The rulers of which of the following dynasty have been called as 'Shriparvatiya' in Puranas ?
- (a)Vakatakas
- (b)Ikshvakus
- (c)Shaks
- (d)Kharvelas
Correct — B, Ikshvakus. The Matsya Purana refers to the Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri as the 'Shriparvatiya Andhras' — 'those of Shriparvata' (the Srisailam / Nagarjunakonda hill tract). These Andhra Ikshvakus rose in the eastern Krishna valley after the decline of the Satavahanas (c. 3rd-4th century CE), ruled from Vijayapuri (modern Nagarjunakonda), and were noted patrons of Buddhism, with several queens funding stupas and monasteries.
- (a)Vakatakas — The Vakatakas were a Deccan power (Vidarbha/central India) who also rose after the Satavahanas and had matrimonial ties with the Guptas; the Puranas do not call them 'Shriparvatiya'.
- (c)Shaks — The Shakas (Western Kshatrapas/Indo-Scythians) were foreign rulers of western India centred on Ujjain — not associated with Shriparvata.
- (d)Kharvelas — This points to Kharavela of Kalinga (Mahameghavahana/Chedi line of Odisha, Hathigumpha inscription) — a different region and dynasty, not the Shriparvatiya rulers.
The Andhra Ikshvakus were an early-medieval dynasty of the Krishna-Guntur region of Andhra that succeeded the Satavahanas. Their capital Vijayapuri lay at Nagarjunakonda, near the sacred hill of Sriparvata (Srisailam), from which the Puranas derive the epithet 'Shriparvatiya Andhras'. The Nagarjunakonda excavations made them famous for Buddhist architecture.
The trick is the archaic Puranic label. If you connect 'Shriparvata' to Srisailam/Nagarjunakonda — the Ikshvaku heartland in Andhra — the answer follows. The other three are all real dynasties but tied to different regions (Deccan, western India, Kalinga).
- Matsya Purana calls the Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri the 'Shriparvatiya Andhras'
- Capital Vijayapuri = modern Nagarjunakonda, eastern Krishna valley (Andhra)
- Rose after the fall of the Satavahanas, c. 3rd-4th century CE
- Major Buddhist patrons — royal women funded Nagarjunakonda stupas & viharas
- Reading 'Shriparvatiya' as a place-name rather than a dynastic epithet
- Confusing the Andhra Ikshvakus (Andhra) with the legendary Ikshvakus of Ayodhya
As a dynasty↔epithet/source recall (Puranic name) or via Nagarjunakonda's Buddhist associations — UPSC also tests Ikshvaku patronage of Buddhism directly.
Consider the following statements: 1. The Ikshvaku rulers of southern India were antagonistic towards Buddhism. 2. The Pala rulers of Eastern India were patrons of Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(b) 2 only
Same dynasty — the Andhra Ikshvakus (Shriparvatiya Andhras) of Nagarjunakonda; UPSC tests that they patronised (not opposed) Buddhism, so statement 1 is false.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The site of Nagarjunakonda, famous for Buddhist remains, was the capital of which dynasty?
- (a)Vakatakas
- (b)Andhra Ikshvakus
- (c)Pallavas
- (d)Kadambas
Answer(b) Andhra Ikshvakus — their capital was Vijayapuri (Nagarjunakonda).
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Andhra Ikshvakus rose to power in the Krishna valley immediately after the decline of which dynasty?
- (a)Mauryas
- (b)Guptas
- (c)Satavahanas
- (d)Cholas
Answer(c) Satavahanas.