Neeraj Singh Creator at 07:48, 9 March 2026

2026-03-09T07:48:16Z

New page

{{Short description|Historical region in central India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name = Dakṣiṇa Kosala
| common_name = Dakshina Kosala
| image_map = South Asia historical AD375 EN.svg
| map_caption = Dakshina Kosala, {{circa}} 375 CE.
| capital = [[Bhadravati, Maharashtra|Bhadravati]]; [[Sirpur, Mahasamund|Sirpur]]; Tummana; [[Ratanpur, Chhattisgarh|Ratnapura]]
| today = [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Chhattisgarh]], western [[Odisha]], part of [[Maharashtra]]
}}

'''Dakshina Kosala''' ([[IAST]]: Dakṣiṇa Kosala, "southern [[Kosala]]") is a historical region of central [[India]]. It was located in what is now [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Chhattisgarh]] along with some parts of Western [[Odisha]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Nava Kishor Das |title=Odisha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sz7m_yM-hJsC |year=2012 |publisher=Seagull |isbn=978-81-7046-293-4 |page=5 |quote=Dakshina Kosala is the territory now divided in the districts of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring areas of western Odisha.}}</ref> At its greatest extent, it may have also included a part of the [[Vidarbha]] region in present-day [[Maharashtra]].{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=162-163}}

Its capitals at various times included [[Bhadravati, Maharashtra|Bhadravati]], [[Sirpur, Mahasamund|Sirpur]] (ancient Shripura), Tuman (ancient Tummana), and [[Ratanpur, Chhattisgarh|Ratanpur]] (ancient Ratnapura).{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=163-165}}

== Extent ==

Dakshina Kosala ("South Kosala"), sometimes simply called Kosala, is hard to distinguish from [[Kosala|Uttara Kosala]] ("North Kosala") in present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]].{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=161 footnote}}

Epigraphic evidence suggests that the area bounded by the [[Shahdol district|Shahdol]], [[Raipur district|Raipur]], [[Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh|Bilaspur]], [[Anuppur district|Anuppur]] [[Sambalpur district|Sambalpur]] districts was definitely a part of the Dakshina Kosala region. The inscriptions found in these districts record grants of villages located in the Kosala country, and the rulers mentioned in these inscriptions are given the titles indicating their lordship over Dakshina Kosala (such as ''Kosaladhisha'', ''Kosaladhipati'', and ''Kosala-narendra'').{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=162}}

According to the 7th century Chinese traveler [[Xuanzang]], the extent of the contemporary Kosala kingdom was 6,000 [[li (unit)|li]] in circuit, that is, around 81,000 square miles in area.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|pp=161-162}} This suggests that in the 7th century, the Dakshina Kosala region encompassed an area much larger than the region bounded by the above-mentioned districts. The [[Somavamshi dynasty|Somavamshi]] inscriptions suggest that other areas of present-day Odisha, bordering Sambalpur, were also part of the Dakshina Kosala. During Xuanzang's period, Kosala appears to have extended from [[78th meridian east]] to the [[85th meridian east]] in the east–west direction.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=162}}

The northern boundary of Kosala was located a little to the south of [[Amarakantaka]], which was a part of the [[Panduvamshis of Mekala|Mekala]] kingdom.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=162}} The [[Puranas]], including the ''[[Vayu Purana]]'' and the ''[[Matsya Purana]]'', mention Mekala and Kosala as distinct regions. The ancient epigraphs, such as the [[Balaghat]] inscription of the [[Vakataka]] king Prithvishena II, also distinguish between these two regions. However, at one place, the ''Vayu Purana'' mentions the Mekalas as one of the Pancha Kosalas ("Five Kosalas"), which suggests that at some point, the chiefs of the Mekala region were subordinate to the rulers of the Kosala proper.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=162}}

In the south, the Dakshina Kosala region, at its greatest extent, appears to have included a part of present-day [[Vidarbha]] region of [[Maharashtra]]. The legend of king [[Nala]] states that he reached the capital of Kosala: the description of the route of his march suggests that this capital was present-day [[Bhadravati, Maharashtra|Bhadravati]].{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=163}}

In the 19th century [[Alexander Cunningham]], the founder of [[Archaeological Survey of India]], mentioned Dakshina Kosala as a synonym of [[Mahakoshal]] (or Maha-Kosala), without mentioning any source for this claim.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=161|ps=:"General Cunningham endeavoured to fix the boundaries of Daksina Kosala, to which he gave the alternative name of Maha-Kosala, without stating where he found that name."}} However, none of the ancient texts or inscriptions support the claim that Dakshina Kosala and Mahakoshal refer to the same geographical unit.<ref>{{cite book |author=Madan Mohan Upadhyay |title=Inscriptions of Mahakoshal: Resource for the History of Central India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzkaAAAAYAAJ |year=2005 |publisher=B.R. |isbn=978-81-7646-496-3 |pages=2–3 |quote=Mahakoshal as a territorial unit synonymous with Kosala or Daksina Kosala (modern Chhattisgarh) has never appeared in the ancient Indian literature as well as epigraphs. }}</ref> The ancient Sanskrit texts frequently mention Dakshina Kosala, but do not mention Mahakoshal as the name of a region.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=161 footnote}}

In ancient times{{when|date=March 2020}} Dakshina Kosala (South Kosala) comprised modern Chhattisgarh and the adjoining territory in the State of Orissa up to the boundary of the Katak District.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} In the Puranas this country is mentioned with Traipura (the tract around Tripuri near Jabalpur), Kalinga (part of the state of Orissa) and Mekala (the region near the source of the Narmada).<ref>What is india:Inscriptions of the kalachuri-chedi era.Source-{ Coins & Currency Systems Of North-Central Indian Kingdoms,(Kalachuri Inscriptions)}.</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2020}}

=== Capitals ===

Besides Bhadravati, the other capitals of Dakshina Kosala at various times included [[Sirpur, Mahasamund|Sirpur]] (ancient Shripura), Tuman (ancient Tummana), and [[Ratanpur, Chhattisgarh|Ratanpur]] (ancient Ratnapura). Bhadravati may have been the capital of Dakshina Kosala as late as during Xuanzang's time,{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=163}} although Sirpur is another candidate for the contemporary capital of the region.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|pp=165-166}}

The 601 CE [[Arang]] inscription of king Bhimasena II suggests that Shripura was the capital of the local Rishitulyakula kings, possibly since the 5th century.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=164}} In the subsequent period, it served as the capital of the [[Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala|Panduvamshi]] kings, who are described as the lords of Kosala in their inscriptions.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|pp=164-165}}

Tummana and Ratnapura became the capitals of Dakshina Kosala centuries later. Tummana was founded by Kalingaraja, a descendant of the [[Kalachuris of Tripuri|Tripuri Kalachuri]] king Kokalla I (c. 875 CE). Ratnapura was established by Ratnadeva, a later descendant of Kalingaraja and a king of the [[Kalachuris of Ratnapura|Ratnapura Kalachuri]] dynasty.{{sfn|Hira Lal|1986|p=163}}

== Legends ==

In ancient Indian literature as well as the epic ''[[Ramayana]]'', ''[[Mahabharata]]'' & ''[[Puranas]]'' there are many references to the ancient [[Kosala Kingdom]] of northern India. Surya Vanshi [[Ikshvaku dynasty]] kings ruled [[Kosala]] with [[Ayodhya (Ramayana)|Ayodhya]] as their capital. Sri Ramachandra was a king of that clan, based on whose character and activities, the ''Ramayana'' was written. This work mentions that after [[Rama]], the kingdom was divided among his two sons, [[Lava]] and [[Kusha (Ramayana)|Kusha]]. North Kosala went to Lava as his share with Shravasti Nagari as his capital while Kusha received South Kosala. He established his new capital, Kushasthalipura on the river Kushavrate near the [[Vindhya]] mountain range, which divides north and south India. Kushasthalipura is identified as near [[Malhar, Chhattisgarh|Malhar]] in the present-day [[Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh|Bilaspur district]] of [[Chhattisgarh]] state.

As part of his military campaigns, [[Sahadeva]] targeted the kingdoms in the regions south of the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]]. Vanquishing the invincible Bhismaka, Sahadeva then defeated the king of Kosala in battle and the ruler of the territories lying on the banks of the Venwa, as well as the Kantarakas and the kings of the eastern Kosalas.<ref>Mahabharata, Book 2, Chapter 30</ref>{{Page needed|date=July 2015}}

== History ==
In the first century BC, Mahameghavahana, a king of [[Chedi Kingdom|Chedi]] conquered Kosala. It was conquered by
[[Gautamiputra Satakarni]] of [[Satavahana dynasty]] in the early part of the 2nd century AD and remained a part of the [[Satavahana dynasty|Satavahana kingdom]] until the second half of the second century AD.<ref name="js"/><ref name="temple">{{cite web |last1=Patnaik |first1=Jeeban Kumar |title=Temples of South Kosala 6th century A D 11th century A D a case study of stellate temples |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/187259 |website=University |date=1998}}</ref> During the second and third centuries AD the [[Mahameghavahana|Megha dynasty or Meghavahanas]] regained their suzerainty over South Kosala.<ref name="js">{{cite book |last1=Sahu |first1=J. K. |title=THE MEGHAS OF KOSALA |date=1977 |pages=49–54 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44139050?read-now=1&seq=2}}</ref> Samudragupta during his daksinapatha expedition, defeated [[Mahendra of Dakshina Kosala|Mahendra of Kosala]] who probably belonged to the Megha dynasty. As a result, South Kosala during the fourth century AD, came under the overlordship of the [[Gupta Empire]].<ref name="temple"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bosma |first1=Natasja |title=Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A Rich Centre of Early Śaivism |date=June 2018 |publisher=Barkhuis |isbn=9789492444684 |pages=338 |edition=E-book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DOm9DwAAQBAJ&q=%22Mahendra+of+Kosala%22&pg=PA1 |access-date=22 December 2020}}</ref>

After the fall of the [[Gupta Empire|imperial Guptas]], the Dakshina Kosala region was ruled by a number of small dynasties, including the [[Rajarsitulyakula]], [[Panduvamshis of Mekala]] (Pāṇḍavas of Mekala), the [[Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala]] (Pāṇḍuvaṃśīs of Śripura), and the [[Sharabhapuriya dynasty|Sharabhapuriyas]].<ref name="temple"/> The chronology of these dynasties not very clear, because their inscriptions are dated in [[regnal year]]s instead of a [[calendar era]].{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=1}} The only ancient inscription found in this region that appears to be dated in a calendar era is the [[Rajarsitulyakula|Arang copper-plate inscription of Bhimasena II of Sura family]]. However, it is not connected to any other records from the area, and therefore, is not much useful for reconstructing the region's chronology.{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|pp=1-2}}

The Pāṇḍavas of Mekala are known from two [[Malhar, Chhattisgarh|Malhar]] inscriptions issued by king Śūrabala, the last member of the dynasty.{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=3}} The king claimed descent from the legendary hero [[Pandu|Pāṇḍu]] of the [[lunar dynasty]] (somavaṃśa).{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=5}}

The Amarāryakulas (Amarārya family) are known from the Malhar inscription of Vyaghraraja.{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=6}} [[D. C. Sircar]] believes this family to be same as the Sharabhapuriyas, Ajaya Mitra Shastri believes it to an independent dynasty, while [[Hans T. Bakker]] believes it to be a vassal of the Sharabhapuriyas.{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|pp=7-8}}

The Sharabhapuriyas initially ruled as Gupta vassals, and may have fought with the [[Nala dynasty|Nalas of Pushkari]].{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=10}} They laid foundation of the distinct Dakshina Kosala style of art and architecture.{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=13}}

The Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala seem to have been related to the Panduvamshis of Mekala, and initially served as feudatories to the Sharabhapuriyas.{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=14}} The early kings of the dynasty were [[Vaishnavite]]s, but its last known king Mahāśivagupta Bālārjuna called himself a devotee of [[Shiva]] (''parama-māheśvara''), and also patronized the [[Buddhism|Buddhists]]. The Chinese traveler [[Xuanzang]] visited the region during his reign, and described his kingdom ("Kiao-sa-lo" or Kosala) as follows:{{sfn|Hans T. Bakker|1994|p=21}}

{{cquote|The capital is about 40 [[li (unit)|li]] round; the soil is rich and fertile, and yields abundant crops. [...] The population is very dense. The men are tall and black complexioned. The disposition of the people is hard and violent; they are brave and impetuous. There are both heretics and believers here. They are earnest in study and of a high intelligence. The king is of the [[Kshatriya|Kshattriya]] race; he greatly honours the law of Buddha, and his virtue and love are far renowned. There are about one hundred [[sangharama|saṅghārāmas]], and somewhat less than 10,000 priests; they all alike study the teaching of the [[Mahayana|Great Vehicle]]. There are about seventy Deva temples, frequented by heretics of different persuasions. Not far to the south of the city is an old saṅghārāma, by the side of which is a [[stupa|stūpa]] that was built by [[Ashoka|Aśoka-rāja]].}}

The Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala may have been related to the later [[Somavamshi dynasty]], who ruled in present-day [[Odisha]].{{sfn|A. M. Shastri I|1995|pp=172-175}}

== See also ==
* [[Kingdoms of Ancient India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===

{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author=Hans T. Bakker |author-link=Hans T. Bakker |chapter=Observations on the History and Culture of Dakṣiṇa Kosala |editor1=Nalini Balbir |editor2=J Bautze |title=Festschrift : Klaus Bruhn zur Vollendung des 65. Lebensjahres |publisher=Inge Wezler |location=Reinbek |year=1994 |oclc=37840411 |url=https://www.academia.edu/17301262 |pages=1–66 }}
* {{cite journal |author=Hira Lal |title=The Extent and Capital of Daksina Kosala |journal=Indian Antiquary |volume=62 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aG5DAAAAYAAJ |year=1986 |orig-year=1933 |publisher=Swati }}
* {{cite book |author=Ajay Mitra Shastri |author-link=Ajay Mitra Shastri |title=Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins, and Somavaṁśins: Part I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Idd9i5nP160C&pg=PA47 |year=1995 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0635-1 |ref={{harvid|A. M. Shastri I|1995}} }}
{{refend}}

{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata}}

[[Category:Kingdoms of the Ikshwaku clan]]
[[Category:Kingdoms in the Ramayana]]
[[Category:Kosala]]

Dakshina Kosala - Revision history

Neeraj Singh Creator at 07:48, 9 March 2026