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The Nalas were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prad ...
and
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
during the 6th century CE. Their core territory included the areas around
Bastar and
Koraput
Koraput is a town and a Municipality in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. Koraput town is the district headquarter of Koraput district.
History
The district of Koraput derives its name from its headquarters the present town of ...
districts. Their capital was probably Pushkari (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: Puṣkarī), identified with the modern Garhdhanora in Bastar district. At one point, they seem to have conquered the
Vakataka
The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in th ...
capital Nandivardhana in the
Vidarbha
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a proposed state of central India, comprising the state's Amravati and Nagpur divisions. Amravati Division's former name is Be ...
region, but suffered reverses against the Vakatakas as well as the
Chalukyas
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...
.
Sharabhapuriyas, their northern neighbours, also seem to have played a part in their downfall. They were probably supplanted by the
Panduvamshi dynasty, although one branch of the dynasty seems to have ruled a small territory until the 7th or 8th century CE.
History
Inscriptions of three kings mention them as members of the Nala family: Arthapati, Bhavadatta and Skandavarman. Some gold coins suggest the existence of three other Nala rulers – Varaharaja, Nandanaraja, and Stambha. Although these coins do not mention the name of their dynasty, they bear the bull-and-crescent dynastic emblem of the Nala kings, and weigh same as the known Nala coins. Also, the name of the issuer is written in "box-headed" script of 6th century on all the coins, and they have all been discovered in the former Nala territory. The coins of Varaharaja have been discovered along with those of Arthapati and Bhavadatta. All these evidences indicate that Varaharaja, Nandanaraja and Stambha were all Nala kings too.
Varaharaja
Palaeographic
Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...
evidence suggests that Varaharaja was the earliest of these kings, although it is not certain if he was the dynasty's founder. His issuance of gold coins suggests that he enjoyed a sovereign status.
Arthapati
Arthapati is known from a copper-plate inscription and coins. His only known inscription was issued from Pushkari, which may have been the capital of the Nala kings. The inscription suggests that the king was a devotee of Maheshvara (
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...
) and Mahasena (
Kartikeya
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesh ...
). The inscription mentions that he was from the family of Nala. According to one theory, this is a reference to the legendary king
Nala
Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the '' Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prin ...
of
Nishadha Kingdom
The Nishadha kingdom
(IAST: Niṣadha) was a tribe of ancient India that lived in a country of the same name
History
Veerasena was a king of the Nishadha kingdom, and the father of Nala. Nala, the son of Veerasena, became the king after his fathe ...
. However, there is no concrete proof for this interpretation.
Bhavadatta
Find spot
Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...
s of the Nala inscriptions" width="250" height="250" zoom="4" longitude="81.16" latitude="20.20">
The next known king of the dynasty is Bhavadatta, whose copper-plate inscription was found at Rithpur (also Rithapur or Ridhapur) in
Amravati district,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...
. The inscription was engraved by one Boppadeva. It mentions the king's name as "Bhavattavarman", which is probably a mistake or a
Prakrit
The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...
form of the Sanskrit name "Bhavadattavarman". It names Arthapati as the king's ''aryaka'', which is variously interpreted to mean "father" or "grandfather"; according to another interpretation, ''aryaka'' is an epithet of Bhavadatta. The inscription names the place of issue as Nandivardhana, and states that the king and the queen were staying at
Prayaga as pilgrims. Like Arthapati's inscription, it mentions Maheshvara, Mahasena and the Nala family.
The find spot of Bhavadatta's inscription suggests that he extended the Nala territory to the present-day
Vidarbha
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a proposed state of central India, comprising the state's Amravati and Nagpur divisions. Amravati Division's former name is Be ...
region, possibly at the expense of the
Vakataka
The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in th ...
s (whose capital was at Nandivardhana).
During his last years, Bhavadatta seems to have suffered reverses against the Vakatakas and the
Chalukyas
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...
. An inscription of Bhavadatta's successor Skandavarman indicates that Bhavadatta lost the control of Pushkari, possibly to the Vakatakas or the Chalukyas. The Vakataka king Prithivisena II is said to have restored the glory of his family, apparently by defeating the Nalas. An
Aihole inscription
The Aihole Inscription, also known as the Aihole ''prashasti'', is a nineteen line Sanskrit inscription at Meguti Jain temple in Aihole, Karnataka, India. An eulogy dated 634–635 CE, it was composed by the Jain poet Ravikirti in honor of his p ...
credits the Chalukya king
Kirtivarman I with the destruction of the Nalas.
Skandavarman
The last known king of the dynasty is Skandavarman, whose Podagada inscription mentions him as a son of Bhavadattavarman. The inscription states that Skandavarman retrieved the lost glory of the Nala family, and re-populated the deserted city of Pushkari. It also records the construction of a
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
shrine by the king.
Possible successors
Nothing is known about the immediate successors of Skandavarman. But the Nalas were probably supplanted by the Panduvamshi dynasty. The
Sharabhapuriya dynasty
The Sharabhapuriya (IAST: Śarabhapurīya) dynasty ruled parts of present-day Chhattisgarh and Odisha in India, during 5th and 6th centuries. The dynasty probably served as Gupta vassals in their early days, but became practically independent as ...
may have also contributed to the decline of the Nalas. The coins of the Sharabhapuriyas are similar to that of the Nalas, which suggests that the two dynasties were contemporaries. Epigraphic and numismatic evidence indicates that the Sharabhapuriyas were the northern neighbours of the Nalas.
A dynasty claiming descent from the legendary
Nala
Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the '' Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prin ...
is known to have ruled a small area in present-day Chhattisgarh sometime later. The undated
Rajim
Rajim is a town which is proposed to be in Raipur district but officially in Gariaband district, Chhattisgarh, India. Rajim is named after Rajiv Lochan Mandir which is the Main Hindu Pilgrimage Temple of Rajim dedicated to Vishnu. There is als ...
inscription of this dynasty can be assigned to either 7th or 8th century CE. This dynasty was probably a branch of the Nalas of Bastar. Its known members include Prithviraja, Viruparaja and Vilasatunga.
Capital
The dynasty's capital was probably Pushkari, which is mentioned as the place of issue in an inscription of Arthapati. Earlier, Pushkari was believed to be the present-day Podagada in
Koraput district
Koraput is a district of India in southern Odisha, with headquarters at Koraput. The district is located in the Eastern Ghats and is known for its hilly terrain, rich and diverse types of mineral deposits and its tribal culture and traditions. T ...
, where an inscription of Skandavarman has been found. Later research has led to the identification of Garhdhanora in
Bastar district as Pushkari. The excavations carried out by Madhya Pradesh's Directorate of Archaeology and Museums has resulted in discovery of several ruined temples and sculptures at Garhdhanora.
Religion
The
Brahmanical
The historical Vedic religion (also known as Vedicism, Vedism or ancient Hinduism and subsequently Brahmanism (also spelled as Brahminism)), constituted the religious ideas and practices among some Indo-Aryan peoples of northwest Indian Subco ...
system thrived during the rule of the Nala kings, who patronized
Shaivism
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...
,
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as ...
, and
Shaktism
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...
.
Inscriptions
The following inscriptions of the Nala kings have been discovered:
List of rulers
The following rulers of the dynasty are known from their coins and inscriptions:
* Varaha-raja (coins)
* Arthapati-Bhattaraka (coins and inscriptions)
* Bhavadatta-varman (coins and inscriptions)
* Skanda-varman (inscriptions)
Two other rulers are known from coins, but they cannot be placed in chronology based on the available information.
* Stambha
* Nandana-raja
Descendants
The descendants of the Nala dynasty later established the Khidisingi mandala in modern
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Brahmapur, one of the major city of Odisha is situated in this district.
Geography
Ganjam is located at in the Ganjam district of Odisha with an ...
region around 9th-10th century CE which eventually became the ancestors of the
Soroda dynasty. The Khidisingi estate further split into 4 separate zamindaris consisting of
Badagada,
Dharakote
Dharakote is a semi-urban village and former princely state in Dharakote Block of Ganjam district in the Indian state of Odisha.
Geography
Dharakote is located at . NH-59 ( Gopalpur-Khariar) passes through this town. It is located about 12&n ...
,
Soroda and
Sheragada.
References
Bibliography
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External links
Nala inscriptions
{{Odisha
Dynasties of India
History of Chhattisgarh
History of Maharashtra
History of Odisha