Eastern Ganga dynasty

Eastern Ganga Empire
Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas
Eastern Ganga Empire Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas
493–1077 CE (Kalinga); 1077–1436 CE (Trikalinga); 1436–1947 CE (Khemundi);
	Eastern Ganga Fanam of king Anantavarma Chodaganga (Anka year 63–1128 CE)
	South-Asia; 1400 CE DELHI SULTANATE; (TUGHLAQS) KAMATAS TIMURID; EMPIRE SHAH MIR; SULTANATE PHAGMODRUPAS SAMMAS AHOM KACHARIS CHUTIAS BENGAL; SULTANATE GUJARAT; GOVERNORATE BAHMANI; SULTANATE KHANDESH; SULTANATE BENGAL; SULTANATE VIJAYANAGARA; EMPIRE ◁ ▷ Map of the Eastern Gangas, circa 1400 CE.
Capital	Kalinganagara; Dantapuram; Kataka; Paralakhemundi
Common languages	Odia (court language, literature, early and later medieval period); Telugu (early medieval period); Sanskrit (religious); Other Indian languages;
Religion	Hinduism
Government	Monarchy
Tri-Kalingadhipati; Gajapati
• 493–532	Indravarma I
• 532–535	Anantavarma I
• 804–854	Kamarnava Deva II
• 859–864	Vajrahasta Anantavarma
• 1070–1077	Rajaraja Devendravarma
• 1077–1150	Anantavarma Chodagangadeva
• 1178–1198	Ananga Bhima Deva II
• 1211–1238	Anangabhima Deva III
• 1238–1264	Gajapati Narasingha Deva I
• 1414–1434	Gajapati Bhanu Deva IV
• 1736–1771	Jagannatha Gajapati Narayana Deo II
• 1913–1947	Krushna Chandra Gajapati
Historical era	Classical India
• Established	493 CE
• Disestablished	1947 CE
Currency	Eastern Ganga Fanam, Ganga Madha
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Pitrbhakta dynasty
	Somavamshi dynasty
	Mathara dynasty
Gajapati Empire
Bhoi dynasty

The Eastern Ganga dynasty (also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas) were a large

Kataka (modern Cuttack) and then to Paralakhemundi.^[15]^[7]

Today, they are most remembered as the builders of the world renowned

Andhra Pradesh and Ananta Vasudeva Temple at Bhubaneswar

. The Gangas have constructed several temples besides the ones stated above.

The rulers of Eastern Ganga dynasty defended their kingdom from the constant attacks of the Muslim invaders. This kingdom prospered through trade and commerce and the wealth was mostly used in the construction of temples. The rule of the dynasty came to an end under the reign of King Bhanudeva IV (c. 1414–34), in the early 15th century and then Khemundi Ganga started ruling up to abolition of zamindari in modern India. The Eastern Ganga dynasty is said to be the longest reigning dynasty in Odisha.

Cholas and Eastern Chalukyas of southern India.^[17]

Origin

As per B. Masthanaiah, the origin of the Eastern Gangas is not clearly established. However, renowned British scholar, artist, art critic, historian, archaeologist, and an authority on Indian art and architecture,

Kannada-Telugu script used also by the Chalukyas of Badami and their related subordinate Vengi Chalukya branch. All these indicate a strong proof for the Eastern Gangas having originated from the earlier Western Gangas (established c. 350 CE) of Karnataka.^[18]

According to the historian Upinder Singh, In the 4th century CE, Orissa was divided into several small principalities, some of which owed allegiance to the Guptas. Dynasties such as the Pitribhaktas, Matharas, and Vasishthas rose to power in southern Orissa. The 5th century saw the rise of the Eastern Gangas in south Kalinga. These kings were probably a branch of the Western Gangas and were migrants from Karnataka.^[19]

Ghurid Empire invasion of the subcontinent.^[20]^[21]

The

Savara or Sabara) tribe on the Mahendragiri mountain with the name of Shiva-Gokarnaswamin as the patron deity of their family.^[24]

Epigraphist,

Western Gangas. Both the early and the later Eastern Ganga kings had close relations with the Eastern Kadambas, who functioned under them as chieftains, heads and provincial governors. Most of the early as well as the later Eastern Ganga kings of Kalinga worshipped the holy feet of Gokarneswara of Mahendragiri. This deity also has a strong Karnataka connection through the Mahabaleshwar Temple situated in Gokarna (Karnataka) which is the only Atmalinga of God Shiva in the entire world. The Eastern Kadamba family, feudatories of the Early Gangas in the 10th and early 11th century CE, were ruling a small area in the vicinity of the Mahendra mountain.^[23]^[25]

Historian Dineshwar Singh lists several facts that point to a relationship between the Eastern and the Western Gangas. Just as the

Nagara at the instance of one of his feudatories and relatives, the Eastern Kadambas. Historian G. R. Varma further suggests that the Eastern Ganga king Kamarnava II renovated the existing temple of Gokarneshwara before renaming it as Madhukeshwara. Historian R. Subba Rao states that the God Madhukeswara of Kalinganagara was also called Jayanteswara (based on Vaijayanti or Banavasi town) or Gokarneshwara (Gokarna's Mahabaleshwar deity) in some of the inscriptions found in that temple. Somasekhara Sarma states that the Eastern Kadambas probably came to Kalinga from the districts of Dharwad, Belagavi and Ratnagiri. He substantiates it by showing the presence of a village named as a crude distortion of the Kannada place name Palasige (Halasi or Palasi in Old Kannada), as Palasa (Palasika) in the Kalinga region. Most of the early Western Gangas were Shaivas, just like the early and the later Eastern Gangas of Kalinga were.^[25]

Also, while the bardic traditions of the Western Ganga dynasty claim descent from the Sun through the

Chandravamsa lineage. Unlike the Western Ganga Dynasty who traced their lineage to the Solar Dynasty,^[26] the Later Eastern Gangas claimed a lunar descent from Vishnu through Brahma, Atri and Chandra (moon).^[27]

Dineshwar Singh concludes that in spite of the views and arguments against a relationship between the two Ganga dynasties - the

Rashtrakuta branch of Odisha which ruled from Vagharakotta fort probably in the Sambalpur region and the Tailapa-Vamsis (ruled around Ganjam and Parlakimidi) who migrated during or after 973 CE on the establishment of the Kalyani Chalukya empire and were their feudatories. Some suspect them to have come along with Vikramaditya VI's campaigns across north, central, east and north east India, sometime before 1063–68 CE.^[28]

.

Five prominent dominions of the Kalingan Prachya Ganga family are identified from five different administrative centers namely – Kalinganagara (Srikakulam), Svetaka Mandala (Ganjam), Giri Kalinga (Simhapur), Ambabadi Mandala (Gunupur, Rayagada) and Vartanni Mandala (Hinjilikatu, Ganjam). The heartland of the Prachya Gangas had three parts of Kalinga namely, Daksina Kalinga (Pithapura), Madhya Kalinga (Yellamanchili Kalinga or Visakhapatnam) and Uttara Kalinga (districts of Srikakulam, Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada). The earliest known prominent king was Indravarma who is known from his Jirjingi copper plate grant. The Godavari grant of Raja Prthivimalla and the Ramatirtham grant of Vishnukundina king Indrbhattaraka refer to a war of four tusked elephants or Chaturdanta Samara in which Indravarma I the son of Mitavarma, a Ganga general of Vakataka king and a local ruler of Dantapura commanded an alliance of small South Kalingan kingdoms against the powerful Vishnukundina king Indrabhattaraka, defeated and killed him.^[29] The Vishnukundins returned with a vengeance, defeated the Vakataka King and members of the alliance while Indravarma declared himself as Tri-Kalingadhipati (the lord of the three Kalingas) rising from obscurity and moving his capital northwards away from the attacking Vishnukundins. His son Hastivarma found himself stuck between two Gupta feudal dynasties of Odisha, the Vigrahas of South Toshali and Mudgalas. Joining the onslaught like his father, he commanded major battles against the Vigrahas and won territories in the northern parts of ancient Kalinga and declared himself as Sakala-Kalingadhipati (the ruler of whole Kalinga). The dynasty though remaining to be a strong ruling family in ancient Odisha and North Andhra Pradesh continued to remain as vassal rulers under the central authority of the Bhauma-Kara dynasty which is proven by the fact that a smaller Eastern Ganga king belonging to the clan and named as Jayavarmadeva mentioned himself as the vassal of Sivakara Deva I in his Ganjam grant and by whose permission he gave away the grants.

It was during the rule of Anantavarma Vajrahasta V in the mid eleventh century that the clan started emerging as a major military power challenging the authority of the Somavanshi Dynasty at their northern frontiers and allying with their arch rivals the Kalchuris. After a series of victories in battle and making land grants to three hundred Brahmin families in his kingdom, Vajrahasta V assumed the titles as Trikalingadhipati (lord of the three Kalingas) and Sakalakalingadhipati (lord of complete Kalinga) challenging the centralized authority of the Somavanshis and laying the foundation to an imperial era for the Eastern Gangas. In the later years of the century, Devendravarma Rajaraja I defeated the Somavanshi king Mahasivagupta Janmenjaya II completely while challenging the Cholas in battle, along with establishing authority in the Vengi region. The Cholas were defeated by Rajaraja I and Chola princess, Rajasundari, was married off to the Eastern Ganga king as a goodwill gesture for settlement of affairs between the Cholas and the Gangas.^[30]

The identification of the father of Rajasundari is a matter of great controversy and some scholars like

Kalinganagara.^[37]^[38]^[39] His mother was princess Rajasundari of the Chola dynasty.^[40]

History

After the fall of

Kalinga proper (South), Utkala (North), and Dakshina Kosala

(West)).

Mukhalingam near Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh bordering Odisha has been identified as Kalinganagara, the capital of the early Eastern Gangas.^[41]

After the decline of the early Eastern Gangas reign, the Chalukyas of Vengi took control of the region. The first monarch of the dynasty Vajrahastha Aniyakabhima I (980-1015 A.D), took advantage of the internal strife and revived the power of the Ganga dynasty. It was during their rule that Shaivism took precedence over Buddhism and Jainism. The magnificent Srimukhalingam Temple at Mukhalingam was built during this period.

In the 11th century, the Cholas brought the Ganga Kingdom under their rule with the sudden death of Devendravarma Rajraja I.^[41] His son Chodaganga Deva who ascended the throne at the age of five under the protection provide by one of his maternal uncles from the Chola family had to overcome multiple obstacles before securing Kalinga, Vengi, Utkala, Odra and parts of Bengal as one kingdom.

Intermarriage

The Eastern Gangas were known to have intermarried with the

Chalukyas.^[11]

The early state of the dynasty may have started from the early 5th century.

Chodaganga dynasty

The dynasty, towards the end of eleventh century came to be known as Chodaganga dynasty after its founder

Virarajendra Chola

.

He is believed to have ruled from the

Kalinga proper, Utkala north and Koshala west) in 1076 CE, resulting in him being the first to rule all three divisions of Kalinga.^[42]

Anantavarma was a religious person as well as a patron of art and literature. He is credited for having built the famous

Jagannath Temple of Puri in Odisha.^[42] King Anantavarma Chodagangadeva was succeeded by a long line of illustrious rulers such as Narasingha Deva I

(1238–1264).

Rajaraja III ascended the throne in 1198 and did nothing to resist the

Orissa

in 1206. Rajaraja's son Anangabhima III, however, repulsed the Muslims and built the temple of Megheswara at Bhuvaneshvara.

Gauda), and built the Sun Temple at Konark to commemorate his victory. Narasimhadeva I was also the first king to use the title of "Gajapati" or "Lord of war elephants" or "King with an army of elephants" among the Odishan kings in the 1246 CE inscription at the Kapilash Temple.^[43]

With the death of Narasimha in 1264, the Eastern Gangas began to decline; the sultan of Delhi,

Suryavamsha dynasty

in 1434–35.

List of Rulers

The following is the list of Eastern Ganga rulers:[45]

Indravarma I is earliest known Independent king of the dynasty. He is known from the Jirjingi Copper Plate Grant.^[46]^[47]

Kalinga Rulers (c. 498 – 1077 CE)

Mittavarma (c. ??–498 CE)

(Eastern Ganga king, feudal under Vakataka rule)

Indravarma I (c. 498–537)^[48] (Real founder of dynasty)
Samantavarma (c. 537–562)
Hastivarma (c. 562–578)
Indravarma II (c. 578–589)
Danarnava (c. 589–652)
Indravarma III (c. 652–682)
Gunarnava (c. 682–730)
Devendravarma I (c. 730–780)
Anantavarma III (c. 780–812)
Rajendravarma II (c. 812–840)
Devendravarma V (c. 840–895)
Gunamaharnava I (c. 895–910)
Vajrahasta II (or Anangabhimadeva I) (c. 910–939)
Gundama – I (c. 939–942)
Kamarnava I (c. 942–977)
Vinayaditya (c. 977–980)
Vajrahasta IV (c. 980–1015)
Kamarnava II (c. 1015, 6 months)
Gundama II (c. 1015–1018)
Madhukamarnava (c. 1018–1038)
Vajrahasta V (c. 1038–1070)
Rajaraja Deva I (c. 1070–1077)^[48]

Trikalinga Rulers (c. 1077 – 1434 CE)

Anantavarma Chodaganga (c. 1077–1150)
Kamarnnava Deva (c. 1150–1156)
Raghava Deva (c. 1156–1170)
Rajaraja Deva II (c. 1170–1190)
Anangabhima Deva II (c. 1190–1198)
Rajraja Deva III (c. 1198–1211)
Anangabhima Deva
III (c. 1211–1238)
Narasimha Deva I
(1238–1264)
Bhanu Deva I (1264–1278)
Narasimha Deva II (1279–1306)
Bhanu Deva II (1306–1328)
Narasimha Deva III (1328–1352)
Bhanu Deva III (1352–1378)
Narasimha Deva IV (1378–1425)
Bhanu Deva IV (1425–1434) (Last ruler of dynasty)

Regnal year system (Anka year)

The

House of Gajapati at Puri.^[49]^[50]

Coinage

The Eastern Ganga coinage consisted of gold fanams. The obverse typically depicts a couchant bull along with other symbols. The reverse features a symbol which represents the letter sa (for samvat, which means year) flanked by elephant goads or an elephant goad with a battle axe, along with a number below, which depicts the regnal year(anka year) of the reigning monarch. Some coins also carry the legend śrī rāma on the reverse above the letter sa.

Eastern Ganga coinage numerals

An interesting aspect of the Eastern Ganga coin dates is that these coins may be the earliest Hindu coins using decimal numbers for dating. Earlier dated coins, such as those of the Western Satraps, the Guptas etc., used the old Brahmic numbering system with separate symbols representing each of the single digits, separate symbols representing two-digit multiples of ten, such as 20, 30, 40, and so on, and further separate symbols representing three-digit numbers such as 100, 200, etc. Thus a number like 123 was written as 100-20-3. But the Eastern Ganga coins were written using the symbols for the single digits, with the position of the number indicating the value such as tens or hundreds, thus effectively using the Zero-place holder system.^[49]^[50]

Legacy

By successfully defeating the invasion attempts of Muslim invaders, the Eastern Ganga Empire is attributed to have served as the conservatory of the Hindu religion, art and culture at a time when India's indigenous civilization was endangered through the large scale massacre of Hindus, plundering of cities, desecration and destruction of temples and forcible conversions of the Hindu populace.^[52] The Ganga Empire also harbored the fleeing culture and art from other parts of India.^[52]

The Eastern Gangas were great patrons of religion and the arts, and the temples of the Ganga period rank among the masterpieces of Kalinga and Hindu architecture.^[53]

Descendants

Early Gangas
- Imperial Gangas
  - Paralakhemundi branch
    - Badakhemundi branch
      - Hindol branch
    - Sanakhemundi branch
  - Bamanda branch
- Gangas of Svetaka Mandala
  - Chikiti branch

Paralakhemundi branch

A branch of the Eastern Ganga dynasty survived as the kings of the

Paralakhemundi state, currently part of the Gajapati district

, Odisha. It was established in 14th century when Narashingha Deba, a son of the Eastern Ganga monarch Bhanudeva II established the Khemudi kingdom. Scions of this line include,

Jagannatha Gajapati Narayana Deo II (Reign: 1751 CE – 1771 CE)- who ascended to the throne at a time when Odisha was torn apart due conflicts between external powers like the Mughals, Marathas, French and British for control of the territory in 18th century.
Krushna Chandra Gajapati (Reign as Maharaja of Paralakhemundi: 26 April 1913 – 25 May 1974)- who was a key personality and regarded as the architect of an Independent united Odisha State and went on to become the first Prime Minister of Orissa province formed in 1936. Prime Minister in office from 1 April 1937 to 19 July 1937 and 2nd time from 29 November 1941 to 29 June 1944. The present-day Gajapati District of Odisha which was earlier a part of the historic Ganjam district was named after him.^[54]^[55]^[56]
Berhampur constituency of Odisha
.

Kalyani Gajapati (Titular Maharani since 10 January 2020)- current head of the dynasty.^[57]^[58]

Badakhemundi and Sanakhemundi branch

This line descends from the

Paralakhemundi Ganga branch. In 16th century, the Raja of Parlakhemundi, Subarnalinga Bhanu Deba granted parts of the Khimedi areas to his son Ananga Kesari Ramachandra Deba, whose descendants in turn divided the zamindari into two branches- Badakhemundi and Sanakhemundi.^[59]^[60]

Hindol branch

The Hindol princely state was established in 1554 by two brothers, Chandradeva Jenamani and Udhavadeva Jenamani belonging to the family of the

Badakhemundi Raja of Ganjam.^[61]^[62] The kingdom acceded to India and merged into the state of Odisha

following independence in 1947.

Bamanda branch

The Bamra kingdom was established by Saraju Gangadeb who was the son of the local Eastern Ganga administrator of Patna region Hattahamir Deb, who was the son of Eastern Ganga ruler Bhanudeva II. Hattahamir Deb was overthrown in 1360 CE by

Patna state, while the tribal chieftains installed Saraju Gangadeb as the ruler of Bamanda region. This laid the foundation of the Bamanda branch of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.^[63] The kingdom acceded to India and merged into the state of Odisha