Chandra dynasty

The Chandra dynasty was a Arakan-based Kayastha dynasty, originating from the Indian subcontinent, which ruled the Samatata region of Bengal, as well as northern Arakan. The reign of the dynasty was between the 10th and 11th centuries or as early as or before 3rd century AD. It was a neighbor to the more powerful Pala Empire to the north.

History

Ananda Chandra inscription (729 AD) mentions king Chandrodaya whom Sircar fixes the date of 202-229 AD. The inscription mentions kings prior to King Chandrodaya as "zealous in doing kindness to the world". The ye Dhamma inscriptions of Queen Niti Chandra are dated to early 6th century AD based on paleographic grounds.[1]

The Chandra kingdom was one of the last Buddhist strongholds in the Indian subcontinent. The kingdom flourished as a center of the Tantric schools of Buddhism. It played a role in the diffusion of Mahayana Buddhism to Southeast Asia.[2]

The dynasty was founded by Traillokyachandra, who was a descendant of Kayastha landlords in the Lalmai region between Comilla and Tripura. The second ruler Srichandra led invasions into Kamarupa. The Chandras played an important role in the regional politics and military history of erstwhile Bengal. The Chandras supported the Pala Empire in the west against North Indian and South Indian invasions.[3]

The Chandras were eventually overthrown during an invasion of the South Indian Chola dynasty.[3] Following is the list of Kings from Chandra Dynasty.[4][5]

List of Chandra dynasty Rulers
#	King	Period	Reign (CE)
-	??	120	??
-	??	120	??
-	??	120	??
-	Bahubali	120	??
-	Raghupati	120	??
-	??	120	??
1	Chandrodaya	27	202-229
2	Annaveta	5	229-234
3	??	77	234-311
4	Rimbhiappa	23	311-334
5	Kuverami (Queen)	7	334-341
6	Umavira (Queen)	20	341-361
7	Jugna	7	361-368
8	Lanki	2	368-370
9	Dvenchandra	55	370-425
10	Rajachandra	20	425-445
11	Kalachandra	9	445-454
12	Devachandra	22	454-476
13	Yajnachandra	7	476-483
14	Chandrabandu	6	483-489
15	Bhumichandra	7	489-496
16	Bhutichandra	24	496-520
17	Nitichandra (Queen)	55	520-575
18	Virachandra	3	575-578
19	Pritichandra (Queen)	12	578-90
20	Prithvichandra	7	590-597
21	Dhirtichandra	3	597-600
22	Mahavira	12	600-12
23	Virayajap	12	612-24
24	Sevinren	12	624-36
25	Dharmasura	13	636-49
26	Vajrashakti	16	649-65
27	Dharmavijaya	36	665-701
28	Narendravijaya	2 yr 9 months	701-703
29	Dharmachandra	16	703-720
30	Anandachandra	9+	720-729+
Harikela Dynasty
1	Traillokyachandra	30	900–930
2	Srichandra	45	930–975
3	Kalyanachandra	25	975–1000
4	Ladahachandra	20	1000–1020
5	Govindachandra	30	1020–1050

Maritime relations

The coastal kingdom had trade networks with states in what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. 10th century shipwrecks around the coast of Java provide evidence of maritime links between southeastern Bengal and Southeast Asia. Bronze sculptures may have been imported by the Javanese from the Chandra kingdom in southeastern Bengal. Arab merchants also traded with the kingdom.[2]

King Anandachandra mentions mission he sent to Sinhalese King Silamegha (Aggabodhi IV) (727-766)

Archaeology

There are numerous inscriptions dating from the period of the Chandra dynasty. The three archaeological sites associated with the dynasty include Bikrampur and Mainamati in Bangladesh and Waithali in Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma).

References

Manguin, Pierre-Yves; Mani, A.; Wade, Geoff (2011). Early Interactions Between South and Southeast Asia: Reflections on Cross-cultural Exchange. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 387–. ISBN 978-981-4345-10-1.
Ghosh, Suchandra (2013). "Locating South Eastern Bengal in the Buddhist Network of Bay of Bengal (C. 7th Century CE-13th Century CE)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 74: 148–153. JSTOR 44158810.
http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Chandra_Dynasty,_The
Wicks, Robert S. (31 May 2018). Money, Markets, and Trade in Early Southeast Asia: The Development of Indigenous Monetary Systems to AD 1400. Cornell University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-5017-1947-9.
Johnston, E. H. (1944). "Some Sanskrit Inscriptions of Arakan". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 11 (2): 357–385. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00072529. ISSN 0041-977X. JSTOR 609320.

Bibliography

Singh, Nagendra Kr. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh. Anmol Publications Pvt Ltd. pp. 7–21. ISBN 81-261-1390-1.
Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1943). The History of Bengal. Dacca: B.R. Publishing. pp. 134–135, 192–197. ISBN 81-7646-237-3.
Chowdhury, Abdul Momin (1967). Dynastic History of Bengal. Dacca: The Asiatic Society of Pakistan.
Chowdhury, A. M. (2012). "Chandra Dynasty, The". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

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[1] Manguin, Pierre-Yves; Mani, A.; Wade, Geoff (2011). Early Interactions Between South and Southeast Asia: Reflections on Cross-cultural Exchange. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 387–. ISBN 978-981-4345-10-1.

[jstor-2] Ghosh, Suchandra (2013). "Locating South Eastern Bengal in the Buddhist Network of Bay of Bengal (C. 7th Century CE-13th Century CE)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 74: 148–153. JSTOR 44158810.

[Banglapedia-3] ttp://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Chandra_Dynasty,_The

[4] Wicks, Robert S. (31 May 2018). Money, Markets, and Trade in Early Southeast Asia: The Development of Indigenous Monetary Systems to AD 1400. Cornell University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-5017-1947-9.

[5] Johnston, E. H. (1944). "Some Sanskrit Inscriptions of Arakan". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 11 (2): 357–385. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00072529. ISSN 0041-977X. JSTOR 609320.