Pañcāla

Panchala Kingdom
c. 1100 BCE (in Ahichatra (northern), Kampila
Common languages	Vedic Sanskrit
Religion	Historical Vedic religion
Government	Monarchy
Raja
• c. 850 BCE	Keśin Dālbhya
• c. 750 BCE	Pravahana Jaivali
• c. 400 CE	Achyuta
Historical era	Iron Age
• Established	c. 1100 BCE (in Late Vedic period)
• Disestablished	c. 400 CE (in Gupta Empire)
Preceded by Succeeded by Rigvedic tribes Maurya Empire Magadha Gupta Empire
Today part of	India

Panchala (

Drupada, the king of Panchala was the father of Draupadi, the heroine of the epic, who married the Pandavas. To avenge her humiliation during the game of dice played at Hastinapur which led to their lengthy exile, he fought on the side of the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. Bhishma ranked him a Mighty Maharathi, his son Dhrishtadyumna an Atirathi and his other son, Shikhandi, a Rathi. He contributed three (of the seven) Akshauhini armies to the Pandavas during the war.^[3]

Vedic period

The Panchala

King Drupada, whose daughter Draupadi was married into the Pandavas in the Mahabharata, belonged to the Somaka clan.[8] However, the Mahabharata and the Puranas consider the ruling clan of the northern Panchala as an offshoot of the Bharata clan, identifying Divodasa, Sudas, Srinjaya, Somaka, and Drupada (also called Yajnasena) as its most notable rulers.^[9] It is also mentioned that Sutasoma, the son of Draupadi and the Pandava prince Bhima, was the king of the Somaka tribe during the Kurukshetra War.

The Panchala kingdom rose to its highest prominence in the aftermath of the decline of the Kuru Kingdom, culminating in its eventual defeat by the non-Vedic

Numismatic evidence reveals the existence of independent rulers of Panchala during the post-Mauryan period. Most of the coins issued by them are found at Ahichatra and adjoining areas. All the coins are round, made of a copper alloy and have a set pattern on the obverse-a deeply incised square punch consisting of a row of three symbols and the ruler's name placed in a single line below them. The reverse bears depictions of the deities or sometimes of their attributes, whose names form a component of the issuers' names (for example, coins of Agnimitra bear the depiction of Agni). The names of the rulers found on these coins are Vangapala, Yajnapala, Damagupta, Rudragupta, Jayagupta, Suryamitra, Phalgunimitra, Bhanumitra, Bhumimitra, Dhruvamitra, Agnimitra, Indramitra, Vishnumitra, Jayamitra, Prajapatimitra, Varunamitra, Anamitra, Bhadraghosha and Yugasena (the reverse of the coins of Varunamitra, Yugasena and Anamitra do not exhibit any deity). Shaunakayaniputra Vangapala, ruler of Ahichatra, whom Vaidehiputra Ashadhasena mentioned as his grandfather in his Pabhosa inscription, is identified with king Vangapala, known from his coins. The name of Damagupta is also found on a clay sealing.^[15][16]

The last independent ruler of Ahichatra was Achyuta, who was defeated by Samudragupta, after which Panchala was annexed into the Gupta Empire.^[17] The coins of Achyuta found from Ahichatra have a wheel of eight spokes on the reverse and the legend Achyu on the obverse.^[18]

• Panchala coinage
• 
  Coin of the Panchalas of Ahichhatra (75-50 BCE).
  Obv

  Brahmi

  , Panchala symbols.
• 
  Coin of Agnimitra, showing the depiction of Agni with flaming hair on the obverse, and a reverse showing the three dynastic symbols of the Panchala rulers and a legend naming the king: Agimitasa.
• 
  A bronze currency of 1⁄2 karshapana of King Indramitra (ca 75-50 BC?) Of Ahichatra of Panchala. Obv: A inside a rectangle, a line of 3 symbols, under the name of the king. Rev: Indra standing on a pedestal without pillars. Dimensions: 15 mm. Weight: 4.18 g.
• 
  Coin of Achyuta, the last Panchala king, showing an 8-spoked wheel and the king's name: Achyu.

Rulers

Ajamida II had a son named Rishin. Rishin had two sons namely Samvarana II whose son was

• Rishin, (his sons were Brihadvasu and Samvarana II)
• Brihadbhanu, (son of Brihadvasu)
• Brihatkaya
• Puranjaya
• Riksha
• Bramhyaswa
• Aramyaswa
• Mudgala, Yavinara, Pratiswan,
  Panchala Kingdom
  and were called as Panchalas.
• Dritimana, (son of Mudgala)
• Drdhanemi
• Sarvasena, (founder of Ujjain Kingdom)
• Mitra
• Rukmaratha
• Suparswa
• Sumathi
• Sannatimana
• Krta
• Pijavana
• Somadutta
• Jantuvahana
• Badhrayaswa
• Brihadhishu
• Brihadhanu
• Brihadkarma
• Jayaratha
• Visvajit
• Seinyajit
• Nepavirya, (after this King's name the country was named Nepaldesh)
• Samara
• Sadashva
• Ruchiraswa
• Pruthusena
• Prapti
• Prthaswa
• Sukrthi
• Vibhiraja
• Anuha
• Bramhadatta II
• Vishwaksena
• Dandasena
• Durmukha
• Durbuddhi
• Dharbhya
• Divodasa
• Sivana I
• Mitrayu
• Maitrayana
• Soma
• Sivana II
• Sadasana
• Sahadeva
• Somaka, (Somaka's eldest son was Sugandakrthu and youngest was Prishata. But in a war all sons died and Prishata Survived and became the king of Panchala)
• Prishati
  , (son of Somaka)
• Drupada, (son of Prishata)
• Dhrishtadyumna, (was the son of Drupada, Draupadi and Shikhandi were the daughters of Drupada)
• Keśin Dālbhya
• Pravahana Jaivali
• Achyuta, (last known ruler of Panchala Kingdom which was defeated in c. 350 CE by Gupta ruler Samudragupta.)

See also

History of South Asia
Outline Palaeolithic (2,500,000–250,000 BC) Madrasian culture Soanian culture Edakkal culture (5000–3000 BC)
Chalcolithic (3500–1500 BC) Anarta tradition (c. 3950–1900 BC) Ahar-Banas culture (3000–1500 BC) Pandu culture (1600–1500 BC) Malwa culture (1600–1300 BC) Jorwe culture (1400–700 BC)
Bronze Age (3300–1300 BC) Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1300 BC)  – Early Harappan culture (3300–2600 BC)  – Mature Harappan culture (2600–1900 BC)  – Late Harappan culture (1900–1300 BC) Vedic Civilisation (2000–500 BC)  – Ochre Coloured Pottery culture (2000–1600 BC)  – Swat culture (1600–500 BC)
Macedonian Empire	(330–323 BC)
Maurya Empire	(321–184 BC)
Seleucid India	(312–303 BC)
Sangam period	(c. 600 BC – c. 300 AD)
Pandya Empire	(c. 300 BC – AD 1345)
Chera Kingdom	(c. 300 BC – AD 1102)
Chola Empire	(c. 300 BC – AD 1279)
Pallava Empire	(c. 250 AD – AD 800)
Maha-Megha-Vahana Empire	(c. 250 BC – c. AD 500)
Parthian Empire	(247 BC – AD 224)