The Sharabhpuriya (Amararya) Dynasty

Prerequisites

• Rajarshitulya Kula and the Nala Dynasty: the dynasties before and beside the Sharabhpuriyas
• Post-Mauryan Period, Guptas and Vakatakas: the late-Gupta world into which this dynasty fits
• Ancient Chhattisgarh: what “Dakshin Kosala” means

The Hook: A Capital Nobody Can Find

Why it matters: this dynasty is the bridge between the Gupta age and Sirpur’s golden age. Prelims loves its two capitals, its alternative name (Amararya kula), its seal (Gaja-Lakshmi) and Prasannamatra’s coins. Mains can ask how copper plates are used to reconstruct regional history.

Facts First

Where does the name “Amararya kula” come from?

The historian D. C. Sircar proposed that the dynasty’s own name was Amararya kula, on the basis of an inscription of Vyaghraraja, a member of the family. So “Sharabhpuriya” is a modern label taken from the capital, while “Amararya kula” may be what the family called itself. The chapter title follows the CGPSC syllabus in giving both.

The Rulers

graph TD
    A["Sharabha (founder) - c. 475-500"] --> B["Narendra - c. 500-525"]
    B --> C["Prasanna / Prasannamatra - c. 525-550 (gold coins)"]
    C --> D["Jayaraja - c. 550-560 (Arang plates)"]
    D --> E["Sudevaraja"]
    E --> F["Manamatra alias Durgaraja"]
    F --> G["Pravararaja - capital shifted to Shripura"]

Dates follow A. M. Shastri’s reconstruction and are approximate; the order of the later kings is debated.

The two capitals

graph LR
    A["Sharabhapura - location unidentified"] -->|"Sudevaraja: second capital"| B["Shripura (Sirpur)"]
    B -->|"Pravararaja: main capital"| C["Inherited by the Panduvanshis"]

• Sharabhapura has not been identified with certainty. Malhar (Bilaspur district) and other sites have been proposed.
• Shripura is modern Sirpur (Mahasamund district), on the Mahanadi. The Panduvanshis kept it as their capital, which is why Sirpur flowered in the next century.

Analysis: Why the Sharabhpuriyas Matter (Mains material)

1. State formation in Dakshin Kosala. After the Gupta tide receded, a local dynasty built a kingdom with a land-grant bureaucracy, a royal seal and coinage.
2. Copper plates as sources. Seventeen grants, written to a set pattern (three plates on a ring with a seal), give us kings, capitals, villages and officials. The Panduvanshis copied this format, which shows administrative continuity.
3. Vaishnavism as royal ideology. The Gaja-Lakshmi seal, the Garuda coins and the title paramabhagavata together show kings presenting themselves as Vishnu’s devotees, a pattern seen across Gupta-age India.
4. Wider connections. The Eran link (Madhya Pradesh) and Prasannamatra’s coins in Odisha and Maharashtra show Dakshin Kosala tied into the politics and trade of central India.
5. Foundation for Sirpur. By moving power to Shripura, the dynasty set the stage for the Panduvanshi golden age.

Memory Tricks

Don’t Confuse

Common Mistakes

Practice

These are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.

Level 1: Foundation

1. The Sharabhpuriya dynasty is also called the ________ kula.
2. The emblem on the Sharabhpuriya royal seal is ________.
3. The Sharabhpuriya king who moved the capital to Shripura was ________.

Level 2: Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements about the Sharabhpuriya dynasty:

1. Its founder Sharabha is identified with the Sharabharaja of the Eran inscription of 510 CE.
2. Its grants are written in Sanskrit in the box-headed script.
3. Sirpur was its capital from the very beginning.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. The obverse of Prasannamatra’s gold coins shows:

(a) A bull and crescent (b) Gaja-Lakshmi (c) Garuda flanked by a conch and a chakra (d) Shiva’s bull Nandi

Q3. Match List-I with List-II:

(a) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1 (b) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3 (c) A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 (d) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3

Q4. The name “Amararya kula” for the Sharabhpuriya family was proposed by D. C. Sircar on the basis of an inscription of:

(a) Vyaghraraja (b) Bhimasena II (c) Tivaradeva (d) Skandavarman

Level 3: Mains Answer Writing

Q1. How do copper-plate grants help reconstruct the history of the Sharabhpuriya dynasty? (150 words)

Quick Revision Table

Key Takeaways

What’s Next

• The Pandu (Somvanshi) Dynasty of Sirpur: the dynasty that inherited Shripura
• Art and Temples of the Period: Tala, Sirpur and Rajim
• Tourism, Archaeological Sites and Heritage: Sirpur and Malhar as heritage sites today