The Ikshvaku (IAST: Ikṣvāku) dynasty ruled in the eastern Krishna River valley of India, from their capital at Vijayapuri (modern Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh) for over a century during 3rd and 4th centuries CE. The Ikshvakus are also known as the Andhra Ikshvakus or Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri to distinguish them from their legendary namesakes.
The Ikshvaku kings were Shaivites and performed Vedic rites, but Buddhism also flourished during their reign. Several Ikshvaku queens and princes contributed to the construction of the Buddhist monuments at present-day Nagarjunakonda.
Political history
Ancient Sanskrit texts, such as Rigveda, Atharvaveda, and Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana, mention a legendary king named Ikshvaku (literally, "gourd"). The Atharvaveda and Brahmanas associate the Ikshvakus with non-Aryan people, distinct from the Aryans who composed the hymns of the four Vedas. F. E. Pargiter has equated the ancient Ikshvakus with the Dravidians. Later texts, such as the Ramayana and the Puranas, connect the dynasty of Ikshvaku's descendants to Ayodhya, the capital of the Kosala Kingdom in northern India.
A record of the Vijayapuri king Ehuvala Chamtamula traces his ancestry to the legendary Ikshvakus. The Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri seem to be same as the "Shriparvatiya Andhras" mentioned in the Matsya Purana.
Chamtamula
The dynasty's founder Vasishthiputra Chamtamula (IAST: Vāsiṣṭhīputra Cāṃtamūla; also transliterated Chantamula) rose to power after the decline of the Satavahana power. He is attested by the Rentala and Kesanapalli inscriptions. The Rentala inscription, dated to his 5th regnal year, calls him "Siri Cāṃtamūla". The 4-line Kesanapalli inscription, dated to his 13th regnal year, and inscribed on the pillar of a Buddhist stupa, names him as the founder of the Ikshvaku dynasty.
No information is available about Chamtamula's parents, except that his father had multiple wives and daughters. Chamtamula had two uterine brothers, named Chamtasri (IAST: Cāṃtaśrī) and Hammasri (IAST: Hammaśrī). Chamtasri, who married Mahatalavara Skandashri of Pukiya family (he is Commander-in-chief and a feudatory), played an important role in the construction of a Buddhist mahachaitya.
The records of the later Ikshvaku kings describe Chamtamula as a great performer of the Vedic sacrifices such as Agnishtoma, Vajapeya and Ashvamedha. These descriptions are corroborated by archaeological discoveries, including those of Chamtamula's Ashvamedha-type coins, a tank used for the Avabhritha ceremony, the kurma-chiti (a tortoise-shaped sacrificial altar), and the skeleton of a horse. An inscription of the later Ikshvaku king Ehuvala Chamtamula states that Vasishthiputra Chamtamula won many battles with his valour.
Chamtamula had many wives. His daughter Adavi Chamtisri (IAST: Cāṃtiśrī) married Mahasenapati Mahatalavara Dandanayaka Khamdavishakha (IAST: Khamḍaviśāakha) of the Dhanaka family. He was succeeded by his son Virapurushadatta. An inscription dated to the 20th regnal year of Virapurushadatta mentions Chamtamula's death, which can be interpreted in various ways. It is possible that Chamtamula lived up to this time, having given up the throne at an earlier date; alternatively, it is possible that the inscription merely commemorates his death anniversary.
Virapurushadatta
Mathari-putra Vira-purusha-datta (IAST: Māṭharīputra Vīrapuruṣadatta) ruled for at least 24 years, as he is attested by an inscription dated to his 24th regnal year. He had multiple wives, including three daughters of his paternal aunts (Chamtasri and Hammasri). He also married Rudradhara-bhattarika, the daughter of the ruler of Ujjain (Uj(e)nika mahara(ja) balika), possibly the Indo-Scythian Western Kshatrapa king Rudrasena II. Scythian influence can also be noticed in the Palace of Nagarjunakonda, especially through the reliefs of Scythian soldiers wearing caps and coats. According to an inscription in Nagarjunakonda, a garrison of Scythians guards employed by the Ikshvaku kings may also have been stationed there.
His daughter Kodabalishri (IAST: Kodabaliśrī) married the ruler of the Vanavasa country (possibly the Chutu ruler of modern Banavasi). He had two sons, Eli Ehavuladasa (whose mother was Yakhilinika) and Evuvala Chamtamula (whose mother was Khamduvula, and who succeeded him on the throne).