Nala dynasty
The Nalas were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present day Chhattisgarh and Odisha during the 6th century CE. Their core territory
included the areas around Bastar and Koraput districts, their capital was probably Pushkari (IAST: Puṣkarī), identified with the modern Garhdhanora in
Bastar district. At one point, they seem to have conquered the Vakataka capital Nandivardhana in the Vidarbha region, but suffered reverses against the Vakatakas
as well as the Chalukyas. Sharabhapuriyas, their northern neighbours, also seem to have played a
part in their downfall, they were probably supplanted by the Panduvamshi
dynasty, although one branch of the dynasty seems
to have ruled a small territory until the 7th or 8th century CE.
History
Inscriptions of three kings mention them as
members of the Nala family: Arthapati, Bhavadatta and Skandavarman. Some gold
coins suggest the existence of three other Nala rulers - Varaharaja,
Nandanaraja, and Stambha. Although these coins do not mention the name of their
dynasty, they bear the bull-and-crescent dynastic emblem of the Nala kings, and
weigh same as the known Nala coins. Also, the name of the issuer is written in
"box-headed" script of 6th century on all the coins, and they have
all been discovered in the former Nala territory. The coins of Varaharaja have
been discovered along with those of Arthapati and Bhavadatta. All these
evidences indicate that Varaharaja, Nandanaraja and Stambha were all Nala kings
too.
Varaharaja
Palaeographic evidence
suggests that Varaharaja was the earliest of these kings, although it is not
certain if he was the dynasty's founder, his issuance of gold coins suggests
that he enjoyed a sovereign status.
Arthapati
Arthapati is known
from a copper-plate inscription and coins, his only known inscription was
issued from Pushkari, which may have been the capital of the Nala kings. The
inscription suggests that the king was a devotee of Maheshvara (Shiva) and
Mahasena (Kartikeya); the inscription mentions that he was from the family of
Nala. According to one theory, this is a reference to the legendary king Nala of Nishadha
Kingdom. However, there is no concrete proof for this interpretation.
Bhavadatta
The next known king
of the dynasty is Bhavadatta, whose copper-plate inscription was found at
Rithpur (also Rithapur or Ridhapur) in Amravati district, Maharashtra;
the inscription was engraved by one Boppadeva. It mentions the king's name as
"Bhavattavarman", which is probably a mistake or a Prakrit form
of the Sanskrit name "Bhavadattavarman", it names Arthapati as the
king's aryaka, which is variously
interpreted to mean "father" or "grandfather"; according to
another interpretation, aryaka is
an epithet of Bhavadatta. The inscription names the place of issue as
Nandivardhana, and states that the king and the queen were staying at Prayaga as
pilgrims. Like Arthapati's inscription, it mentions Maheshvara, Mahasena and
the Nala family.
Skandavarman
The last known king
of the dynasty is Skandavarman, whose Podagada inscription mentions him as a
son of Bhavadattavarman; the inscription states that Skandavarman retrieved the
lost glory of the Nala family, and re-populated the deserted city of Pushkari.
It also records the construction of a Vishnu shrine by the king.
Possible
successors
Nothing is known
about the immediate successors of Skandavarman, but the Nalas were probably
supplanted by the Panduvamshi dynasty. The Sharabhapuriya dynasty may
have also contributed to the decline of the Nalas; the coins of the
Sharabhapuriyas are similar to that of the Nalas, which suggests that the two
dynasties were contemporaries. Epigraphic and numismatic evidence indicates
that the Sharabhapuriyas were the northern neighbours of the Nalas.
A dynasty claiming
descent from the legendary Nala is known to have ruled a small area
in present-day Chhattisgarh sometime later; the undated Rajim inscription
of this dynasty can be assigned to either 7th or 8th century CE. This dynasty
was probably a branch of the Nalas of Bastar, its known members include
Prithviraja, Viruparaja and Vilasatunga.
Capital
The dynasty's
capital was probably Pushkari, which is mentioned as the place of issue in an
inscription of Arthapati. Earlier, Pushkari was believed to be the present-day
Podagada in Koraput district, where an inscription of Skandavarman has
been found. Later research has led to the identification of Garhdhanora in Bastar district
as Pushkari; the excavations carried out by Madhya Pradesh's Directorate of
Archaeology and Museums has resulted in discovery of several ruined temples and
sculptures at Garhdhanora.
