kingdom · South Asia

Ikshvaku dynasty

225 CE – 340 CE (approx.) · capital Vijayapuri

Successors of the Satavahanas in the Krishna valley, whose queens funded the great Buddhist monasteries of Nagarjunakonda.

Origins

The Ikshvakus, claiming descent from the legendary solar dynasty, rose in the lower Krishna valley of Andhra as the Satavahana dynasty collapsed in the early 3rd century. Their founder, Vasishthiputra Chamtamula, built the capital Vijayapuri in the valley now called Nagarjunakonda.

Rule and society

The kings performed Vedic sacrifices, including the horse sacrifice, while the women of the royal house and their relatives were lavish patrons of Buddhism. Inscriptions record their gifts to stupas and monasteries at Nagarjunakonda, which hosted monks from Sri Lanka and elsewhere. The site's limestone carvings belong to the Amaravati school. King Virapurushadatta married into the Western Satraps' family.

Decline and legacy

Ikshvaku rule ended in the early 4th century, probably through the expansion of the Pallava dynasty and the Abhira dynasty. Vijayapuri was flooded by the Nagarjuna Sagar dam in the 1960s, after excavated monuments were moved to higher ground.

Lineage

Satavahana dynasty 100 BCE – 220 CEIkshvaku dynasty

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ikshvaku dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ikshvaku-dynasty
MLA
“Ikshvaku dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ikshvaku-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ikshvaku dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ikshvaku-dynasty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ikshvaku dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ikshvaku-dynasty (Accessed: ).

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