History Sharabhapuriya dynasty

1 history

1.1 sharabha
1.2 narendra
1.3 prasanna
1.4 other kings
1.5 decline

history

the dynasty known few inscriptions , coins. inscriptions record grants, , not provide information dynasty s history, although of seals on inscriptions provide brief genealogy. because of this, reconstruction of sharabhapuriya chronology difficult. allahabad pillar inscription of gupta king samudragupta states defeated 1 mahendra, ruler of kosala. 1 theory identifies mahendra sharabhapuriya ruler. however, there no concrete evidence in support of theory.

sharabha

sharabha earliest known king, can regarded member of dynasty certainty. known 2 inscriptions of son narendra. name suggests established city of sharabhapura (and dynasty). territory included area around raipur district.

a 510 ce eran inscription mentions 1 sharabharaja maternal grandfather of 1 goparaja, died in battle. based on identification of sharabharaja sharabhapuriya king sharabha, a. m. shastri dates rule c. 475–500 ce. estimate supported paleographic evidence: box-headed characters of sharabhapuriya inscriptions appear advanced version of similar characters used in inscriptions of vakatakas, rule ended around 500 ce.

the kurud inscription of sharabha s son narendra records renewal of grant made parama-bhattaraka ( supreme overlord ) brahmin, after original donor took bath in ganga river. original grant recorded on palm leaves, destroyed in house fire. a. m. shastri identifies parama-bhattaraka gupta emperor (the gupta capital pataliputra located on banks of ganga river). theorises narendra s sharabha began career gupta vassal.

narendra

maharaja narendra, son of sharabha, issued earliest extant grant of dynasty. kurud inscription states renewed grant issued parama-bhattaraka latter s merit. suggests continued acknowledge gupta suzerainty @ least until 24th year of reign. fact inscription omits overlord s name suggests had become practically independent, , acknowledged gupta suzerainty nominally.

the kurud grant issued camp of victory @ tilakeshvara. describes narendra devotee of bhagavat (vishnu).

prasanna

coin of king prasannamatra of sharabhapuriyas in kosala circa 525-550 ce.

prasanna known seals of son jayaraja , grandson sudevaraja. known gold coins mention name prasannamatra. issuance of gold coins suggests powerful ruler, although may have continued acknowledge nominal gupta suzerainty. coins feature standing garuda, flanked crescent moon, wheel , conch-shell. besides chhattisgarh, these coins have been discovered in kalahandi district of odisha , chanda district of maharashtra. suggests ruled extensive territory, although cannot said certainty.

his relationship narendra not certain: may have been narendra s son or descendant. prasanna had 2 sons: jayaraja , manamatra (the successor of jayaraja).

other kings

jayaraja
jayaraja son of prasnna. first ruler of dynasty add prefix mahat name, practice followed not descendants kings of later dynasties such panduvanshis , somavanshis.


manamatra alias durgaraja
manamatra son of prasanna. had 2 sons: sudevaraja , pravararaja (successor of sudevaraja).


sudevaraja
sudevaraja son of manamatra. seems have established shripura, earliest inscriptions issued during reign.


pravararaja
pravararaja son of manamatra. appears have moved kingdom s capital sharabhapura shripura.

decline

no successors of pravararaja known certainty. inscription of 1 vyaghraraja has been discovered @ malhar. inscription issued town called prasanna-pura, , describes vyaghraraja son of pravara-bhattaraka. d. c. sircar , others theorised vyaghraraja sharabhapuriya king: prasannapura may have been named after ancestor prasanna. inscription mentions 1 jaya-bhattaraka, has been identified jayaraja. ajaya miatra shastri has contested theory on several grounds. vyaghraraja s inscription features nail-headed characters unlike box-headed characters of sharabhapuriya inscriptions. seal, textual style , grant order different of sharabhapuriya inscriptions.

the sharabhapuriyas succeeded panduvanshi (pāṇduvaṃśī) dynasty. panduvanshi inscriptions follow three-copper-plates style of sharabhapuriyas.