| Khanchana I | |
|---|---|
| Raja of the Ganga Dynasty
| |
| |
| Raja of the Ganga Dynasty | |
| Reign | 644-679 |
| Coronation | 644 |
| Predecessor | Khadaga I |
| Successor | Palaka I |
| Born | 626 |
| Died | 679 Bhubaneswar |
| Full name | |
| Khanchana Ganga | |
| Dynasty | Ganga Dynasty |
| Father | Khadaga I |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Khanchana I , nicknamed the Glorious, was Raja of the Ganga Dynasty from 644 to 679. He was the first son of his father Khadaga, and eventually succeeded to him in 644.
He is famous for changing the classical neutrality politic of the Ganga Dynasty by allying himself with the Hephthalite Empire instead in an effort to weaken the Gupta Dynasty and to expand his own territory.
Historian remember his reign as a turning point in Ganga history, as he changed the politic of India by extending his influence with the help of his Hephthalite allies, which lead to the First Great War of India.
Biography[]
- Khanchana is born in 626, and is the first son of Khadaga I.
- In his youth, he was sent to be raised in the Hephthalite by Hindu nobles. During those years, he realized that the Ganga Dynasty could not remain neutral as things were going.
- He was present during his father's final hunt, which lead many to believe that he assassinated his own father to take the throne.
- He was crowned a month after his father's death, in 644, he married his first wife on the same occasion.
- In 645, fearing the Gupta Dynasty, he mobilized troops on the northern frontier in order to secure his realm.
- In 646, Khanchana I had his first son, which he named Khadaga in honor of his father. Saddly, the boy died of childbirth along with his mother. Khanchana was so devastated that he refused to remarried for 7 years, before he was finally forced by popular pressions. From this new marriage resulted Palaka.
- Khanchana always liked the Hepthalite Empire, and in order to protect his realm against the Gupta Dynasty, he chose to ally himself with the Hephthalite. First, he married his sister Bhogavati to their ruler, and was even present for the marriage. He would later accept a military alliance from them, which elp once again to make the two realms closer. Around 650 when, the Hephthalite Empire converted to Hinduism and Indian culture, Khanchana was the first one to praise them for their choice, reaffirming their friendship and alliance.
- From 850 to 860, Khanchana organised a massive expansion in unclaimed territories down south. Willing to expand his territory, he was even able to gain the island of Sri Lanka, which he turned into the personal domain of the Yuvraj, hoping it would help him to learn how to rule land, even if his heir was only seven years old at the time.
- The following years, he would recruits armies and ships for an eventual war against the Gupta Dynasty.
- In 666, the Gupta Dynasty made a preventive attack on the Ganga Dynasty, starting the First Great War of India.
- In 670, he lead troops from the capital to the front in order to help his brother Chandravarman, who was losing the war because of the massive army of Gupta.
- In 675, he felt ill and decided to return to Bhubaneswar in order to recover, leaving the command of the front to his son Palaka.
- Between 675 and 678, he ordered the recruitment of new troops to help on the front. Those were his last orders, as his illness would get worst, leaving the rule of the kingdom to his advisors because of his health.
- He died in 679 from illness. Because of the war, it would take some time for his son to learn his death.
Children[]
- Syamadevi (F): 645-674, died of illness
- Khadaga (M): 646-646, died stillborn
- Raja Palaka I of the Ganga Dynasty(M): 653-695
- Jagadevra (M): 656-
- Raja Chandrajara I (M): 657-
- Ramapala (M): 659-667, died of disease