Solar dynasty
The Ikshvaku dynasty, also known as the Solar dynasty or Sūryavaṃśa (Sanskrit: सूर्यवंश, lit. “Descendants of the Sun”) was a feudatory tribe that ruled the Andhra region, Krishna River Delta, and Godavari river on the east coast, situating their capital at Dharanikota (present day Amaravati). they prayed to Surya (the Sun god) as their primary deity and considered him as their progenitor. Along with the Lunar dynasty, the Solar dynasty comprises one of the main lineages of the Kshatriya varna in Hinduism.
| House of Ikshvaku Suryavamsha | |
|---|---|
| Country | Kingdom of Kosala, Kingdom of Kashi, Nishadha Kingdom |
| Founder | Ikshvaku |
| Final ruler | Sumitra (historical claimant) |
| Style(s) | Chakravartin, Raja of Kosala |
| Deposition | 362 BCE |
| Cadet branches | |
According to the Jain literature, the first Tirthankara of Jainism, Rishabhanatha himself was King Ikshvaku. Further, 21 Tirthankaras of Jainism were born in this dynasty.
According to Buddhist literature, The Buddha descended from this dynasty.
The important personalities belonging to this royal house are Mandhatri, Muchukunda, Ambarisha, Bharata, Bahubali, Harishchandra, Dilīpa, Sagara, Raghu, Rama, and Pasenadi. 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 who was elected by the people as the first king of the present era, was the founder of this dynasty.