The Murunda dynasty ruled in the Utkal region of modern

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

in eastern India during 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. Their territory included parts of the area around the northern districts of coastal

. They appear to have succeeded the

Mahameghavahana dynasty The Mahameghavahana dynasty (, 2nd or 1st century BC to early 4th century CE) was an ancient ruling dynasty of Kalinga after the decline of the Maurya Empire. In the first century B.C., Mahameghavahana, a king of Chedirastra (or Cetarattha, i. ...

and then conquered by the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

Rulers

The following members of the Murunda family are known: *Gana (2nd cen CE) *Dhamadamadhara (Dharmatamadharasya) (3rd cen CE)

History

The Murunda dynasty likely ruled Utkala around the 2nd century and 3rd century CE.

Gana

Much of the information about King Gana is known from the Bhadrak inscription which was issued in the 8th regnal year during his reign. The inscription was found near Bhadrakali Temple which brought there from the neighbouring village. The language of the inscription is in Prakrit written in Middle or Kushana

Brahmi script Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...

. The inscription refers to the land grant given by Maharaja Gana to the residents of Panida.

Dhamadamadhara

Dhamadamadhara ruled over the region in around 3rd century CE. Under his reign, it has been noted that there were important diplomatic relations between

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

and

Funan Funan (; km, ហ៊្វូណន, ; vi, Phù Nam, Chữ Hán: ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in mainla ...

. The Funan kingdom was co-founded by the merchant

Kaundinya I Kaundinya I ( km, កៅណ្ឌិន្យ, Odia: କୌଣ୍ଡିନ୍ୟ, sa, कौण्डिन्य, ), also known as Hùntián (混塡) and Preah Thong ( Khmer: ព្រះថោង), was the second monarch of Funan (reigned c. 1 ...

from Kalinga when he married the Funanese princess

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. During 3rd cen CE, King Dhamadamadhara (Dharmatamadharasya) received the envoy Su-Wu representing King Fan Chan of Funan (225-250 CE) at the port of Tamralipti. Dhamadamadhara's rule over Kalinga is also attested from the discovery of a gold coin from Sisupalgarh, on whose obverse his name has been inscribed. The king presented the envoy Su-Wu with four horses and it quite likely there were strong trade and cultural interactions between the two kingdoms.

Inscriptions

References

{{Odisha Dynasties of India History of Odisha Dynasties of Odisha