Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala

Origins

The Panduvamshis, claiming descent from the lunar line, rose in Dakshina Kosala, the upper Mahanadi valley of modern Chhattisgarh, in the 6th century. Under Tivaradeva they united the region and made Shripura, modern Sirpur, their capital, displacing earlier local rulers.

Rule and society

The kings were mostly Vaishnava but tolerant of Shaivism and Buddhism. Mahashivagupta Balarjuna, who ruled for about sixty years in the 7th century, was a Shaiva who also endowed Buddhist monasteries; his mother Vasata built the Lakshmana temple at Sirpur, one of the finest early brick temples in India. Excavations at Sirpur have revealed monasteries, markets and temples of a thriving city, which Xuanzang described.

Decline and legacy

After Balarjuna the dynasty declined in the 8th century. Its line, known as the Somavamshis, moved east into Odisha, where it later ruled as the Somavamshi dynasty, while Dakshina Kosala passed to other rulers.