Nagavanshi (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Nāgavaṃśī) refers to any of the several Indian

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

dynasties or ruling groups claiming descent from the mythical

Nāga The Nagas (IAST: ''nāga''; Devanāgarī: नाग) are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...

s. Along with Suryavanshi,

Chandravanshi The Lunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''Som ...

and

Agnivanshi In Indian culture, the Agnivanshi are people who claim descent from Agni, the Vedic god of fire. The Agnivanshi lineage (Agnivansha or Agnikula) is one of the three lineages into which the Rajput clans, the others being the Suryavanshi (descended ...

, the Nagavanshi clans form a part of the Kshatriya class in the

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

of India. The notable members of this class include: *

Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur The Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur (also known as the Khokhra chieftaincy), was an ancient Indian dynasty which ruled the parts of Chota Nagpur plateau region (modern-day Jharkhand) during much of ancient, medieval and modern period. Phani Mukut Rai ...

, who ruled in Chota Nagpur, Jharkhand *

Nagas of Padmavati The Naga ( IAST: Nāga) dynasty ruled parts of north-central India during the 3rd and the 4th centuries, after the decline of the Kushan Empire and before the rise of the Gupta Empire. Its capital was located at Padmavati, which is identified w ...

, who ruled in Madhya Pradesh *

Nagas of Vidisha The Naga (IAST: Nāga) dynasty of Vidisha in central India is known from the Puranas, and probably ruled in the first century BCE. No inscriptions of the dynasty have been discovered. Historian K. P. Jayaswal attributed some coins issued by the Da ...

, who ruled in Madhya Pradesh *

Nagas of Vindhyatabi The Nagas of Vindhyatabi were a royal dynasty ruling over Northern Odisha during the 2nd century A.D to 4th century A.D (possibly between 261 A.D to 340 A.D) from their seat at Vindhyatabi, also called Vindhyatavi (identified with modern-day Keon ...

, ancient dynasty of Odisha * Nagas of Kalahandi, who ruled in Kalahandi, Odisha *

Chindaka Naga The Chindaka Nagas were a dynasty that ruled over parts of modern-day Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Their kingdom was known as Chakrakota mandala and included the present-day districts of Bastar, Koraput and Kalahandi. Origin The Chindaka Nagas bel ...

, who ruled in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and whose kingdom was called Chakrakot; also known as Chhindaka Nagas or Nagvanshis or Barsur *

Alupas The Alupa dynasty (ಅಳುಪೆರ್, ಆಳ್ವೆರ್) (circa 2nd century C.E to 15th century C.E) was an ancient ruling dynasty of India. The kingdom they ruled was known as ''Alvakheda Arusasira'' and its territory spanned the coa ...

, ancient dynasty of Karnataka * Bunts, who ruled coastal Karnataka *

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...

s, who ruled most parts of Kerala

References

{{reflist Hindu snake worship Ethnic groups in South Asia Ethnic groups in India