Chapter Info (Click Here)
Book No. – 17 (Ancient History)
Book Name – History of the Early Dynasties of Andhra Desa (Book I – The Iksvakus; 200-260 AD)
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1. Mathiputra Sri Virapursadatta (tavakusvamin): 218-239 AD
2. Extent of the iksvaku Empire under King Sri Virapurusadatta
3. Sri Virapurusadatta’s Queens
4. Mathariputra Sri Viraprusdatta: Originally a Brahmana, but later a Convert to Buddhism
5. Sculptural Evidence of Sri Virapurusadatta’s Conversion to Buddhism and Renouncing Brahmanism
6. Benefactors and Buildings of the Buddhist Church
6.1. Mahadanapatni Mahatalvari-Mahasenagatni Santi Sri (Camti Siri) of the Pugiya Family
6.2. Identification of the Countries in Bodhi Siri’s Inscription
7. Greater Andhra and Religious Activity under the Iksvakus
8. Identification of the Aparasila and Purvasila Monastries
9. Other Monastic Buildings and Viharas
10. Two more records of the reign of Mathariputra Sri Virapurusadatta, from Jaggayanēta and Ramireddipalli
11. Nagarjunakonda and Sräparvata
11.1. Nagarjunakonda or The Hill of Nagarjuna
11.2. Yuan Chwang and Siriparvata
11.3. Two Nagarjunas: Acarya Nagarjuna and Siddha Nagarjuna
12. Buddhism in Andhradesa
12.1. Peculiarities of the Andhaka School
12.2 The Mahacaitya at Nagarjunakonda
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The Glorious Period of Buddhism
Chapter – 4
Mathriputra Sri Virapursadatta (Isvakusvamin); 218-239 AD
Upon the death of Sri Śāntamūla, his son Mātharīputra Sri Vīrapuruşadatta succeeded to the throne in 218 A.D..
Sri Vīrapuruşadatta was likely in the prime of youth or on the threshold of manhood at his accession.
He enjoyed a long, peaceful, and prosperous reign lasting 20 years, from 218 to 239 A.D..
Sri Vīrapuruşadatta was considered the most powerful sovereign in the Deccan during his reign.
His reign marked the zenith of Buddhism in Andhradesa, reminiscent of the prosperous days of the old Andhra Empire under the Satavahanas (Gautamīputra and Vāsisthīputra Pulumāvi II).
Numerous inscriptions found at Nāgārjunakonda and other locations, dated in the sixth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, and twentieth years of his reign, attest to the uninterrupted prosperity of his period.
These inscriptions show that the Ikṣvākus rose to imperial dignity, with Sri Vīrapuruşadatta regarded as the emperor (Cakravartin) of Dakṣiṇāpatha.
The majority of inscriptions found at Nāgārjunakonda, except a few, and those found at Jaggayyapēta and Rāmireddipalli, reference the glorious epoch of Buddhism under the patronage of the Imperial Ikṣvākus, especially Sri Vīrapuruşadatta and his son Vāsisthīputra Sri Bahubala Śāntamūla.
These records provide valuable information about the pious benefactions enjoyed by the Buddhist Church, facilitated by the munificence of the royal family and others.
Extent of the Iksvaku Empire under King Sri Virapurusadatta
The Iksvāku inscriptions are not found throughout the Deccan like those of the Imperial Andhras; their dominion was likely confined to the eastern half of the Deccan.
The Iksvāku Empire extended over Andhradesa, Kalinga, and Kosala, from the banks of the Penna (Pinākini) in the south to the foot of the Mēkala range in the north.
The empire was likely bounded by the territories of the Mahāksatrapas of Ujjaini in the north, the Ābhīras of Trikāta in the northwest, and was contiguous with the Andhrabhrtya kingdom of Vanvāsa in the west.
During Sri Vīrapuruşadatta’s reign, the empire remained peaceful, prosperous, and well-organized, though no new territories were conquered or dynasties subdued.
Sri Vīrapuruşadatta added prestige and power to the empire, and the fame of Andhradesa as a glorious land of Buddhism spread widely.
He followed the foreign policy of his father, building imperial influence through matrimonial alliances with neighboring powers.
Sri Vīrapuruşadatta married Mahādevī Rudradharabhattārikā, daughter of the Mahāksatrapa of Ujjaini, and gave his daughter Kodabali siri (Skt. Kundavalli Śrī) in marriage to the Mahārāja of Vanavāsa.
Kodabali siri referred to herself as the Queen (Mahadevī) of the Mahārāja of Vanavāsa in her record from the eleventh year of her brother Vāsisthīputra Sri Bahubala Śāntamūla‘s reign.
The Mahārāja of Vanavāsa, not named in the inscription, is speculated to be Dharmamaharajadhiraja Sivaskandavarman of the Kadamba family, ruling Vaijayanti from c. 240 to 255 A.D..
The Saka-Mahākṣatrapa of Ujjaini remained an ally of the Iksvāku monarch, likely due to the political conditions in the northwestern Deccan, where the Mahāksatrapa needed a strong ally against Ābhīra aggression.
Sri Vīrapuruşadatta’s contemporaries in Ujjaini included Samghadāman (c. 222-223 A.D.) and Dāmasēna (c. 223-236 A.D.), the younger brothers of his father-in-law Rudrasēna II.
Dāmasēna’s reign ended with the rise of the Ābhīra usurper Īsvaradatta, who briefly assumed the title of Mahākṣatrapa.
Fearing a dynastic revolution or possible usurpation, Sri Vīrapuruşadatta strengthened his position through marriage alliances with powerful feudatory families.
He married his sister to Mahadandanayaka Skanda Visākhanāga of the Dhanaka family, and took wives from his paternal aunts, Hamma siri and Cāmti siri, who were married to influential Mahasénapatis.
Through these marriage alliances, Sri Vīrapuruşadatta consolidated the Iksvāku Empire, and later, many southern royal families (e.g., Kēkayas, Coļas) claimed descent from or alliances with the Iksvāku dynasty.