Seals of an unknown Dynasty from Nalanda
By A. Ghosh
Summary
This short study examines two fragmentary seals excavated at Nālandā and reproduced in Hirananda Sastri’s Nalanda and Its Epigraphic Materials. The seals record a genealogy—Maharāja Lavkhana married to Vittavvadevi, an unnamed Mahārājadhirāja, Maharāja Jariva married to Melyādevi, another unnamed Mahārājadhirāja and the seal’s author—none of whom correspond to known dynasties. Because the names are unfamiliar, the author proposes that the dynasty was of non‑Aryan origin. He compares the seal names with numismatic evidence: Cunningham noted Hūṇa coins inscribed ‘Rāja Lakhaṇa Udayāditya’ similar to coins of Shāhī Javula, Deva Shāhī Khīṅgila and other Hūṇa rulers, and inferred that these kings ruled an extensive empire with Kashmir as a tributary. Another Hūṇa ruler, Shāhī Jara/Jari, is known from coin hoards. Palaeographic similarities suggest that the Nalanda names Lavkhana and Jariva may correspond to these Hūṇa kings. However, because the seals preserve only a few names and the genealogy differs from Kalhaṇa’s Rajatarangiṇī—where a ruler called Lakhana Narendrāditya appears—the identification remains conjectural. The author concludes that the seals likely belong to a minor dynasty influenced by Hūṇa culture and emphasises that further discoveries of seals or coins are needed to clarify their origins and connections.
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Conclusion
By analysing two fragmentary Nālandā seals and comparing their genealogies with Hūṇa coin legends, the author suggests that rulers named Lavkhana and Jariva may correspond to Hūṇa kings such as Lakhaṇa Udayāditya and Jari. The unfamiliar names and palaeography indicate a non‑Aryan dynasty, but the limited evidence and discrepancies with Kalhaṇa’s chronicle mean the identification is tentative. Further epigraphic finds are needed to establish the dynasty’s identity and its place in early medieval Indian history.