Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c29.49

c29.49

Ikṣvāku, the eldest and chief son, obtained Madhyadeśa,² and was the progenitor of the Solar race or dynasty,³ with its capital at Ayodhyā. There are two versions of the development of his descendants. One found in six Puranas⁴ says—Ikṣvāku had a hundred sons,⁵ chief of whom were the eldest Vikukṣi, and Nimi and Daṇḍa (or Daṇḍaka): of those sons fifty, chief of whom was Śakuni, were kings in Uttarāpatha (N. India) and forty-eight others, chief of whom was Vaśāti, were rulers in Dakṣiṇāpatha (the Dekhan).⁶ Vikukṣi (also named Śaśāda) succeeded Ikṣvāku and reigned at Ayodhyā, and his successor was Kakutstha (p. 93). The other version is given by four Puranas⁷ and runs thus:—Ikṣvāku had a hundred sons of whom the eldest was Vikukṣi⁸ (and, as the Padma says, two others were Nimi and Daṇḍaka). Vikukṣi had fifteen sons who were kings north of Meru, and the 114 others⁹ were kings south of Meru. The eldest (of Vikukṣi's sons) was Kakutstha. The Bhāgavata (ix, 6, 4-5) gives a third version, but it is too late to be worthy of notice. The other Puranas give no such information.