kingdom · South Asia
Salankayana dynasty
Origins
The Salankayanas emerged in the coastal Andhra region around the 4th century, after the fall of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Their capital was Vengi, near modern Eluru. A Hastivarman of Vengi appears among the southern kings defeated and then reinstated by Samudragupta of the Gupta Empire, as recorded in his Allahabad pillar inscription.
Rule and society
The dynasty is known from about a dozen copper-plate charters recording land grants to Brahmins, written first in Prakrit and later in Sanskrit, which document the shift in courtly language in the Deccan. The kings described themselves as devotees of Chitrarathasvamin, apparently a form of the Sun god. The fertile delta supported rice farming and coastal trade.
Decline and legacy
In the 5th century the Salankayanas were displaced by the expanding Vishnukundina dynasty, which absorbed Vengi.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Salankayana dynasty paid tribute to Gupta Empire350 CE
- Salankayana dynasty was conquered by Vishnukundina dynasty440 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Salankayana dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salankayana-dynasty
- MLA
- “Salankayana dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salankayana-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Salankayana dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salankayana-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Salankayana dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salankayana-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻