kingdom · South Asia
Nagas of Padmavati
Origins
After the decline of the Kushan Empire, several Naga ruling families emerged in central and northern India in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The best known ruled from Padmavati, modern Pawaya near Gwalior, with other branches at Vidisha and Mathura. Many scholars identify them with the Bharashivas of Vakataka records.
Rule and society
The Nagas are known from many small copper coins and a few inscriptions. Vakataka inscriptions say the Bharashiva kings carried a Shiva linga on their shoulders and performed ten horse sacrifices and were anointed with the waters of the Ganges, suggesting strong Shaiva devotion. Bhava Naga married his daughter to the Vakataka house, and his grandson Rudrasena I became a Vakataka king.
Decline and legacy
In the 4th century Samudragupta of the Gupta Empire defeated Naga rulers, including Ganapati Naga and Nagasena, and absorbed their lands. The Guptas then married into the Naga family through Chandragupta II's queen Kuberanaga.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Nagas of Padmavati was conquered by Gupta Empire350 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nagas of Padmavati. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nagas-of-padmavati
- MLA
- “Nagas of Padmavati.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nagas-of-padmavati. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Nagas of Padmavati.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nagas-of-padmavati.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nagas of Padmavati’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nagas-of-padmavati (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻