Somavamshi dynasty
c. 9th century CE–c. 12th century CE
South Asia 1000 CE KARAKHANID KHANATE KHOTAN GHAZNAVID EMPIRE MULTAN EMIRATE PALA EMPIRE KAMARUPA HINDU SHAHIS MARYUL UTPA- LAS GUHILAS CHUDA- SAMAS HABBARID EMIRATE CHAHAMANAS TOMARAS MAKRAN SULTANATE PARAMARAS SHILA- HARAS WESTERN CHALUKYAS EASTERN CHALUKYAS CHOLAS KADAMBAS CHANDELAS KALACHURIS SOMAVAMSHIS KALINGAS GUGE Location of the Somavamshis and neighbouring South Asian polities in 1000, on the eve of theGhaznavid invasions of the subcontinent.[1][2]
Capital	Yayatinagara (modernBinka); Abhinava-Yayatinagara (modernJajpur)
Official languages	Sanskrit
Religion	Hinduism Jainism
Government	Monarchy
Historical era	Classical India
• Established	c. 9th century CE
• Disestablished	c. 12th century CE
Preceded by Succeeded by Bhauma-Kara dynasty Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala Eastern Ganga dynasty Chakrakota kingdom Kalachuris of Ratnapura

TheSomavamshi (IAST:Somavaṃśī, "Lunar dynasty") orKeshari (IAST: Keśarī) dynasty ruled parts of present-dayOdisha in eastern India between the 9th and the 12th centuries. Their capitals included Yayatinagara (modernBinka) and Abhinava-Yayatinagara (modernJajpur).

TheSomavamshis may have been related to thePanduvamshis, who ruled theDakshina Kosala region in central India. They were probably driven out from this region by theKalachuris, following which they conquered theKalinga and theUtkala regions in present-dayOdisha, supplanting theBhauma-Karas.

The Somavamshis introduced a new style of art and architecture inOdisha, and their rule saw a remarkable shift fromBuddhism toHinduism in the region. TheSomavamshi rule ended in the early 12th century, when theEastern Ganga rulerAnantavarman Chodaganga captured their territories.

The Somavamshis may have been related to thePanduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala, whose rule in theDakshina Kosala region seems to have declined in the 8th century. Both dynasties claimedlunar lineage; the earlyPanduvamshi kings also claimed descent from the legendary Pandavas, unlike the Somavamshi, but this was not the case with the later Panduvamshi kings. The later Panduvamshis, like the Somavamshis, adopted names ending in-gupta.^[3] The Panduvamshi kings Tivaradeva and Balarjuna bore the regnal titles "Maha-shiva" and "Maha-shiva-gupta" respectively; multiple Somavamshi rulers bore the regnal name "Maha-shiva-gupta".^[4] While the Panduvamshi copper-plate inscriptions are inscribed using "box-headed" characters, all the stone inscriptions starting from the reign of Balarjuna are inscribed in theNagari script, which is also the script of the Somavamshi inscriptions.^[5] The early Somavamshi kings ruled in western Odisha, which once formed the eastern part of Dakshina Kosala,^[3] and the Chaudwar inscription of the earliest known Somavamshi king Mahashivagupta I (alias Janamejaya) describes him asKosalendra ("lord of Kosala").^[6] Several Somavamshi inscriptions record grants to people from Kosala, grants of villages located in Kosala, and appointment of Kosala-specific officers.^[7]

All these similarities indicate that the Somavamshis were related to the Panduvamshis, but this cannot be said with certainty.^[8] According to one theory, the Panduvamshis were driven out of Kosala by theKalachuris, and migrated eastward. There, they established their capital at Vinitapura (modernBinka) on the banks of theMahanadi River. The rulers whose territory was limited to the area around Vinitapura are termed as "early" Somavamshis, as opposed to the "later" Somavamshis who ruled a bigger part of Odisha.^[9]

Janmejaya I (c. 882–922) probably controlled a part of coastal Odisha, & appears to have made inroads into the neighboringBhauma-Kara kingdom, through his daughter, who married the Bhauma-Kara king Shubhakara IV. After Shubhakara IV, the kingdom was ruled by his brother Shivakara III. Subsequently, Janmejaya's daughter ascended the Bhauma-Kara throne as Tribhuvana-Devi II around 894 (with her father's support, according to most historians).^[9]

ABrahmeswara Temple inscription states that the king of theOdra country was killed by Janmejaya'skunta (spear) in a battle. HistorianKrishna Chandra Panigrahi identified this king of Odra as Shivakara III, and theorized that Janmejaya placed his daughter on the Bhauma-Kara throne after killing him. However, other historians disagree with this theory, stating that Odra in this context refers not to the whole of present-day Odisha, but only a smallvishaya (district) centered around the present-dayDhenkanal district. According to this theory, the king of Odra referred to in the inscription was probably a rebel Bhanja vassal.^[10]

During his long reign of 34 years, Janmejaya issued a number of grants (recorded in form of copper-plate inscriptions) at various "victorious camps". This suggests that Janmejaya consolidated the Somavamshi rule in western Odisha moving from place to place. During his 31st regnal year, he issued three grants from Kataka, which has been identified as Chaudwar near modern Cuttack. This suggests that his influence extended to eastern Odisha by the end of his reign.^[10]

Find spots of the inscriptions issued during the Somavamshi reign (Map of India)

Yayati I (c. 922–955), the son of Janmejaya I, made a large number of village grants in the Dakshina Kosala region, which was the traditional stronghold of his family. These grants are recorded on the inscriptions issued at Yayatinagara, which was probably same as the former Somavamshi capital Vinitapura, and which Yayati may have renamed after himself.^[10] The capital was later moved to the Bhauma-Kara capital Guheshvarapataka (modernJajpur), which was renamed to Abhinava-Yayatinagara ("the new city of Yayati").^[11]

It is not clear when the Somavamshis gained control over most of Odisha, but this may have happened by the time of Yayati I. Yayati I seems to have continued the expansionist policies of his father, further consolidating the kingdom. This is apparent from his inscriptions, which record grants of villages that were formerly not part of the Somavamshi territory. For example, Chandagrama (modern Changan south-east of Cuttack) used to be a part of the Bhauma-Kara territory, while Gandatapati (modernGandharadi) used to be located in the Bhanja territory.^[10]

Before the Somavamshi conquest of Odisha, an image ofJagannatha had been removed fromPuri, during theRashtrakuta invasion of c. 800. Yayati I is credited with building a new temple at Puri, and re-installing the image of Purushottama (Jagannatha) there. His reign marks the beginning of the Somavamshi style of temple architecture, which features form, ornamentation and iconography not previously seen in Odisha. This new style can probably be attributed to the dynasty's central Indian origins.^[12]

Little is known about Yayati I's successors Bhimaratha, Dharmaratha, and Nahusha. Dharmaratha seems to have died without an heir, and Nahusha was probably his brother. By the time of Dharmaratha, the Somavamshis had taken control of the former Bhauma-Kara territories, although it is not known how exactly this happened. The Somavamshi lost these territories soon after his death.^[12]

During this period, the Somavamshi kingdom suffered several foreign invasions, the most notable of which was the 1021Chola invasion of their capital Yayatinagara. There is some evidence that theParamaras ofMalwa and theKalachuris of Tripuri also invaded the Somavamshi kingdom.^[12]

Nahusha was succeeded by his younger cousin Yayati IIa.k.a. Chandihara, who was a descendant of Janmejaya I through Vichitravirya (grandfather) and Abhimanyu (father). TheBrahmeswara Temple inscription suggests that Yayati II restored order to the kingdom after being appointed as the king by the ministers. He re-established the Somavamshi control overKosala and Utkala, which had been lost to rival chiefs. One of his inscriptions describes him as the lord of Kalinga, Kosala, and Utkala. The Somavamshi records also credit him with conquering distant regions likeGurjaradesa andLata, but these claims appear to be poetic hyperbole, and are not supported by historical evidence.^[12]

Yayati II was succeeded by his son Uddyotakeshari, whose reign was relatively peaceful. Uddyotakeshari championed the cause ofBrahmanism, and restored a number of temples and ponds. During the 18th year of his reign, his mother Kolavati Devi dedicated the Brahmeshvara (Brahmeswara) Temple at modernBhubaneswar.^[12] The construction of theLingaraja Temple probably began during the later part of his reign, and completed during the reign of his successor Janmejaya II.^[13] Uddyotakeshari also patronized theJains ofUdayagiri.^[12]

After Uddyotakeshari, the Somavamshi kingdom declined gradually. TheKalachuris of Ratnapura conquered some western parts of the Somavamshis and reached their height around that period. The dynasty lost its territories to the Nagas in the north-west, and theGangas in the south. The kingdom of the last Somavamshi ruler Karnadeva was confined to the coastal tract between the present-dayBalasore andPuri districts. By 1114, the Somavamshi king had fallen to the Ganga kingAnantavarman Chodaganga.^[13]

HistorianKrishna Chandra Panigrahi provides the following chronology of the later Somavamshis:^[14]

The Somavamshi kings wereShaiviteHindus, as evident from their inscriptions.^[13] ThePashupata and the Mattamayura schools of Shaivism appear to have been popular during their time.^[15]

A gradual move from Buddhism toBrahmanism (the precursor of modern Hinduism) had started during the precedingBhauma-Kara period, and this development accelerated during the Somavamshi reign.^[16] The traditional accounts of Odisha credit the Somavamshis with making great contributions towards the propagation ofHinduism.^[13]

The Somavamshi kings were great temple builders according to the traditional accounts, but there is little inscriptional evidence to confirm this belief. The legendary chronicleMadala Panji credits Yayati Keshari with building most of the temples inBhubaneswar.^[13] The text seems to have combined the Somavanshi rulers Yayati I and Yayati II into "Yayati Keshari".^[17] Multiple temples, including theMukteshvara Temple,Lingaraj Temple, and theRajarani Temple, are dated to the Somavamshi period.^[18] However,Brahmeswara Temple is the only shrine that bears an inscription explicitly attributing its construction to the Somavamshis.^[13]

According to one legend, Yayati Keshari brought 10,000 Brahmins fromKanyakubja to his kingdom for anashvamedha (horse sacrifice) ceremony.^[15]

A number of copper-plate inscriptions, and a smaller number of stone inscriptions, issued during the Somavamshi reign have been discovered, all of them in present-day Odisha.^[19] The copper-plate inscriptions are similar to those of theŚarabhapuriyas and the Panduvaṃśīs: each inscription is a set of three copper-plates.^[20]

The following inscriptions of the Somavamshis, all inSanskrit language have been discovered:^[21]

Ranakesarin, who issued the Govindapur inscription, may have belonged to the Kesari (Somavamshi), but this cannot be confirmed in absence of any corroborating evidence.^[58]

The Lingaraja temple inscription of Viranarakesari has been wrongly ascribed to the Somavamshi reign. The name of the issuer was misread as "Viravarakesari", and it was suggested that he belonged to Kesari (Somavamshi) dynasty. However, Viranarakesari is actually the Ganga kingNarasimha.^[58]

• 
  Mukteswar Temple
• 
  Mukteshwar temple arched gateway view
• 
  The Arched Gateway to the Mukteswara Temple
• 
  Mukteswar temple Sikhara
• 
  Rajarani Temple
• 
  Lingaraj Temple Complex

• List of rulers of Odisha

• Religion under the Somavamsis of Orissa by Dusmanta Kumar Nayak
• Early temples of Orissa from the sixth century A D to the end of Somavamsi rule

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• History of Chhattisgarh
• History of Madhya Pradesh
• History of Odisha
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• Dynasties of Odisha
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• States and territories disestablished in the 12th century

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