The Solar dynasty ( IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king

Ikshvaku Ikshvaku (Sanskrit ; Pāli: ) is a legendary king in Hindu mythology. He is described to be the first king of the Kosala kingdom, and was one of the ten sons of Shraddhadeva Manu, the first man on the earth. He was the founder and first king of ...

.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98, 100-/1, 136 The dynasty is also known as ("Solar dynasty" or "Descendants of the Sun") which means that this dynasty prays to the Sun as their God and their originator (the Gayatri Mantra is a prayer offered to the Sun God as the Sun is the main deity of the Solar Dynasty), and along with

Lunar dynasty 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 ('' ...

comprises one of the main lineages of the Kshatriya Varna. The first ''Tirthankara'' of Jainism,

Rishabhdeva Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain c ...

himself was King Ikshvaku. Further, 21 Tirthankaras of Jainism were born in this dynasty. According to Buddhist texts and tradition,

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

descended from this dynasty. Many later kings of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

claimed to be of Suryavamsha descent. The important personalities belonging to this royal house are

Mandhatri Mandhatra ( sa, मान्धातृ, ), also rendered Mandhatri, is a king of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He is the son of Yuvanashva, as cited in the Mahabharata. He marries Bindumati, the daughter of Yadava king Shashabindu. Ac ...

Muchukunda In Hindu history, Muchukunda (), the son of King Mandhata, and brother of Ambarisha, is an Ikshvaku ( Suryavamsha) king. Battle with the asuras Once, in a battle, the devas were defeated by the asuras. Tormented by arrows, they sought help from ...

Ambarisha In Hindu mythology, Ambarisha ( sa, अम्बरीषः, ) is an Ikshvaku king, and the son of Mandhata.Pargiter, F.E. (1972) 922 ''Ancient Indian Historical Tradition'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.92. He is believed to have conquered t ...

, Bharata Chakravartin,

Bahubali Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...

Harishchandra Harishchandra () is a legendary king of the Solar dynasty, who appears in several legends in texts such as the '' Aitareya Brahmana'', '' Mahabharata'', the '' Markandeya Purana'', and the '' Devi Bhagavata Purana''. The most famous of these s ...

Dilīpa Dilīpa, also known as Khaṭvāṅga, is a legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty featured in Hinduism. Dilipa is the son of Mulaka and Ilibila, the husband of Sudakshina, and the father of Raghu. Dilipa is also the name of a serpent born int ...

, Sagara,Ikshaku tribe

The Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli (1883 -1896), Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CVI, p. 228 'There was born in the family of the Ikshaku, a ruler of the earth named Sagara, endued with beauty, and strength...".

Raghu Raghu () is a ruler of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. According to the '' Raghuvamsha'', he is the son of King Dilīpa and Queen Sudakshina. His successors styled themselves as belonging to the eponymous Raghuvamsha dynasty, or the ' ...

, and

Pasenadi Pasenadi ( pi, पसेनदि ; sa, प्रसेनजित् ; c. 6th century BCE) was an ruler of Kosala. Sāvatthī was his capital. He succeeded after . He was a prominent (lay follower) of Gautama Buddha, and built many Buddh ...

. Both the Hindu Puranas and the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

texts include Shuddodhana,

, and Rahula in their accounts of the Ikshvaku dynasty but, according to the Buddhist texts, Mahasammata, an ancestor of Ikshvaku who was elected by the people as the first king of the present era, was the founder of this dynasty.

Origins

Suryavamsha, or the Solar Dynasty, is one of the two major legendary

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 found in Hindu Puranic and epic literature, the other being Chandravamsha or the

Lunar Dynasty 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 ('' ...

. According to ''Harivamsa'', Ikshvaku is considered the primogenitor of the dynasty of, and was granted the kingdom of Aryavarta by his father

Vaivasvata Manu Vaivasvata Manu (), also referred to as Shraddhadeva and Satyavrata, is the current Manu—the progenitor of the human race in Hindu mythology. He is the seventh of the 14 Manus of the current kalpa (aeon) of Hindu cosmology. Forewarned about ...

. Manu settled down in the Aryavarta region after he survived the great flood. A. K. Mozumdar states that Manu is the one who built a city on the

Sarayu The Sarayu is a river that originates at a ridge south of Nanda Kot mountain in Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand, India. It flows through Kapkot, Bageshwar, and Seraghat towns before discharging into the Sharda River at Pancheshwar at the I ...

(being the river that his mother Sanjana was the goddess of) and called it

Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhya wa ...

meaning the 'invincible city'. This city served as the capital of many kings from the solar dynasty and is also believed to be the birthplace of

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

. Some Hindu texts suggest Rishi

Marichi Marichi ( sa, मरीचि, Marīci, lit=ray of light) or Mareechi or Marishi is the mind-born son of Brahma, and one of the Saptarishi in Hindu mythology. He is also the father of Kashyapa, and the grandfather of the ''devas'' and the ...

, one of the seven sages and first human creations of

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

as the progenitor of the dynasty. Marichi's eldest son

Kashyapa Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, ...

is said to have settled down in Kashmir (Kashyapa-Meru or Kashyameru). He also contributed to the verses of the Vedas. Later, Vivasvan, son of Kashyapa and Aditi, famously known as the Hindu god Surya married

Saranyu Sanjna (Sanskrit: संज्ञा, IAST: ''Saṃjñā''), also known as Saranyu ( sa, सरन्यू, IAST: ''Saraṇyū''), is a devi, Hindu goddess and the chief consort of Surya, the Sun god. She is mentioned in the ''Rigveda'', and al ...

who was the daughter of

Vishvakarman Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman ( sa, विश्वकर्मा, Viśvakarmā, all maker) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the ...

, the architect of devas. He had many children but Manu was given the responsibility of building the civilization and as a result it formed a dynasty that was named 'Suryavamsha' or the solar dynasty. Manu is also the progenitor of the Lunar Dynasty because he married his daughter Ila to

Budha Budha ( sa, बुध) is a Sanskrit word that connotes the planet Mercury. Budha, in Hindu legends, is also a deity. He is also known as Soumya (Sanskrit: सौम्य, lit. ''son of Moon''), Rauhineya and Tunga and is the Nakshatra lo ...

, the son of

Chandra Chandra ( sa, चन्द्र, Candra, shining' or 'moon), also known as Soma ( sa, सोम), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) a ...

or the moon god and the couple gave birth to the magnanimous King

Pururavas Pururavas (Sanskrit: पुरूरवस्, ''Purūravas'') is a character in Hindu literature, a king who served as the first of the Lunar dynasty. According to the Vedas, he is a legendary entity associated with Surya (the sun) and Ush ...

who became the first king of the Chandravamsha, or the Lunar dynasty.

Historical claimants

After the death of the powerful king Prasenjit and disappearance of his successor Virudhaka after defeating the

Shakya Shakya ( Pāḷi: ; sa, शाक्य, translit=Śākya) was an ancient eastern sub-Himalayan ethnicity and clan of north-eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The Shakyas were organised ...

s, the kingdom of Kosala declined. King Sumitra, who regarded himself to be the last Suryavamsha ruler, was defeated by the powerful emperor

Mahapadma Nanda Mahapadma Nanda (IAST: ''Mahāpadmānanda''; c. mid 4th century BCE), according to the Puranas, was the first Emperor of the Nanda Empire of ancient India. The Puranas describe him as a son of the last Shaishunaga king Mahanandin and a Shudra ...

Magadha Magadha was a region and one of the sixteen sa, script=Latn, Mahajanapadas, label=none, lit=Great Kingdoms of the Second Urbanization (600–200 BCE) in what is now south Bihar (before expansion) at the eastern Ganges Plain. Magadha was ruled ...

in 362 BCE. However, he wasn't killed, and fled to Rohtas, located in present-day

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

Bhagavata Purana

Ikshvaku and his ancestor Manu are also mentioned in the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

(Canto 9, Chapter 1),

In Buddhism

The Buddhist text, Buddhavamsa and Mahavamsa (II, 1–24) traces the origin of the

s to king Okkaka (Pali equivalent to Sanskrit Ikshvaku) and gives their genealogy from Mahasammata, an ancestor of Okkaka. This list comprises the names of a number of prominent kings of the Ikshvaku dynasty, namely, Mandhata and Sagara. The genealogy according to the Mahavamsa is as follows: # Okkāka # Okkāmukha # Sivisamjaya # Sihassara # Jayasena # Sihahanu # Suddhodana #

Rāhula , sa, Rāhula-bhadra; 2. , birth_date = , birth_place = Kapilavastu , death_date = , death_place = Sources differ , title = Patriarch of the Dharma (East Asian Buddhism) , predecessor ...

In Jainism

The

dynasty has a significant place in

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...

, as twenty-two

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a ' ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the '' dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable pass ...

s were born in this dynasty. *Origin ** Rishabhanatha (son of King

Nabhi King Nabhi or Nabhi Rai was the 14th or the last '' Kulakara'' of '' avasarpini'' (the descending half of the cosmic time cycle in Jainism and the one in which the world is said to be at present). He was the father of Rishabhanatha, the first ' ...

), the founder of

in the present '' Avasarpani'' era (descending half time cycle as per Jain cosmology and ''

Manvantara A ''manvantara'', in Hindu cosmology, is a cyclic period of time identifying the duration, reign, or age of a Manu, the progenitor of mankind. In each ''manvantara'', seven Rishis, certain deities, an Indra, a Manu, and kings (sons of Manu) ar ...

'' in hindu cosmology) is said to have founded the Ikshvaku dynasty. The name for the Ikshvaku dynasty comes from the word ''ikhsu'' (sugarcane), another name of Rishabhanatha, because he taught people how to extract ''ikshu-rasa'' (sugarcane-juice). ** Bharata Chakravarti (first

Chakravartin A ''chakravarti'' ( sa, चक्रवर्तिन्, ''cakravartin''; pi, cakkavatti; zh, 轉輪王, ''Zhuǎnlúnwáng'', "Wheel-Turning King"; , ''Zhuǎnlún Shèngwáng'', "Wheel-Turning Sacred King"; ja, 転輪王, ''Tenrin'ō'' ...

) and

(first

Kamadeva Kama ( sa, काम, ), also known as Kamadeva and Manmatha, is the Hindu god of love and desire, often portrayed alongside his consort, Rati. The Atharva Veda regards Kamadeva as the wielder of the creative power of the universe, also descri ...

), sons of Rishabha ** Arkakirti and

, son of Bharata *at the time of

Ajitanatha Ajitanath (lit. invincible) was the second ''tirthankara'' of the present age, ''avasarpini'' (half time cycle) according to Jainism. He was born to King Jitashatru and Queen Vijaya at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku dynasty. He was a liberated soul w ...

**Jitashatru (father of Ajitanatha) and his younger brother Sumitra (father of Sagara) **

(the 2nd

) and Sagara (2nd Chakravartin) **Janhu (eldest son of Sagara), the one who flooded village of Nagas with waters of Ganga leading to turning of sixty thousand sons of Sagara into ashes by Jawalanprabha (emperor of Nagas) ** Bhagiratha (eldest grandson of Sagara) *at the time of Sambhavanatha **Jitari (father of Sambhavanatha) ** Sambhavanatha, the 3rd

*at the time of Abhinandananatha **Sanvara (father of Abhinandananatha) **

Abhinandananatha Abhinandananatha or Abhinandana Swami was the fourth ''Tirthankara'' of the present age ( Avasarpini). He is said to have lived for 50 lakh ''purva''. He was born to King Sanvara and Queen Siddhartha at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku clan. His birth d ...

, the 4th

*at the time of Sumatinatha **Megha (father of Sumatinatha) **

Sumatinatha Sumatinatha was the fifth Jain Tirthankara of the present age ( Avasarpini). Sumatinatha was born to a Kshatriya King Megha (Megharatha) and Queen Mangalavati (Sumangalavati) at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His Janma Kalyanak (birthday) was ...

, the 5th

*at the time of Padmaprabha **Sidhara (father of Padmaprabha) **

Padmaprabha Padmaprabha, also known as Padmaprabhu, was the sixth Jain Tirthankara of the present age ('' Avsarpini''). According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha - a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. In the Jain tradition, it is b ...

, the 6th

*at the time of Suparshvanatha **Pratishtha (father of Suparshvanatha) ** Suparshvanatha, the 7th

*at the time of Chandraprabha **Mahasena (father of Chanraprabha) **

Chandraprabha Chandraprabha () is the eighth Tirthankara of ''Avasarpini'' (present half cycle of time as per Jain cosmology). Chandraprabhu was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain tex ...

, the 8th

*at the time of Pushpadanta **Sugriva (father of Pushpadanta) **

Pushpadanta In Jainism, Pushpadanta ( sa, पुष्पदन्त), also known as Suvidhinatha, was the ninth Tirthankara of the present age ('' Avasarpini''). According to Jain belief, he became a siddha and an arihant, a liberated soul that has des ...

, the 9th

*at the time of Shitalanatha **Dridharatha (father of Shitalnatha) **

Shitalanatha Shitalanatha was the tenth tirthankara of the present age according to Jainism. According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Jains believe Shitalanatha was born to King Dradhrath and Quee ...

, the 10th

*at the time of Shreyanasanatha **Vishnu (father of Shreyanasanatha) **

Shreyanasanatha Shreyansanath was the eleventh Jain Tirthankara of the present age (Avasarpini). According to Jain beliefs, he became a Siddha – a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Shreyansanatha was born to King ''Vishnu'' and Queen ''Vi ...

, the 11th

*at the time of Vasupujya **Vasupujya (father of Tirthankara Vasupujya) **

Vasupujya Vasupujya was the twelfth tirthankara in Jainism of the '' avasarpini'' (present age). According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Vasupujya was born to King Vasupujya and Queen Jaya De ...

, the 12th

*at the time of Vimalanatha ** Kritavarma (father of Vimalanatha) **

Vimalanatha Vimalanatha was the thirteenth Jain Tirthankara of the present age (Avasarpini). According to Jain beliefs, he became a Siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Vimalanatha was born to King Kratavarma and Queen Shyamadev ...

, the 13th

*at the time of Anantanatha **Simhasena (father of Anantanatha) **

Anantanatha Anantanatha was the fourteenth Tirthankara of the present age (Avasarpini) of Jainism. According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Biography Anantanatha was the fourteenth Tirthankara ...

, the 14th

*at the time of Dharmanatha **Bhanu (father of Dharmanatha) ** Dharmanatha, the 15th

*at the time of Shantinatha **Visvasena (father of Shantinatha) **

Shantinatha Shantinatha was the sixteenth Jain tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). Shantinatha was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aiira at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His birth date is the thirteenth day of the Jyest Krishna month of the ...

, the 16th

and 5th Chakravarti ** Chakrayudha, son of Shantinatha ** Kuruchandra, son of Chakrayudha *at the time of Kunthunatha **Sura (father of Kunthunatha) **

Kunthunatha Kunthunath was the seventeenth Tirthankara, sixth Chakravartin and twelfth Kamadeva of the present half time cycle, Avasarpini. According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Kunthunatha w ...

, the 17th

and 6th Chakravarti *at the time of Aranatha **Sudarsana (father of Aranatha) ** Arahnatha, the 18th

and 7th Chakravarti *at the time of Mallinatha **Kumbha (father of Mallinatha) **

Māllīnātha Mallinatha (Prakrit ''Mallinātha'', "Lord of jasmine or seat") was the 19th tīrthaṅkara "ford-maker" of the present ''avasarpiṇī'' age in Jainism. Jain texts indicate Mālliṇātha was born at Mithila into the Ikshvaku dynasty to ...

, the 19th

Munisuvrata Munisuvrata () was the twentieth ''tirthankara'' of the present half time cycle (''avasarpini'') in Jain cosmology. He became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of his karma. Events of the Jaina version of Ramayana are placed ...

(Munisuvrata himself was not from Ikshvaku, but Harivamsa)the 20th

*at the time of Naminatha **Vijaya (father of Naminatha) **

Naminatha Naminatha was the twenty-first ''tirthankara'' of the present half time cycle, Avsarpini. He was born to the King Vijaya and Queen Vipra of the Ikshvaku dynasty. King Vijaya was the ruler of Mithila at that time. ''Naminatha'' lived for 10,0 ...

, the 21st

*at the time of Parshvanatha **Asvasena (father of Parshvanatha) ** Parshvanatha, the 23rd

*at the time of Mahavira ** Siddhartha (father of Mahavira) ** Mahavira, the 24th

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ikshvaku Dynasty Hindu dynasties Buddhist dynasties Jain dynasties Vedic period Kingdoms in the Mahabharata Kshatriya communities