Gangas
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| Official languages | Kannada Sanskrit |
| Capitals | Early Ganga:Kolar Later Ganga:Talakad |
| Government | Monarchy |
| Preceding state | Satavahana |
| Succeeding states | Chola, Hoysala |
The Gangas were an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka. They are also known as Western Ganga dynasty to distinguish them from the Eastern Ganga dynasty. They ruled as a soverign power during 350 - 550 period initially from Kolar later moving their capital to Talakad on the banks of the Kaveri River in modern Mysore district. After the rise of the Badami Chalukya dynasty, they played the role of an important feudatory until the 10th century before they were finally defeated by the Cholas at the turn of the 11th century. During their long rule that lasted nearly seven centuries they maintained close matrimonial relationship with the Chalukyas and later the Rashtrakutas. Their rule over Southern Karnataka resulted in the construction of fine monuments in Shravanabelagola and Kambadahalli. They patronised fine arts due to which literature in Sanskrit and Kannada flourished.
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[edit] History
Several theories have been propounded regarding the origin of the Gangas. Some historians of Archeological Survey Of India believe the Gangas were sons of the soil who took advantage of the fall of the Satavahana empire and created a niche kingdom for themselves in Gangavadi while the Kadambas, their contemporaries did the same over the rest of Karnataka. They believe that no immigrant invaders could have created a kingdom that lasted over 700 years making a significant contribution to the history and culture of Karnataka and Kannada language.[1] A few inscriptions state they belogned to Jahnaveya kula and Kanvayana gotra prompting some historians to believe the Gangas were immigrants from the Northern India and descendants of the Kanva dynasty.[2] Others believe they hailed from Kongu Nadu in present day Tamil Nadu since some Tamil inscriptions call them Konganiyarasa[3][4] Other inscriptions state they were descendents of Andhra Ikshvaku dynasty who came to power after the fall of the Satavahana empire during the 3rd century. Hence it is argued they earlier must have ruled in Andhra Pradesh as successors of the Satavahana. A 10th century Pallava inscription calls them descendents of two princess from Ayodhya who founded a kingdom in Cuddapah with Perur as their capital before the 4th century later moving their capital to Kolar and finally in 466 to Talakad in present day Karnataka[5] Irrespective of where they originated from, they may have taken advantage of the confusion caused by the invasion of Southern India by Samudra Gupta and carved out a small kingdom for themselves.
The area they controlled was called Gangavadi and primarily included the present day districts of Mysore, Chamrajanagar, Tumkur, Kolar, Mandya and Bangalore. At times they also controlled small areas in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In their early years they were feudatory to Pallavas and directly ruled Kolar and the Kongu Nadu on their behalf and at other times independently. Hence the region was also known as Nollambavadi. They continued to rule until the 10th century as feudatories of Rashtrakuta and Chalukyas.
[edit] Governance
Research has shown that the Gangas were followers of Arthashastra in their governance. Succession to the throne was hereditary though there were many instances when this was overlooked. Avanita handed over the reigns of the kingdom to Durvinitas younger brother and the former had to fight for the throne. Shivamara appointed his younger brother Vijayaditya as his successor and not his own son. During the lengthy Ganga rule, though more often than not they remained feudatory of larger empires, they seem to have had a full hand in their own administration. In fact some of the most well known Jaina scholars like Vijayakirti, Pujyapada and Pushpadanta acted as advicers to the Ganga kings indicating tremendoues autonomy. Positions high in administrative hierarchy were Sarvadhikari (prime minister), Shribhandari (treasurer), Sandhivirgrahi (foreign minister), Mahapradhana also perhaps a chief minsiter and the term Dandanayaka was attached to their titles to indicate they also served as commanders, Mamevergade (steward of royal household), Mahapasayita (master of robes), Gajasahani (commander of Elephant corps), Thuragasahani (commander of cavalry).
Other posts in the kingdom to handle local issues were Antahpuradhyaksha (superintendent), Mahapadiyara (chief guard), Hadapada (betel carrier), Rajasutradhari (personal secretary), Rahasyadhikrita (private secretary), Mahamatra (archivist of inscriptions), Rajjuka (survey official) and Lekhaka (accountant). Even in administrative matters, hereditery succession was common. The kingdom was divided into Nadu which was further divided into Vishayas (districts) headed by Vishayapati, Kampana (group of villages) and Grama (village) headed by a Gramakuta. The Gangas used Kannada and Nagari inscriptions in their coins.[6][7] The most common feature of Ganga coinage was the usage of elephant on the obverse and floral petal symbols on the reverse. Commonly, the Kannada legend Bhadra or a royal umbrella or a conch shell appears on top of the elephant symbol. The denominations are the same usual pagoda weighing 52 grains. The fanam wighed one tenth of the pagoda and very rarely half pagoda. Quarter fanams are rare.
[edit] Culture
| Western Ganga Kings (350-999) | |
| Konganivarma Madhava | (350 - 380) |
| Madhava | |
| Harivarman | |
| Madhava II | |
| Vishnugopa | |
| Madhava III | |
| Avinita | (469 - 529) |
| Durvinita | (529 - 579) |
| Mushkara | (579 - 604) |
| Polavira | (604 - 629 |
| Srivikrama | (629 - 654) |
| Bhuvikarma | (654 - 679) |
| Shivamara I | (679 - 726) |
| Sripurusha | (726 - 788) |
| Shivamara II | (788 - 816) |
| Rajamalla I | (816 - 843) |
| Nitimarga Ereganga | (843 - 870) |
| Rajamalla II | (870 - 907) |
| Ereyappa Nitimarga II | (907 - 921 |
| Narasimhadeva | (921 - 933) |
| Rajamalla III | (933 - 938) |
| Butuga II | (938 - 961) |
| Marulaganga | (961 - 963) |
| Chavundaraya | (Minister 963- 986) |
| Marasimha II | (963 - 975) |
| Rajamalla IV | (975 - 986) |
| Rakkasa Ganga | (986 - 999) |
| Rajaraja Chola I (Chola) |
(985-1014) |
[edit] Religion
There are multiple opinions about the religion followed by the western Gangas. Some scholars believe that the Ganga rulers were Jains.[8] However inscriptional evidence suggests otherwise. Inscriptions speak of the Kalamukhas, Pasupatas and Lokayatas who flourished in Gangavadi. King Madhava and Harivarman were devoted to cows and Brahmins. King Vishnugopa was a devout Vaishnava.[9] There is evidence that early Ganga kings performed vedic sacrifices. Hence others scholars believe that Durvinita was a Hindu and was either a Vishnavite or a Shaivite.[10] However later Ganga records reveal a strong Jaina influence due to Jain saints and scholars such as Toranacharya, Pushpanandi, Pujyapada, Jinasena, Ajitasena, Akalanka or Nemichandrasiddanta. Many Jain basadis were built in Manne, Belagola, Kambadahalli. However, irrespective of their actual faith, they remained tolerant to all faiths.
[edit] Literature
Important Sanskrit works were written during the rule of the Gangas.[11][12][13] Among them were Pujyapada's Sarvathasiddi , Jinendra Vyakaranaand KalayanaKaraka, Jinasena II wrote Adipurana, King Madhava II wrote Dattaka Sutra, King Durvinita wrote Vaddakatha, a translation from Prakrit, Shabdavatara a work on grammar and commentary on the 15th sarga of Bharavi's Kiratarjuniya, and a commentary on Panini's grammar. King Sripurusha wrote Gajasastra, Hemasena or Vidya Dhananjaya wrote Raghavpandaviya, Jinasena I,738 C.E. wrote Harivamsha, King Shivamara II wrote Gajamata Kalpana and Sethubandha (Prakrit), Vidhibhasimha wrote Gadyachintamani and Kshatrachudamani. Chavundaraya wrote Charitrasara. Other well known scholars were Ajitasena, Bharavi, Akalanka or Nemichandrasiddanta.
The Ganga period was a period of brisk literary activity in Kannada. Kavirajamarga (850) refers to King Durvinita as one of the early writers in Kannada.[14][15][16] Some important Kannada works were Gajashtaka (8th century) was work on elephant management by King Shivamara II now considered extinct, Chavundaraya wrote Chavundarayapurana, or Trishashti LaksanPurana in 978, Grammarian Gunavarma I, a contemporary of Chavundaraya was patronised by Ereyappa wrote Shudraka and Harivamsha, Nagavarma I who was patronised by Chavundaraya wrote Chandombudhi and Karnataka Kadambari, a work based on Bana's Sanskrit work.
Recent excavations at Tumbula near Mysore have revealed a set of copper plate bilingual inscriptions in Sanskrit and Kannada dated 444. The genealogy of the kings of the dynasty is in Sanskrit while Kannada has been used to describe the boundary of the village, indicating usage of Kannada in an administrative context.[17] An interesting inscription discovered at Beguru in present day Karnataka that deserves mention is the epigraph dated 890 that refers to a Bengaluru war. This is in Hale Kannada (old Kannada) language and is the earliest mention of the name of present day Bangalore.[18]
[edit] Architecture
- See also: Shravanabelagola and Kambadahalli
The Ganga style of architecture has been studied by many historians. Their style is highly influenced by the Pallava and early Chalukya architectural styles with significant Jaina influence.[19] Their architectural style has received many accolades from art critics. The monolith of Gomateshwara is considered the mightiest achievement of sculpture in Karnataka.[20] Their free standing pillars called Mahasthambha or Bhrahmasthambha are also unique.
The crowning glory of Ganga architecture are their Jaina monuments and basadi. The Chavundaraya basadi, Chandragupta basadi, monolothic Gomateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola and other structures (commissioned by a Ganga general Chamundaraya in 982) are a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the later Ganga kings build Jaina monuments they also provided grants to build Hindu temples like the Srirangapattana temple near Mysore. The 9th century Jain Panchakuta basadi at Kambadahalli in Mandya district is an excellent combination of Vesara, Nagara and Dravidian styles. Recent discovery of two Gomateshwara statues and the differences they bear to the later day statue at Shravanabelagola here has aroused considerable interest.
Another unique legacy of the Gangas were the vast number of Virgal or hero stones they have left behind, containing fine sculptural details of war scenes, Hindu dieties, Jain Tirthankaras. One Virgal even shows soldiers carrying away the wounded from battlefield. The early Gangas build fine Hindu temples with impressive dravidian gopuras, such as Kapileswara temple at Manne, the Hanumantesvara temple at Bannur, the Rameswara temple at Narasamangala, Bhoganandi shrine at Nandi which is a beautiful shrine with lovely sculptures and an exquisite tower. At Talakadu, they built the Maralesvara temple, the Arakesvara temple, the Patalesvara temple. Some of their other fine Hindu temples are the Mahalingesvara temple at Varuna, the Kallesvara temple at Aralaguppe, the Yoga Narasimha temple at Dadiga and Dadigesvara temple at Kodihalli. Some Ganga temples are also found in Tamil country, in Erode and Srinivasanallur, indicating they had ruled over this territory either as sovereign kings or as feudatories of the Pallavas.
 Mantapa, Panchakuta Basadi (9th. cen. Jain), Kambadahalli Mandya District |
 Panchakuta Basadi, Kambadahalli Mandya District |
 Roof sculpture, Panchakuta Basadi (Jain), Kambadahalli Mandya District |
 Roof sculpture,Panchakuta Basadi (Jain) , Kambadahalli Mandya District |
 Roof sculpture, Panchakuta Basadi (9th. century.Jain), Kambadahalli Mandya District |
 Roof sculpture, Panchakuta Basadi (Jain), Kambadahalli Mandya District |
 Roof sculpture, Panchakuta Basadi (Jain), Kambadahalli Mandya District |
 Roof sculpture, Panchakuta Basadi (Jain), Kambadahalli Mandya District |
[edit] References
- Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002)
- Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955). A History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002).
[edit] Notes
- ^ According to historians R. S. Panchamukhi and Lakshminarayana Rao, Arthikaje, Mangalore. Gangas of Talkad. 1998-2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ According to Dr. B. L. Rice and Prof. K. P. Jayaswal. Arthikaje, Mangalore. History of Karnataka-Gangas of Talkad. 1998-2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ According to historians Robert Sewell, M. Arokiyaswamy and S. V. Vishwanatha, Arthikaje, Mangalore. Gangas of Talkad. 1998-2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), p39
- ^ Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), p39
- ^ Southern India-Gangas. Govindraya Prabhu S, November 1, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Coins with Kannada legends have been discovered from the rule of the Gangas, Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), p12
- ^ Dr. Lewis Rice, S. R. Sharma and M. V. Krishna Rao propounded the Jain theory,Arthikaje, Mangalore. History of Karnataka-Gangas of Talkad. 1998-2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ According to Dr. Srikantha Shastri- Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), p49
- ^ Dr. S. Srikanta Sastri has claimed the Gangas were Hindu,Arthikaje, Mangalore. History of Karnataka-Gangas of Talkad. 1998-2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), pp 49-50
- ^ Arthikaje, Mangalore. History of Karnataka-Gangas of Talkad. 1998-2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955), A History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, OUP, (Reprinted 2002), pp 309-330
- ^ Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), pp 49-50
- ^ Arthikaje, Mangalore. History of Karnataka-Gangas of Talkad. 1998-2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955), A History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, OUP, (Reprinted 2002), pp 355-366
- ^ N. Havalaiah. Ancient inscriptions unearthed. The Hindu, Saturday, January 24, 2004. The Hindu. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Staff Reporter. Inscription reveals Bangalore is over 1,000 years old. The Hindu, Friday, August 20, 2004. The Hindu. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
- ^ Their style has been studied by Dr. Devarakinda Reddy and Dr. I.K. Sharma, Dr. M.V. Krishna Rao, Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), pp 50-52
- ^ According to historian Dr. M. Seshadri - Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, 2001, Jupiter books, MCC, (Reprinted 2002), pp 50-52
