Ekshwakas Ekshwaku dynasty history
On the ruins of Satavahana empire various kingdoms emerged.
Chutu Satakarni
Kingdom- © Banavasi/ Vaijayanthi in
Karnataka.
Abhiras – Konkan,
Aparantha. – in Maharashtra.
Ekshwakas – ©
Vijayapuri / Nagarjuna Sagar. In Telangana and Coastal Andhra.
Ekshwakas ruled from
220 A.D. to 301 A.D. This is upto the emergence of Vengi/ Eastern Chalukya.
Ekshwakas coin are
found in:
Andhra – Krishna,
Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasham districts.
Telangana – Nalgonda,
Khammam, Mahaboob Nagar.
As Satavahana king Vijaya
Satakarni’s coins are found in this place, this place came to be called as
Vijayapuri.
Ekshwakas royal emblem
– Lion.
During the Ekshwakas
reign Nagarjuna konda / Vijayapuri flourished as Buddhist centre as well as
centre for education.
Sources:
Archaeological
Sources:- Coins, Monuments, Sculpture.
Ekshwakas coins are
found at – Nagarjuna konda, Phanigiri, Nelakondapalli, Vaddemanu (Mahaboobnagar
dist.), Eleshwara in Nalgonda district. This indicated the extent of their
kingdom.
Inscriptions are found
at Nagarjuna Konda, Jaggaiah peta (Krishna dist.), Ramireddy palli, Phanigiri
etc.
Inscriptions are in
Prakrit language and Brahmi script.
From the period of
Ehuvala Shanthamoola these inscriptions came to be written in Sanskrit.
1. Mahasthoopa
inscriptions 2.
Chaithya Gruha inscriptions
3. Differentiated
Pillar inscriptions ` 4. Inscriptions of
sculpture.
Ekshwakas coins are
lesser in number when compared to Satavahana coins.
Ekhswakas did not issue
gold and silver coins.
In Nagarjuna konda, 148
Satavahana coins are found. This proves that during Satavahana period itself
Nagarjuna Konda was an important place.
Roman emperors’ and
queens’ coins are found at Nagarjuna konda.
In Nagarjuna Konda –
Tiberius Hedriyan, Fastena queen coins were found.
In Eleshwaram –
Sestimus Severs etc Roman emperors’ coin were found.
Buddhists
Chaithyas, Sthupas, Greatways (thoranas) were found at nagarjuna Konda,
Ramireddy Palli, Nelakondapalli, Phanigiri, Anupu are helping us to know about
the religion and social conditions of the Ekshwakas. They also help us to know
about the contemporary rulers.
In
the excavations undertook at Nagarjuna konda, Ekshwaku period (3rd
century A.D.) forts, Buddhist sthupas, Viharas, Chaithyas, Aramas, temples,
bathing ghats were found.
1926
– A. Ranganatha Sastri, a Telugu assistant in Archaeological department for the
first time identified the archaeological remains at Nagarjuna konda.
1938
– H.N. Longston, and B.N. Ramachandran started excavations at Nagarjuna Sagar.
1954-
Under the leadership of Rayaprolu Subbarao, excavations were carried on large
scale.
The
sculpture, coins, inscriptions and other things which are unearthed in the
excavations are moved to Nagarjuna Konda and Anupu.
Literary Sources:
Matsya,
Vayu, Vishnu, Brahmanda puranas.
Almost
all the puranas took information from Brahmanda purana, which was written 2nd
Century A.D.
Puranas
gave information upto Guptha period. (4th Century A.D.) Upto Chandra
guptha-I.
‘Dharmaamrutham’ a Kannada book was written by Nayasena. Based
on an ancient Prakrit book he authored Dharmamrutha.
According
to Dharmamrutha, Yashodhara, an Anga kingdom king, established a kingdom near
river Krishna. Bhattiprolu was his capital.
Birth Place of Ekshwakas:
Ekshwakas were Andhra Bruthyas-
Andhra Bruthyas= Andhras’ servants.
Ekshwakas
worked under Satavahanas as Mahatalavaras, Maha Senadhipathis.
Ekshwakus
imitated Satavahanas in adding mothers’ names to their names.
Ekshwakas
names start with ‘Skanda’ and end with ‘Anaka’.
According
to Vayupurana – Ekshwaku was head of Solar lineage. Ekshwaku was eldest among 9
sons of Manu. He ruled Ayodhya as his capital. He had 100 sons. Vikakshi was
eldest on among them. Vikakshi succeeded his father to the throne. 50 sons of
Ekshwaku established small kingdoms in North India and remaing 49 sons
established small kingdoms in South India.
Law
giver Bauddhayana mentioned that South Indians has the tradition of marrying
their niece. We don’t find this tradition in North India.
Veerapurusha
Dutta married daughters of his 2 maternal aunts. Based on this fact historians
came to a conclusion that Ekshwakus belong to South India.
Ekshwakas belong to Dravidian
lineage
Ekshwakas
are Kannadigas_ Sten Kono, Vogel.
Ekshwakas
are Tamilians_ K. Rajagopalachary.
Ekshwakas
migrated from Kosala. _ Rapson, Bular.
Dharmamrutha,
a Kannada text mentions that Yashodhara, King of Anga kingdom, came to south
India and established a kingdom near river Krishna, Battiprolu
(Prathipalapuram) as its capital.
Ekswakas
are native Andhras. _ Bishap Coldwell.
Ekshwakas
are the ancient Andhra, with ‘Ikshu’ as their emblem.
Origin of Ekshwakas
Puranas
mentioned Ekshwakas as Sri Parvatheeyas, Andhra Bruthyas, Sri
Parvatheeyandhras.
K.P.
Jaiswal also concluded that Ekshwakas, Sriparvathiyas, Andhrabrithyas are same.
According
to Puranas and Buddhist sources, Nagarjuna konda to Srisailam hilly areas are
Sriparvatha region.
According
to Jaggaiah peta inscription and the inscriptions found at Nagarjuna Sagar, Sri
Shanthamula is Eshwaka king and his capital in Vijayapuri, which is located on
the western side of Nagarjuna Sagar.
In
3rd and 4th centuries Sriparvatha was called as
Vijayapuri.
Like
Satavahanas, Ekshwakas also added their mother name to their name. This
tradition was ended with Eshwakas.
Based
on the usage of the words ‘Siri’ and ‘Sami’, we can come to a conclusion that
Ekshawakas are Satavahanas’ feudatories. (Kodabalisiri, Shanthisiri,
Hammasiri).
Ekshwakas
worked as ‘Mahatalavaras’ under Satavahanas.
Date of Ekshwakas
According
to Matsya Purana – Sriparvatheeya 7 kings ruled for 52 yeas.
(Dvipanchashatham).
According
to Phanigiri inscription Rudra Purusha Datta ruled for 18 years.
According
to D.C. Sarkar Ekshwakas ruled for 75 years. Based on Nagarjuna Konda
inscription he came to the conclusion.
Shantha
Moola 220 A.D. – 233 A.D. - Details
Veera
Purusha Datta – 233 A.D. – 253 A.D.- Details
Ehuvala
Shanthamula – 253 A.D. – 277 A.D.- Details
Inter
regnum of Abhira Vasusena – 277 A.D.(278) – 283 A.D.- Details
Rudra
Purusha Datta – 283 A.D. – 301 A.D. - Details
