Shravasta

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Shravasta

Shravasta belongs to the early Ikshvaku line after Kakutstha. The Yuvanashva named as his father is several generations earlier than the Yuvanashva who gives birth to Mandhata. The repeated royal name does not make those fathers the same person.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

Identity: King
Form: Ikshvaku Dynasty
Tradition: Puranic Solar Genealogy

Family & Relationships

ParentYuvanashva
Yuvanashva is named as the parent of Shravasta in this succession.
ChildBrihadashva
Shravasta is named as the parent of Brihadashva in this succession.

IN THE TRADITION

Recorded Context

The Founder of Shravasti

The genealogy singles out Shravasta from several surrounding ancestors by associating him with a city. It credits him with the foundation of Shravasti, giving the place a royal origin connected to his name. This is the specific act attached to him in the passage; the account does not expand it into a detailed history of the city’s construction.

His father is Yuvanashva, whose own father is Ardra. Shravasta’s son Brihadashva continues the line, and Brihadashva’s son Kuvalayashva becomes the king known for destroying Dhundhu. The founder therefore stands immediately before the family’s next extended heroic episode, without being the combatant in it.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

Shravasta connects the royal genealogy to sacred and urban geography. His profile is useful for understanding why Shravasti’s name appears within the Ikshvaku succession, rather than treating every early ancestor simply as an interchangeable name.

Role

Shravasta is the solar-dynasty king credited with founding Shravasti. In the Vishnu Purana’s succession, he is the son of an earlier Yuvanashva and the father of Brihadashva.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

The foundation is presented as a Puranic origin tradition. It does not provide a modern archaeological date or identify the reign with a securely dated historical king.