The Eastern Gangas

The Kalinga Gangas are historically referred to as the Eastern Gangas, in contrast to the Mysore Gangas, which are referred to as the Western Gangas. According to tradition preserved in early Chodaganga copper-plate grants, the Eastern Gangas of Kalinga were a branch of Mysore’s ruling Western Ganga family. Kamarnava, the founder of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, is said to have migrated from Kolahalapura in Gangabadivishaya (of Mysore) to Kalinga with his four brothers, leaving his ancestral kingdom to his paternal uncle. He arrived in Mahendragiri and worshipped Gokarneswara Siva before occupying the Kalinga country after defeating the Savara Chief Baladitya. It is impossible to determine the extent to which the tradition is based on history.

Indravarman I (537 CE)

Indravarman I, whose Jirjingi copperplate grant was issued in the Ganga year 39, or 537 CE, is the first historical ruler of the Eastern Ganga dynasty known from reliable records. He is reputed to have been a powerful ruler, commanding a large number of vassal chiefs, and establishing his capital at Dantapura. Indravarman is identified with Adhiraja Indra, who defeated the Vishnukundin king Indrabhattaraka on his elephant Kumuda while mounted on his elephant Supratika. Additionally, King lndravarman was the lord of Trikalinga. He was the first great ruler of the Ganga dynasty and the founder of the Ganga era, which began in 498 CE This is almost certainly the year he ascended to the Ganga throne.

Samantavarman (562 CE)

The following king in line was Samantavarman, who received his grant in the year 64 (562 CE) from Saumyavana, also known as the goddess of Victory’s abode. Samantvarman, like his predecessor, assumed the title of Trikalingadhipati.

Hastivarman (577 CE)

King Hastivarman succeeded Samantvarman sometime before the year 79. (577 CE). This king is known to have engaged in numerous battles and claims to have defeated a formidable confederacy of his adversaries. He did not refer to himself as Trikalinga’s Lord, but rather as the Lord of All Kalingas (Sakala Kalinga). From his time until the accession of Vajrahasta V (in 1038 AD. ), no Ganga ruler referred to himself as Trikalingadhipati. Also known as Rajasimha alias Ranabhita, Hastivarman was also known as Rajasimha. He was a devotee of Narayana, and his Narsimhapali charter (year 79) records the grant of six halas of land, four shrines (niresana), and a free food establishment in honour of god Narayan, the Lord of the Seven Worlds who sleeps on seven oceans and for whose pleasure seven Sama songs are sung. Hastivarman relocated his capital from Dantapura to Kalinganagara on the banks of the Vamsadhara River.

Indravarman II (589 CE)

He was succeeded by his son Indravarman II, who reigned at least until the year 91 (589 CE ), when his ParJakimedi plates were issued.

Indravarman III (626 CE)

The following king was Indravarman III, who ascended to the throne prior to the year 128. (626 CE). He was Danarnava’s son, about whom little is known. Indravarman III granted his first Chicacole grant in 626 CE during a lunar eclipse on the Margasira full moon day. His second Chicacole grant was made in the year 138 (636 CE) on the occasion of Ratha saptami in the month of Magha, indicating that Sun worship was widespread in Gangas’ kingdom. He asserts in this charter that he has acquired proficiency in a variety of sciences and arts. His most recent record, the Tekkli grant, is dated 154.

Devendravarman (681 CE)

The first mention of the next known king Devendravarman-I dates from 183. (681 CE). Dcvendravarman was the son of Gunarnava, about whom no record exists. King Devendravarman was a devout Saiva and received Mantra-diksha from Patanga Sivacharya in the year 184. Patanga Sivacharya was versed in the Vedas and Vedangas, Itihasa and Puranas. He also supported Brahmachari Pill and his sister Pillika Svamini, both of whom were knowledgeable about the Vedas and Vedangas.

Anantavarman I(702 CE)

He was succeeded by his son Anantavarman I, who ascended to the throne prior to the year 204 (702 CE), the date of his Dharmilingeswar grant, which was issued in commemoration of the royal family’s marriage of a princess.

Devendravarman (752 CE)

Following Anantavarman-1, his two sons Nandavarrnan and Devendravarman-II succeeded him as kings of Kalinga. Nandavarman succeeded to the throne prior to the year 221 and Devendravarman-ll succeeded to the throne prior to the year 251. Devendravarman-last Il’s known date is 254 (752 CE ), after which the family vanishes for nearly a half-century.

Anantavarrnan II

The family’s next significant ruler is Anantavarrnan II, Rajendravarman I’s son. As no grant of Rajendravarman I has been discovered, he, like Danarnava and Gunarnava, the fathers of Indravarman III and Devendravarman I, remain in obscurity. Anantavarman II granted the Almanda grant in the year 304 (802 CE) to commemorate the consecration and opening of a tank during a solar eclipse. He was succeeded by his brother Devendravannan III, another son of Rajendravarman I, sometime before the year 306. This king died in the year 310, when he donated the village of Niyina free of all taxes to a Brahmin poet who was the son of his palace’s doorkeeper.

Anantavarman III

His son Anantavarman III succeeded him, and two of his sons, Rajendravarman II and Devendravarman IV, succeeded him as kings. One of King Devendravarman IV’s Chicacole grants is dated 351(849 AD.) and another of his son Satyavarman’s Chicacole grants is also dated 351.

Other Eastern Gangas rulers

Satyavarman, Devendravarman’s son, claims to have acquired supremacy over the entire Kalinga region by the edge of his sword. Satyavarrnan was succeeded by his brother Anantavarman IV (another son of Devendravarman 1V). He is identified by his Tekkali grant dated 358. (865 CE). He was commonly referred to as Vajrahasta I. The following Ganga king was Maharaja Bhupendra-varman alias Narasimha, who was succeeded by two of his sons, Anantavannan V and Devendravarman V. Anantavarman V granted the Chipurupalli grant in 383 (881 CE). Anantavarman is given the epithet Maharajadhiraja in this charter, and he is also referred to as Sri Vajrahastadeva. He was succeeded by his brother Devendravarman V prior to the year 397 (895 AD.) when the Chidivalasa grant was issued. From the preceding discussion, we can deduce the following genealogy for the first group of Kalinga’s Eastern Ganga kings.

The Ganga years found in the respective charters of these kings are mentioned bellow
against each of them :

1. Indravarman 1-3960
2. Sartlantavarman – 64
3. Hastivarman (also called Rajasimha and Ranabhita) 79,80.
4. Indravarman II (Rajasimha) 87, 91.
5. Danarnava
6. lndravarrnan II(son of No. 5) -128,137.138,154
7. Gunarnava
8. Devendravarman 1. (son of No. 7)–183,184,192,195
9. Anantavarman I(son of No. 8) – 204
10. Nandavarman (son of No.9) -221
11. Devendravarrnan II(son of No.9) – 254
12. Rajendravarman I
13. Anantavarman II (son of No. 12) – 304
14. Devandravarman Ill (son of No. 12) – 306,308,310
15. l5. Anatavarman II1 (son oCNo. 14) – 313,314
16. Rajendrvarman II (son of No 15) – 342
17. Devendravarman IV (son of No. 16)-35l
18. Satyavarman (son ofNo.17) – 351
19. Anantavarrnan IV also called Vajri ofVajrahasta I(son of No.17) -358
20. Bhupendravarman (Marasimha)
21. Anantavarman V also called Vajrabasta II (son of No. 20)-383
22. Devendravarman V (son of No. 20) -397
23. The second group of Eastern Ganga kings is described in Vajrahasta V’s charters. Seven copper plate grants of this king have come to Iight, and these grants present an identical genealogy of this group of Ganga kings, along with the number of their reigning years.

The genealogy is given below:

1. Gunarnaharnava
2. Vajrasta III (son of No. 1) – 44 years.
3. Gundarna 1 (son of No. 2) – 3 years
4. Kamarnava I(son ofNo. 2) -35 years
5. Vinayaditya (son of No.2) – 3 years61
6. Vajrahasta IV also called Aniyankabhima (Anangabhima l)-35 years
7. KamarnavaJI(sonofNo.6)-1I2year
8. Gundarna II (son of No.6) – 3 years
9. Madhukamarnva (son of No.6) – 19 years
10. Vajrahasia V – (was crowned in S.E. 960) (son of No.7)

All of these Ganga kings ruled over a small region known as Kalinga. They were hemmed in on the south by the Eastern Chalukyas and on the north by the Sailodbhavas. Around the eighth century CE, Kamarupa king Harshadeva claimed victory over them. Nagabhata, the Pratihara king, conquered Kalinga and Andhra in the early ninth century CE Around the middle of the ninth century, the Eastern Gangas were briefly ruled by the Bhaurna Karas, and in the second half of that century, the Eastern Chalukyas claimed supremacy over Kalinga. The Eastern Gangas were briefly ruled by the Somavamsis in the late tenth century CE, and Indraratha served as governor of Kalinga before being crowned king at Yayatinagara around 1000 CE Vajrahasta V, who ascended to the throne of Kalinga in 1038 CE and established that territory as an independent and powerful entity, brought an end to the Somavamsi supremacy over the Eastern Gangas. Despite their fortunes fluctuating, the Eastern Gangas maintained a firm grip on Kalinga and established an era of their own, which was used in their official charters for over 500 years. Vajrahasta V abolished the Ganga era and instituted the Saka era, which was adopted by all subsequent Ganga kings.

Sources and References

1. History of Odisha Vol-I by Dr Manas Kumar Das
2. History of Odisha Vol-II by Dr Manas Kumar Das
3. History of Odisha Vol-III by Dr Manas Kumar Das
4. History of Odisha Sahu, Sahu, Mishra
5. History of Odisha Vol-I by Y.K. Sahu
6. History of Odisha Vol-II by Y.K. Sahu
7. History of Odisha by RD Banerjee
8. Odishara Itihasa by Satyanarayan Rajguru