Origin of the Western Ganga Dynasty

The Western Ganga Dynasty ruled large parts of southern Karnataka from the fourth century CE till the late tenth century CE with their regal capital initially at Kolar (then called as Kuvalala) and later at Talakad in Mysore district, Karnataka. The origin of the Ganga clan prior to the fourth century is shrouded in legends and myths. Clarity into their history comes from such contemporaneous writings as Chavundaraya Purana in Kannada and Lokhavibhaga in Prakrit and from numerous inscriptions excavated in the Mysore, Bangalore and Kolar districts (southern region of modern Karnataka) and Anantapur district (of modern Andhra Pradesh). The Western Gangas played a pivotal role in the development of polity, culture and literature during their long rule in the region, at times as independent monarchs and at other times as subordinates of their larger neighbors: the Badami Chalukyas and later the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. Their patronage to literature in Kannada and Sanskrit, their achievements in architecture including the famous monolith of Gomateshwara, their Hindu temples in the southern Karnataka, and their Jain Basadi's of Shravanabelagola and Kambadahalli are testimony to the rich contribution they made to the region..

Origin

Multiple theories have been proposed by historians regarding the ancestry of the founders of the Western Ganga dynasty (prior to the fourth century). One such theory claims that they were immigrants from northern India and another that they were natives of the southern Deccan region. While the northern origin theory is generally considered legendary in nature, historians such as L.K Iyer, Stein, Adiga, Rice, Sarma and Kamath have further debated whether the early petty chieftains of the clan (prior to their rise to power) originated from the southern districts of modern Karnataka, Kongu Nadu region of modern Tamil Nadu or southern districts of modern Andhra Pradesh.

Some of their early inscriptions claim that they belonged to the Kanvayana lineage (gotra) and Jahnveya family (kula). This has prompted historians Rice and Jayaswal to link them to the Kanva dynasty of Magadha (in modern Bihar state) implying a northern origin.