The Puranic king lists are one of the most important sources for reconstructing ancient Indian political chronology. F.E. Pargiter’s critical edition and analysis of these lists remains a foundational work.
Pargiter’s Work
F.E. Pargiter’s Purana Text of the Dynasties of Kali Age (1922) is a critical compilation of Puranic genealogies from the Mahabharata war to the Gupta period. Key features:
- Based on the Vayu, Matsya, Brahmanda, Vishnu, and Bhagavata Puranas
- Presents king lists with reign lengths for multiple dynasties
- Correlates overlapping dynasties (Magadha, Kosala, etc.)
- Links to Greek synchronisms for absolute dating
The Puranic Genealogies
Pre-Mahabharata
- Ikshvaku dynasty: The solar line of Rama
- Soma dynasty: The lunar line of the Pandavas and Kauravas
- These are given in the Puranas but are difficult to correlate with archaeological evidence
Post-Mahabharata (Kali Age)
Pargiter’s text covers:
- Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha: 32 kings, ~1000 years (traditionally)
- Pradyota dynasty: Short-lived (c. 5 kings)
- Shishunaga dynasty: Pre-Mauryan rulers
- Nanda dynasty: Mahapadma Nanda to Dhana Nanda
- Maurya dynasty: Chandragupta to Brihadratha
- Shunga and Kanva dynasties: Post-Mauryan
Key Chronological Markers
Sandrocottus
The identification of Sandrocottus (Greek sources) with Chandragupta Maurya is the critical synchronism linking Indian and Greek chronologies. This provides:
- Absolute date for Chandragupta Maurya: ~322 BCE
- Foundation for Mauryan chronology
- Back-calculation for earlier dynasties
The Shaka Era (78 CE)
The Shaka era is securely dated and used extensively in inscriptions. It provides a fixed point for:
- Shaka rulers in western India
- Scythian and Parthian dynasties
- Gupta and Vakataka inscriptions
The Hunas
Identification of the Huna invaders in Indian texts with the Hephthalites (White Huns) provides a 5th–6th century CE anchor for late Gupta chronology.
Rishi Chronologies
The Chronology of Rshis attempts to place the Vedic seers in a chronological framework based on:
- Genealogical connections between rishi families
- References across Vedic texts
- Association with historical events (Dasarajna, etc.)
Rajatarangini
Kalhana’s Rajatarangini (12th century CE) is a history of Kashmir that provides:
- Continuous king lists from epic times to the 12th century
- Useful cross-references to events in the Indian plains
- An indigenous model of historical writing
Methodological Issues
- Puranic reign lengths may be schematic rather than exact
- Different Puranas give conflicting lists
- The claimed ~1000 years for the Barhadrathas is rejected by most modern scholars
- Correlation with archaeological and inscriptional evidence is essential