Chapter Overview

Between the decline of Gupta power and the rise of the Kalachuris of Ratanpur, Dakshin Kosala (दक्षिण कोसल), the old name of the Chhattisgarh plains, was ruled by a series of regional dynasties. The Rajarshitulya kula (राजर्षितुल्य कुल) and the Sharabhpuriyas (शरभपुरीय) held the Mahanadi plains, the Nalas (नल वंश) ruled the Bastar forest belt, and the Panduvanshis (पाण्डुवंशी), also called Somvanshis (सोमवंशी), turned Sirpur (सिरपुर) into the cultural capital of the region. Almost everything we know about them comes from copper plates, stone inscriptions, coins and temples, which is exactly what Prelims tests.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to:

Place the four dynasties in time and space: plains versus Bastar, and the order of succession in Dakshin Kosala
Match each dynasty and king to its key source: the Arang, Rithpur, Kesaribeda, Podagadh, Rajim, Baloda and Lodhiya records
Explain the shift of the capital from Sharabhapura to Shripura (Sirpur)
Describe Queen Vasata’s brick Lakshman temple and Balarjuna’s religious tolerance
Compare the art of Sirpur, Tala and Rajim and use it in a Mains answer
Handle contested dates (the Arang plate, Balarjuna, Xuanzang’s visit) correctly

Prerequisites

Ancient Chhattisgarh: Prehistory to the Guptas: Dakshin Kosala and Samudragupta’s campaign
Post-Mauryan Period, Guptas and Vakatakas: the Gupta era and the Vakatakas, the Nalas’ rivals
Physical Geography of Chhattisgarh: the Mahanadi plains and the Bastar plateau

Learning Path

Follow these topics in order:

graph TD
    A["1. Rajarshitulya kula - Arang"] --> B["1. Nala dynasty - Bastar"]
    B --> C["2. Sharabhpuriya (Amararya) - Sharabhapura to Shripura"]
    C --> D["3. Panduvanshi (Somvanshi) - Sirpur's golden age"]
    D --> E["4. Art and temples - Sirpur, Tala, Rajim"]
    E --> F["Quick Revision"]

The big picture

timeline
    title Dakshin Kosala after the Guptas (approximate)
    c. 5th-6th century : Rajarshitulya kula at Arang (Gupta-era dating)
                       : Nalas in Bastar, war with the Vakatakas
    c. 475-590 CE : Sharabhpuriyas, capital shifts from Sharabhapura to Shripura
    7th century (conventional) : Panduvanshis at Sirpur, Tivaradeva then Balarjuna
    Later : Kalachuris of Ratanpur dominate the plains

Dates in this chapter are approximate and several are debated by historians; each topic page says where.

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers	Read time
1	Rajarshitulya Kula and the Nala Dynasty	Shura’s line and the Arang plate of Bhimasena II; Nala kings, Pushkari, bull-and-crescent coins, war with the Vakatakas	12 min
2	The Sharabhpuriya (Amararya) Dynasty	Sharabha and the Eran link, Prasannamatra’s Garuda coins, Gaja-Lakshmi seal, Sharabhapura to Shripura	10 min
3	The Pandu (Somvanshi) Dynasty of Sirpur	Tivaradeva, Harshagupta and Vasata, Mahashivagupta Balarjuna, Xuanzang, Sirpur’s golden age	12 min
4	Art and Temples of the Period	Lakshman temple and viharas of Sirpur, Devrani-Jethani at Tala, Rajiv Lochan at Rajim, Malhar	10 min
—	Quick Revision	Every dynasty, king, record and site on one page	4 min

Where It Is Asked

Exam Focus

Prelims P-I (Chhattisgarh part): match-the-following on king and inscription (Bhimasena II–Arang, Bhavadatta–Rithpur, Vilasatunga–Rajim, Tivaradeva–Baloda), dynasty and capital (Nala–Pushkari, Sharabhpuriya–Sharabhapura/Shripura), and temple and builder (Lakshman temple–Vasata). Expect statement-based traps on the Lakshman temple’s deity and material and on Balarjuna’s religion.
Mains P-III GS-I: short notes (Vasata, Sirpur, Tala) and longer answers on Sirpur’s religious pluralism, the use of inscriptions as sources, and the art of Dakshin Kosala.
Interview: a candidate from Mahasamund, Bilaspur or Gariaband may well be asked about Sirpur, Tala or Rajim.

Quick Reference

Dynasty	Region and capital	Key kings	Key evidence
Rajarshitulya kula	Dakshin Kosala; Arang	Shura (founder) … Bhimasena II	Arang copper plate, Gupta era 182 or 282
Nala	Bastar–Koraput; Pushkari	Varaharaja, Bhavadatta, Arthapati, Skandavarman, Vilasatunga	Bull-and-crescent gold coins; Rithpur, Kesaribeda, Podagadh, Rajim records
Sharabhpuriya (Amararya)	Dakshin Kosala; Sharabhapura, then Shripura	Sharabha, Prasannamatra, Jayaraja, Pravararaja	About 17 copper plates; Gaja-Lakshmi seal; Garuda gold coins
Panduvanshi (Somvanshi)	Dakshin Kosala; Shripura (Sirpur)	Udayana, Tivaradeva, Harshagupta, Balarjuna	Rajim and Baloda plates; Lodhiya plates (year 57); Lakshman temple inscription

Start Learning

Ready to begin? Start with the first topic:

→ Rajarshitulya Kula and the Nala Dynasty