Vaivasvata Manu

The Vaivasvata Manvantara isthe current epoch that we live in,dated to have started 11, 275 years ago. This age was named after Vaivasvata Manu, who was the son of Vivasvān and was also known to have previously lived as the great king Shraddhadeva in another life. As King Shraddhadeva, he received the vision of Viṣṇu in his form as the Matsyavatara (a divine fish), who warned him of a great flood that would drown all the three worlds. He instructed that Manu should collect all the seeds, herbs, animals and board a ship along with the Seven great Rṣis (Saptarṣi) that would be sent to him. The king internalized his divine mandate, and many lifetimes of his passed. In his life as Vaivasvata Manu, the floods that were foretold became a reality. This same flood was discussed earlier in the chapter on the Kingdom of them Shyamalapeeta Sarvajñapeeṭha. Before the world was inundated, a great ship indeed appeared before him and he boarded the ship with the collections and companions that he was told to prepare. Then, Viṣṇu appeared again to guide the ship during the flood and safely harbored it on shores again. Thus, began then Vaivasvata Manvantara, the age of Vaivasvata Manu, who was the true progenitor of mankind. Vaivasvata Manu’s son was the King Ikṣvāk.

King Ikṣvāku

Ikṣvāku was the first king who executed the Manuvādhi Dharma Śāstra, the rules of Dharma by Manu, who was the first person to codify the Cosmic laws of the Universe into the governing laws of a country. These laws continued to form the basis of all laws and also much later the basis for the administration of the Kingdom of Madurai by the Enlightened Queen Mīnakṣi who ruled over all the 56 nations that constituted the planet at that time.

Brief History of Ayodyā

Ayodhyā is the most famous Hindu kingdom of yore, known for being the home of King Rāma and His glorious rule. However, it was not only Śri Rāmachandra Prabhu, but also many kings that preceded him, who worked for the reputation of Ayodhyā. Manu and his descendants were the founders of Ayodhyā Kingdom around 14,000 BCE. Hariśchandra I, the son of Triśanku, reigned around 13,450-13,400 BCE. The kingdom was guided by multiple lineages of extremely intelligent Rṣiṣ, like Rṣi Vaṣiṣta and Rṣi Viṣvamitra

King Bhagīratha

The 39th Chapter of the Śiva Purāṇa (narration ofthe divine play of incidents by Lord Paramaśiva) describes the 43rd King in the lineage – King Bhagīratha. He brought the celestial river Ganga to planet earth by the power of his penance and sacrifice to wash the sins of his ancestors, the sons of King Sāgara , who were burned by Lord Śrī Kapila Muni. Śrī Kapila Muni was the founder of the Sāṇkhya tradition which is the basis of all Vedantic* thought trends and the first head of the Mahanirvani Akhāda, the foremost Apex body of Sanātana Hindu Dharma

King Hariśchandra

The 18 major Purāṇas are known as the Hindu History. Among these, the Markandeya Purāṇa reveals the bexemplary integrity of King Hariśchandra, the 31st ruler in the lineage. He went to extremes in keeping his integrity to Dharma where he sacrificed all his possessions, his name, fame, power, and kingdom at the feet of his Guru Viṣvamitra and attained liberation at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, North India

Bhagavān Śri Rāma

Lord Śri Rāma, the Divine Incarnation of Bhagavān Śrī Viṣṇu who was the absolute Puruṣa (a being with Highest Consciousness), blessed Planet Earth by being born as the 62nd King in this great lineage.

Gautama Buddha

The Buddhist text called, “Mahavaṃśa” Chapter II, Lines 1-24, traces the origin of the lineage of Buddha, known as Sāṅkyas to King Ikṣvāku. It further reveals that Gautama Buddha, the royal Prince of the Sāṅkhyas and Ascetic of the Mahānirvaṇi Peetha of Kapila Mahamuni was the 140th King of this same lineage.

Tirthaṅkaras of Jaina Tradition

Twenty-four Tirthaṅkaras of the Jaina tradition were born into this dynasty as shown in the depiction on the left. The Jaina tradition is a branch of Hinduism. Today the most well known Jain teachings are of the 24th Tirthaṅkara, Mahavira Jain

Sodhi Rai, Guru Gobind Singh & the Gurus of the Sikh Tradition

Sodhi Rai, the son of the King Kuśa, and grandson of Bhagavān Śri Rām moved to Sanadh region in Gujarat where he married the king’s daughter. He then moved to Madra Desh (now called Punjab). King Sodhi Rai came to form the lineage called Sodhis. In this lineage, Śri Guru Gobind Singh was born. Śri Guru Gobind Singh was a prominent Guru of the Sikh religion who founded the warrior sect of Sikhism called Khalsa in the 17th Century.

Chola Kings of Sūrya Vaṁśa

The Kings of the Great Chola Kingdom such as Karikala Cholan and Raja Raja Cholan who built the towering Śiva temple in Tanjore belonged to the Sūrya Vaṃśa. The Cholas worshipped Sūrya and built several Sūrya Temples. The Konark Sūrya Temple in present day Orissa was built by the Chola princess Kundavai Naachiyar who was the daughter of Raja Raja Chola and the wife of Vimaladitya.

The King Ellalan of the Sūrya Vaṃśa Chola Dynasty earned the title Manu Needhi Chozhan (upholder of the Law of Manu) for his adherence to righteousness and justice. These laws were codified by the originator of the Sūrya Vaṃśa Dynasty, Manu. King Ellalan earned his reputation when he went to the extreme of following righteousness when he heard his own son had killed a calf. He restored justice to the mother cow whose calf died due to his son’s reckless behavior by killing his own son.

The Civilization Which
Rose from Ashes

The Legacy of Rajput Kings

From the 6th Century, the lineage of Ikṣvāku was known as the “Rajput” dynasty, who were warriors of the ultimate courage and skill, defending Hindu civilization on all fronts from barbaric invasions. These kings and rulers upheld the eternal principles of Sanātana Hindu Dharma in the medieval era, just as the Vijayanagara and Hoysala did in the South.

One of the notable kings was the Rajput King Maharana Pratap.

Chatrapati Śivaji

Chatrapati Śivaji, a name which invokes true pride of Hindu bravery, lived from 1630 to 1680 and fought hard to protect a large part of the Southern Hindu civilization from destruction by Mughals. Chatrapati Śivaji was also a Rajput king who belonged to the Sūrya Vaṁśa

Temple of Jagannath Puri

Lord Jagannath of Puri, one of the main deities of Orissa, is one of two Kula Devatas (community deities) worshiped by the Royal clan of the Surāngi Kingdom. The deity is of Bhagavān Śri Krṣṇa, and one of the most ancient temples still upholding the worship of Śri Krṣṇa until today. Jagannath Temple in Surāngigada (a name for the region used earlier) was built by the king of Surāngi during the 2nd part of the 18th century. He also donated lands for maintenance of the deities. The deity, Jagannatha (called locally as Dabhi Baman Jew) in Orissa, India, is worshiped by the Surāngi Royal Lineage.

Kruṇashini Shrine

Kruṇashini Devi, one of the main deities of Orissa, is the second Kula Devata worshiped by the Royal clan of the Surāngi Kingdom. There are only few surviving temples of the Kruṇashini Devi that is protecting the tradition of the region, and one of them is photographed at the right.

photos of the exterior of the Jagannath Puri temple

The Colonial Era

Prior to the British rule of India, the Hindu civilization existed as a diverse population of indigenous kingdoms and traditions. During the colonial era, when the British occupied India, Hindu kingdoms maintained their sovereignty and were recognized as “princely states.” Even through this impoverished time for the Hindu civilization under the foreign rule of the British, Hindu kingdoms still maintained their political legitimacy. Surāngi was among these kingdoms. Historical Reference: The Australian Research by Dr. Henry Soszynski – shows the Surāngi kingdom was recognized as an independent princely state by the British Government ruled by the “Raja” (King). The following is taken from a study of Orissa estates during the 19th century.

Rani Soubhagya Manjari Devi and Family

In the 17th Century, the Kingdom of Surāngi was ruled by Raja Dinabhadu Hariśchandra Jagdev who was the Guru of Abhimanyu Samant Singhar, the famous 17th century composer.

His son Raja Keshab Raj Hariśchandra Jagdev, Raja of Surāngi (1697 to 1715), composed the Rasa Sindhu Sulakshana, a well known composition today, and his son Raja Mukund Hariśchandra Jagdev, Raja of Surāngi was also a composer and a musician who played the Veena (ancient string instrument)

Relocation of Rajput Kings to Ichapuram

Raja Chandrachuda Mani Hariśchandra Jagdev of Surāngi shifted his palace from Surāngi to its current location in the city of Ichapuram and was succeeded to the throne by Raja Purna Chandra Deo Harishchandra Jagadev.
This kingdom was fully recognized by the British as an independent state, with its own sovereignty and ability to levy taxes, the extent of the territory being 212 Sq. Km comprising of 129 villages.

Pato Jema Manoja Manjari Devi with Sana Rani Jema Manjula Manjari Devi and Late Raja Hrudaya Chandra Deo

UNTIL 1947

Surviving from the the mists of time, the Sūrya Vamsa Surangi Samrajya emerged in the 20th century as one of the oldest dynasties after withstanding attack after attack. The Sūrya Vamsa Surangi Samrajya was among the independent Sanātana Hindu Sovereign Kingdoms.

1947

While these ancient Sanātana Hindu kingdoms were being pushed to the verge of extinction, in January 1947, the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru rejected their sovereignty. He threatened that independent India would not accept their sovereign immunity and rights of kings. Further, Nehru illegally declared any princely state refusing to join the Constituent Assembly would be treated as an enemy state.