Chapter Info (Click Here)
Book No. – 17 (Ancient History)
Book Name – History of the Early Dynasties of Andhra Desa (Book V – Dynasties of the Eastern Deccan; 350-630 AD)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Introductory
1.1. Origin and Original Homes of Eastern Gangga
1.2 The Jabnaveyas and the Gangas of Kalinga Possibly Belong to a Single Tribe
2. Eastern Ganga Traditions Examined
2.1. Epithets Belongs to the Collateral Branch of Svetaka
2.2. Legends etc. Found for the First Time in the Records of the Later Gangas
2.3. Facts From the Jirjingi and Godavari Grants
2.4. Conclusion
2.5. The Eastern Gangas and their Feudatories were Probably immigrants from Gangavadi and Kuntala
3. The initial Year of the Victorious Ganga Era
3.1. Introductory Ganga Era still an Unsettled Problem
32. Limits for Fixing the Initial Point of the Ganga era
3.3. Limits Further Closely Determined
3.4. Two More Records Support the Hypothesis
3.5 Conclusion
4. The Rise of the Eastern Gangas in Kalinga
4.1. A Brief Survey of Events in the Closing Grants of the Fifth and Beginning of the Sixth Century
4.2. Events in Kalinga in the last Decade of the Fifth Century
4.3. Hostility of the Sailodbhavas and Vişnakupdins to the Eastern Gangas
4.4. Who is the founder of the Eastern Ganga dynasty?
4.5. Indravarman I or (Indradhiraja), 520-539 AD
4.6. Indravarman’s fall: 539 AD
4.7. Trikalinga Its Extent and Capital
4.8. Second Period of Obscuration for the Eastern Gangas: 540-550 AD
4.9. Rise and expansion of the Panduvahvis or Sömavams is of Kosala
4.10. Hastivarman Surnamed Rajasimha and Ranabhita: 570-580 AD
4.11. Narasingapalli plates and their importance
4.12. Indravarman II: 550-595 AD
4.13. Kalinganagara identical with Mukhalingam
4.14. Indravarman III the Length of his reign: 580-595 AD
4.15. Interval between the Hall of Indravarman II and the rise of Indravarman III; 624 AD
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The Eastern Ganges of Kalinga
Chapter – 1
Introductory
The history of the Eastern Gangas of Kalinga is vast and intricate, making it unsuitable for summary treatment in this context.
A detailed and comprehensive history of the Eastern Gangas is beyond the scope of this work, which focuses on the chronological perspective.
The history of the Eastern Gangas spans from the close of the 5th century to the middle of the 14th century.
The study is confined to the rise of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in Kalinga and its early struggles.
The Eastern Gangas’ history is closely tied to the early dynasties of Andhradesa and the decline of the Visnukundin Empire.
The focus is on the Eastern Gangas’ struggles with the Sailodbhavas of Konyõdha and other local dynasties of Kalinga, as well as the Visnukundins.
The study aims to address the initial point of the Ganga era, a problem that has been debated since the time of Dr. Fleet.
The study focuses on the period from the establishment of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in Trikalinga in the closing years of the 5th century to the accession of Indravarman III (son of Dānārņava) around 620 A.D..
Origin and Original Homes of Eastern Ganges
The origin of the Eastern Ganga dynasty is lost in obscurity, with several versions about its rise to power.
Dynastic records are the best material to understand the history, similar to the Paltavas.
The Eastern Gangas in Kalinga were known to historians as the Ganga dynasty.
There was also a Ganga or Jāhnavēya dynasty known as the Western Gangas in Mysore at the beginning of the 5th century.
These two Ganga dynasties seem to be from different families, but both belong to the same tribe called Gānga or Ganga.
It is possible that the name Ganga was derived from their long association with the banks of the Gangā (Ganges) or Jahnavi in Northern India before spreading southwards at an unknown period.
The Ganga tribes are mentioned by Megasthenes around 300 BCE, occupying the region of the mouths of the Ganges, referred to as Gangaridai.
Their territory is said to have been between the Ganges (north) and the Dāmādar river (south), with Magadha to the west and the sea to the east.
According to Pliny’s Natural History (c. 77 A.D.), the Ganga tribe moved southwards to the region of Madhya Kalinga, near the mouths of the Vamsadhara, north of the Vizagapatam district.
Their capital is believed to have been Dandagula, which is identified with Dantapura in Buddhist traditions.
The Jābnavēyas and the Gangas of Kalinga Possibly Belong to a Single Tribe
Some writers believe there was a connection between the Gangas of Kalinga and the Gangas or Jāhnavēyas of Gangavādi in Mysore.
The Jāhnavēyas rose to sovereignty in the Punnāta-Pannāta country in southern Mysore and were initially Brahmans, like the Gangas of Kalinga.
The Gangas of Punnāta-Pannāta claimed descent from the Kāņvāyana-gotra and were Jainas by religion.
The Gangas of Kalinga, however, were Brahmans of Ātrēya-gotra and Śiva worshippers under the name Gökarṇesvara.
The gotra of the Gangas of Kalinga is not explicitly mentioned, making it a matter of conjecture.
Some writers believe the Later Gangas of Kalinga likely belonged to the same Ātrēya-gotra as the Gangas of Kalinga.
The Western Gangas of Mysore are thought to belong to a different gotra, suggesting they were from a different family, with no direct connection to the Gangas of Kalinga.
Despite belonging to different families, both the Gangas of Kalinga and the Gangas of Mysore were part of the same Ganga tribe and possibly had connections in the beginning.
The Jāhnavēyas rose to sovereignty around the beginning of the 5th century, while the Eastern Gangas came to power at the close of the 5th century.
Those supporting the connection between the Eastern and Western Gangas refer to a tradition in the family charters of the Eastern Gangas, which claims that Kāmārṇava I, the founder of the Later Ganga dynasty, migrated into Kalinga with his four younger brothers from Gangavādi and Kõlāhalapura in Mysore.
The tradition further states that they left their ancestral kingdom to their paternal uncle and established themselves in Kalinga after defeating the Sabara chief Sabarāditya.