-shiva-gupta". While

2847-410: The end of his reign. Yayati I (c. 922–955), the son of Janmejaya I, made a large number of village grants in the Dakshina Kosala region, which was the traditional stronghold of his family. These grants are recorded on the inscriptions issued at Yayatinagara, which was probably same as the former Somavamshi capital Vinitapura, and which Yayati may have renamed after himself. The capital was later moved to

2920-461: The enemy of Kaitabha . Nannaraja II may have expanded the Panduvamshi kingdom to include Vidarbha . This is suggested by the Sonakpaat (Senkapat) stone slab inscription issued during the reign of the later Panduvamshi king Shivagupta Balarjuna. The inscription mentions three generations of a family of Panduvamshi vassals: Shiva-rakshita, Deva-rakshita, and Durga-rakshita. It states that Deva-rakshita

2993-532: The fourth son of Indrabala's brother, is termed as a nṛpa and as the "lord of the earth" in the Arang inscription. He bore the following titles: Indrabala's son Ishanadeva granted some villages for the maintenance of the Lakshmaneshvara Temple at Kharod, which suggests that he was also a ruler. Nannaraja I, another son of Indrabala, bore the title Rajadhiraja ("king of kings"), and the subsequent rulers of

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3066-491: The headquarters of a Vishaya (district). The name of the town suggests that it was established by Indrabala. Historian A. M. Shastri dates Indrabala's reign to c. 620-640 CE. According to him, it is possible that when the forces of the northern emperor Harsha advanced up to Kalinjar, Indrabala was forced to leave his ancestral principality, and migrated southwards to Dakshina Kosala. Indrabala can be identified with Maha- samanta ("great feudatory") Indrabala-raja who held

3139-538: The historical Dakshina Kosala region in the present-day Chhattisgarh . Except the Kalinjar inscription of Udayana, all of the dynasty's inscriptions have been discovered in Chhattisgarh, which suggests that their core territory was limited to Chhattisgarh. The inscriptions of Tivaradeva describe him as Kosaladhipati ("Lord of Kosala "). The Adbhar inscription of his son Nannaraja II states that he became lord of all Kosala, Utkala and other mandala s (provinces) "by

3212-484: The inscriptions mentioned by Hira Lal and Aurangabadkar cannot be same: Hira Lal's inscription is a Vaishnavite record found at the Mahamayi temple in Arang, and begins with an invocation to Vishnu . Aurangabadkar's inscription, on the other hand, is a Buddhist record (although Aurangabadkar wrongly mentioned the temple commissioned by Ranakesarin as a Jain shrine, confused by the use of the term jina ). Therefore, there

3285-420: The king by the ministers. He re-established the Somavamshi control over Kosala and Utkala, which had been lost to rival chiefs. One of his inscriptions describes him as the lord of Kalinga, Kosala, and Utkala. The Somavamshi records also credit him with conquering distant regions like Gurjaradesa and Lata , but these claims appear to be poetic hyperbole, and are not supported by historical evidence. Yayati II

3358-450: The king of the Odra country was killed by Janmejaya's kunta (spear) in a battle. Historian Krishna Chandra Panigrahi identified this king of Odra as Shivakara III, and theorized that Janmejaya placed his daughter on the Bhauma-Kara throne after killing him. However, other historians disagree with this theory, stating that Odra in this context refers not the whole of present-day Odisha, but only

3431-408: The last Somavamshi ruler Karnadeva was confined to the coastal tract between the present-day Balasore and Puri districts. By 1114, the Somavamshi king had fallen to the Ganga king Anantavarman Chodaganga . Historian Krishna Chandra Panigrahi provides the following chronology of the later Somavamshis: The Somavamshi kings were Shaivites , as evident from their inscriptions. The Pashupata and

3504-452: The lunar lineage, the dynasty traced its descent to the legendary Pandavas . For example: The claim of belonging to the lunar lineage (" Somavamshi ") occurs in this dynasty's inscriptions throughout its lifetime. However, the claim of belonging to the Pandava lineage ("Panduvamshi") does not occur in the inscriptions issued after the reign of Tivaradeva. Despite this, modern scholars describe

3577-430: The neighbouring Shailodbhava territory in present-day Odisha . The Adbhar inscription of his son Nannaraja II states that his father had become the master of Kosala, Utkala (in present-day Odisha) and other regions "by the prowess of his own arms". The inscription describes Nannaraja II as the master of Kosala only, which indicates that the Panduvamshi control over other territories did not last long. An inscription of

3650-720: The office of Sarvādhikārādhikṛta under the Sharabhapuriya king Sudevaraja, as attested by the Dhamtari and Kauvatal inscriptions of the Sharabhapuriyas. He seems to have established da new kingdom after the fall of the Sharabhapuriyas, taking advantage of the political chaos in the region. Scholar Lochan Prasad Pandeya identified Indrabala as a grandson of the Mekala Panduvamshi king Bharatabala alias Indra. Relying on this identification, historian V. V. Mirashi theorized that

3723-481: The reign of Balarjuna, have been discovered at Sirpur. This suggests that Shripura continued to serve as the dynasty's capital in the later times. Udayana is the earliest king mentioned in the dynasty's inscriptions, including the Arang stone inscription of Nannaraja I and a Sirpur stone inscription of Balarjuna, although no inscription from his own reign is available. A 9th century Kalinjar stone inscription states that

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3796-432: The reign of Indrabala's son Nannaraja I states that Indrabala had a brother, although the name of the brother is lost in the damaged portion. It compares the brother to the legendary hero Krishna , who followed his brother Bala , and destroyed his enemies. This description suggests that Indrabala's brother helped him consolidate his power in Dakshina Kosala. The inscription terms the brother as nṛpa ("king"). Bhavadeva,

3869-543: The reign of his successor Janmejaya II. Uddyotakeshari also patronized the Jains of Udayagiri . After Uddyotakeshari, the Somavamshi kingdom declined gradually. The Kalachuris of Ratnapura conquered some western parts of the Somavamshis and reached their height around that period. The dynasty lost its territories to the Nagas in the north-west, and the Gangas in the south. The kingdom of

3942-473: The seal of his inscriptions, and appears to have been his personal name. The name "Mahashiva Tivara" occurs in the text of the inscriptions, and was probably his coronation name. J. F. Fleet wrongly believed him to be an adopted son of Nannaraja I, based on the Rajim inscription, which contains a scribal error. The other two inscriptions of the king - discovered at Bonda and Baloda - make it clear that Tivaradeva

4015-783: The stone inscriptions starting from the reign of Balarjuna are inscribed in the Nagari script , which is also the script of the Somavamshi inscriptions. The early Somavamshi kings ruled in western Odisha, which once formed the eastern part of Dakshina Kosala, and the Choudwar inscription of the earliest known Somavamshi king Mahashivagupta I (alias Janamejaya) describes him as Kosalendra ("lord of Kosala"). Several Somavamshi inscriptions record grants to people from Kosala, grants of villages located in Kosala, and appointment of Kosala-specific officers. The Panduvamshi kings generally followed Hindu traditions , although they were also tolerant towards Buddhism . Bhavadeva patronized Buddhism, and restored

4088-445: The theory that the Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala were not descendants of the Panduvamshis of Mekala. For example: Some of these differences are explainable. For example, the Panduvamshis' use of the "box-headed" characters can be attributed to the influence of the Sharabhapuriyas , who preceded them in the Dakshina Kosala region. It can be argued that the later Panduvamshis adopted Vaishnavism. The Dakshina Kosala family may have been

4161-452: The time. His wife Vasata commissioned the Lakshmana temple at Sirpur : a commemorative stone inscription installed by her has been found at the site. Shivagupta alias Balarjuna was a Shaivite, and his seal featured Shiva's bull nandin . He granted a village to a Buddhist monastery at the request of his maternal uncle Bhaskaravarman (a brother of Vasata). The following inscriptions of

4234-576: The town Abhinava-Yayatinagara ("the new city of Yayati"). Later, the Jajpur town came to be known as Yajanagara. According to one theory, this name is a corruption of "Yayatinagara". Another theory is that it derives from the Brahmanical sacrifices ( Yajna ) that became popular during the Ganga - Gajapati period (11th-16th century). In the Muslim chronicles such as Tabaqat-i-Nasiri and Tarikh-i-Firuzshahi ,

4307-666: The town's name was mentioned as "Jajnagar". Later, the suffix " -nagar " ("town") was replaced with the equivalent " -pur ", and the town's name became "Jajpur". Earliest account of Jajpur is part of the history of the Odisha. It was the capital of Keshari King Yayati Keshari in 473 CE. Accounts by Chinese travelers mention Jajpur as capital in 7th century. It has been a center of Tantrism. The Buddhist kingdom of Bhauma Karas also kept Jajpur as their capital in 8th century CE. Many Buddhist structures have been unearthed in and around Jajpur i.e. in Ratnagiri,Udayagiri and Lalitagiri that point to

4380-624: The traditional accounts, but there is little inscriptional evidence to confirm this belief. The legendary chronicle Madala Panji credits Yayati Keshari with building most of the temples in Bhubaneswar . The text seems to have combined the Somavanshi rulers Yayati I and Yayati II into "Yayati Keshari". Multiple temples, including the Mukteshvara Temple and the Rajarani Temple , are dated to

4453-474: The valour of his own arms". However, Nannaraja II himself is mentioned only as the lord of Kosala. This suggests that Tivaradeva's control of other regions such as Utkala did not last long. The Sonakpaat (or Senkapat) inscription from Shivagupta suggests that the Panduvamshi kingdom included a part of the Vidarbha region in present-day Maharashtra , but this too, was temporary. Some earlier scholars believed that

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4526-493: Was a Vaishnavite , as evident by his title Parama-Vaishnava , and his seals featured Vaishnavite emblems. His son Nannaraja II also bore the title Parama-Vaishnava , and his Adbhar inscription records a grant to a Bhagavata , that is, a Vaishnavite. This inscription compares Tivaradeva to Vishnu 's incarnation Krishna , and Nannaraja II to Krishna's son Pradyumna . The dynasty's inscriptions describe Harshagupta as someone who worshipped Achyuta (that is, Vishnu ) all

4599-457: Was a biological son of Nannaraja I. Tivaradeva's inscriptions state that his feet were "rubbed by the edges of the crowns of many chiefs", which indicates that he considered himself to be a paramount sovereign. The seals of the inscriptions describe him as Kosaladhipati ("Lord of Kosala"), and the text of the inscriptions states that he had the overlordship of the entire Kosala ( sakala-kosala-adhipatya ). Tivaradeva also seems to have invaded

4672-560: Was a confidant of Nannaraja, who had given him the Vindhyan territory extending up to the Varada river (modern Wardha River in Vidarbha ). Since Durga-rakshita was a contemporary of Balarjuna, the Nannaraja mentioned in this inscription must have been Nannaraja II (It is unlikely that Nannaraja I, who ruled much earlier, was a contemporary of Durga-rakshita's father Deva-rakshita). This suggests that

4745-625: Was a son of his predecessor Harshagupta and queen Vasata. His own copper-plate inscriptions call him Maha-Shivagupta, and the seals of these inscriptions call him Shivagupta; the other inscriptions issued during his reign generally call him either Shivagupta or Balarjuna, except one inscription that calls him Maha-Shivagupta. Balarjuna was probably his personal name, and Mahashivagupta was probably his coronation name. An inscription dated to his 57th regnal year has been discovered, indicating that he ruled for at least 57 years. His younger brother Ranakesarin supported him in his military conquests. He had

4818-497: Was moved to the Nagpur Central Museum in Vidarbha. Historian V. V. Mirashi , who once traced the dynasty's origin to Vidarbha based on this inscription, later changed his view, and agreed that the inscription was originally found in Chhattisgarh. Mirashi and Y. K. Deshpande later determined that the inscription was originally found at a temple in Arang in Chhattisgarh, based on the testimony of Vinayakrao Aurangabadkar, who

4891-499: Was one of the dynasty's most powerful rulers, but his name was omitted in the records of Chandragupta and the subsequent kings, as he was not their ancestor. Nannaraja II alias Maha-Nannaraja is attested by his Adbhar inscription. The inscription seems to have been incomplete for some reason, as indicated by the absence of a seal, the incomplete imprecatory stanza at the end, and the missing date. It compares him and his father to Pradyumna and Krishna respectively, and describes him as

4964-404: Was originally known as Biraja. Other names of the town in the ancient texts include Viranja, Varanja-nagara, Varaha-tirtha. The Bhauma-Kara kings established their capital city of Guhadevapataka (or Guheshvarapataka), identified with modern Gohiratikar (or Gohiratikra) near Jajpur. The later Somavanshi kings moved their capital from Yayatinagara (modern Binka ) to Guheshvarapataka, and renamed

5037-412: Was probably his brother. By the time of Dharmaratha, the Somavamshis had taken control of the former Bhauma-Kara territories, although it is not known how exactly this happened. The Somavamshi lost these territories soon after his death. During this period, the Somavamshi kingdom suffered several foreign invasions, the most notable of which was the 1021 Chola invasion of their capital Yayatinagara. There

5110-415: Was succeeded by his son Harshagupta , who is known from the inscriptions issued during the reign of his successor Balarjuna. The introductory portion of these inscriptions calls him Harshadeva, while the seal of the inscriptions calls him Harshagupta. He married Vasata, a daughter of king Suryavarman. He was a Vaishnavite, and after his death, his wife Vasata built a Vishnu temple in his memory. Balarjuna

5183-535: Was succeeded by his son Uddyotakeshari, whose reign was relatively peaceful. Uddyotakeshari championed the cause of Brahmanism , and restored a number of temples and ponds. During the 18th year of his reign, his mother Kolavati Devi dedicated the Brahmeshvara (Brahmeswara) Temple at modern Bhubaneswar . The construction of the Lingaraja Temple probably began during the later part of his reign, and completed during

5256-473: Was succeeded by his uncle Chandragupta. Chandragupta was a son of Nannaraja I, and must have ascended the throne at an old age, as he succeeded his nephew Nannaraja II. The Sirpur Lakshmana temple inscription of his grandson Balarjuna contains vague references to his military achievements, and describes him as a nrpati (king) who was "the lord of the rulers of the earth". According to the Sanjan inscription of

5329-594: Was the first person to transcribe it. Hira Lal, in Inscriptions In the Central Provinces And Berar , earlier described a fragmentary inscription that mentions Ranakesarin. Based on this, historian D. C. Sircar speculated that there were two different inscriptions with similar content: one found at Arang (mentioned by Hira Lal and Aurangabadkar), and the other at Bhadravati (mentioned by Rev. Dr. Stevenson). However, historian A. M. Shastri pointed out that

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