In Indian epics, the Solar dynasty or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku. The dynasty is also known as Sūryavaṁśa (“Solar dynasty” or “Descendants of the Sun”) and along with Lunar dynasty comprises one of the main lineages of the Kshatriya Varna. Rama belonged to the Ikshavaku dynasty. According to the Jain texts, first Tirthankar Rishabhdeva himself was King Ikshvaku and the establisher of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Twenty one other tirthankars were born in this dynasty. According to Buddhist texts and tradition, Gautama Buddha descended from this dynasty. Many later kings of the Indian subcontinent claimed to be of Suryavanshi background.
The important personalities belonging to this royal house are Mandhatri , Muchukunda , Ambarisha , Bharata Chakravartin, Bahubali, Harishchandra, Dilīpa, Sagara, Raghu, Rama and Pasenadi. Although, both the Hindu Puranas and the Buddhist texts include Shuddodhana, Gautama Buddha and Rahula in their accounts of the Ikshvaku dynasty, but according to the Buddhist texts, Mahasammata, an ancestor of Ikshvaku was the founder of this dynasty, who was elected by the people as the first king of the present era.
Origins
Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty is the one of the two major legendary Kshatriya dynasties found in Hindu Puranic and epic literature, the other being Chandravansha or the Lunar Dynasty. According to Harivamsa, Ikshvaku is considered the primogenitor of the dynasty of Surya and was granted the kingdom of Aryavarta by his father Vaivasvata Manu. Manu settled down in the Aryavarta region after he survived the great flood. A. K. Mozumdar states that Manu is the one who built a city on the Sarayu and called it Ayodhya meaning the ‘invincible city’. This city served as the capital of many kings from the solar dynasty and is also the birthplace of Rama an avatar of Vishnu.
Some hindu texts suggest Rishi Marichi, one of the seven sages and first human creations of Brahma as the progenitor of the dynasty. Marichi’s eldest son Kashyapa is said to have settled down in Kashmir (Kashyapa-Meru or Kashyameru). He also contributed to the verses of the Vedas. Later, Vivasvan son of Kashyapa and Aditi, famously known as the hindu god Surya married Saranyu who was the daughter of Vishwakarma, the architect of devas. He had many children but Manu was given the responsibility of building the civilization and as a result it formed a dynasty that was named ‘Suryavansh’ or the solar dynasty. Manu is also the progenitor of the Lunar Dynasty because he married his daughter Ila to Budha, the son of Chandra or the moon god and the couple gave birth to the magnanimous king Pururavas who became the first king of the Chandravansh or the Lunar dynasty.
In Bhagavata Purana
Ikshvaku and his ancestor Manu are also mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana (Canto 9, Chapter 1),
योऽसौ सत्यव्रतो नाम राजर्षिर्द्रविडेश्वर: । स वै विवस्वत: पुत्रो मनुरासीदिति श्रुतम् । yo ’sau satyavrato nāma sa vai vivasvataḥ putro |
Satyavrata, the saintly king of Draviḍadeśa received spiritual knowledge at the end of the last millennium by the grace of the Supreme. He became known as Vaivasvata Manu, the son of Vivasvān. In the next manvantara , I will have received this knowledge from you. I also understand that such kings as Ikṣvāku were his sons, as you have already explained. |
In Buddhism
The Buddhist text, Buddhavamsa and Mahavamsa (II, 1-24) traces the origin of the Shakyas to king Okkaka (Pali equivalent to Sanskrit Ikshvaku) and gives their genealogy from Mahasammata, an ancestor of Okkaka. This list comprises the names of a number of prominent kings of the Ikshvaku dynasty, namely, Mandhata and Sagara. The genealogy according to the Mahavamsa is as follows:
- Okkāka
- Okkāmukha
- Sivisamjaya
- Sihassara
- Jayasena
- Sihahanu
- Suddhodana
- Gautama Buddha
- Rāhula
In Jainism
The Ikshvaku dynasty has a significant place in Jainism, as twenty-two Tirthankaras were born in this dynasty.
- Origin
- Rishabhanatha (son of King Nabhi), the founder of Jainism in the present Avasarpani era (descending half time cycle as per Jain cosmology) is said to have founded the Ikshvaku dynasty. The name for the Ikshvaku dynasty comes from the word ikhsu (sugarcane), another name of Rishabhanatha, because he taught people how to extract ikshu-rasa (sugarcane-juice).
- Bharata Chakravarti (first Chakravartin) and Bahubali (first Kamadeva), sons of Rishabha
- Arkakirti and Marichi, son of Bharata
- at the time of Ajitanatha
- Jitashatru (father of Ajitanatha) and his younger brother Sumitra (father of Sagara)
- Ajitanatha (the 2nd Tirthankara) and Sagara (2nd Chakravartin)
- Janhu (eldest son of Sagara), the one who flooded village of Nagas with waters of Ganga leading to turning of sixty thousand sons of Sagara into ashes by Jawalanprabha (emperor of Nagas)
- Bhagiratha (eldest grandson of Sagara)
- at the time of Sambhavanatha
- Jitari (father of Sambhavanatha)
- Sambhavanatha, the 3rd Tirthankara
- at the time of Abhinandananatha
- Sanvara (father of Abhinandananatha)
- Abhinandananatha, the 4th Tirthankara
- at the time of Sumatinatha
- Megha (father of Sumatinatha)
- Sumatinatha, the 5th Tirthankara
- at the time of Padmaprabha
- Sidhara (father of Padmaprabha)
- Padmaprabha, the 6th Tirthankara
- at the time of Suparshvanatha
- Pratishtha (father of Suparshvanatha)
- Suparshvanatha, the 7th Tirthankara
- at the time of Chandraprabha
- Mahasena (father of Chanraprabha)
- Chandraprabha, the 8th Tirthankara
- at the time of Pushpadanta
- Sugriva (father of Pushpadanta)
- Pushpadanta, the 9th Tirthankara
- at the time of Shitalanatha
- Dridharatha (father of Shitalnatha)
- Shitalanatha, the 10th Tirthankara
- at the time of Shreyanasanatha
- Vishnu (father of Shreyanasanatha)
- Shreyanasanatha, the 11th Tirthankara
- at the time of Vasupujya
- Vasupujya (father of Tirthankara Vasupujya)
- Vasupujya, the 12th Tirthankara
- at the time of Vimalanatha
- Kritavarma (father of Vimalanatha)
- Vimalanatha, the 13th Tirthankara
- at the time of Anantanatha
- Simhasena (father of Anantanatha)
- Anantanatha, the 14th Tirthankara
- at the time of Dharmanatha
- Bhanu (father of Dharmanatha)
- Dharmanatha, the 15th Tirthankara
- at the time of Shantinatha
- Visvasena (father of Shantinatha)
- Shantinatha, the 16th Tirthankara and 5th Chakravarti
- Chakrayudha, son of Shantinatha
- Kuruchandra, son of Chakrayudha
- at the time of Kunthunatha
- Sura (father of Kunthunatha)
- Kunthunatha, the 17th Tirthankara and 6th Chakravarti
- at the time of Aranatha
- Sudarsana (father of Aranatha)
- Arahnatha, the 18th Tirthankara and 7th Chakravarti
- at the time of Mallinatha
- Kumbha (father of Mallinatha)
- Māllīnātha, the 19th Tirthankara
- at the time of Munisuvrata (Munisuvrata himself was not from Ikshvaku, but Harivamsa)
- Dasharatha (father of Rama)
- Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna
- Luv and Kusha (twin sons of Rama)
- at the time of Naminatha
- Vijaya (father of Naminatha)
- Naminatha, the 21st Tirthankara
- at the time of Parshvanatha
- Asvasena (father of Parshvanatha)
- Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara
- at the time of Mahavira
- Siddhartha (father of Mahavira)
- Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara