Chedi dynasty
Also called: Mahameghavahana dynasty · Topic: Post-Mauryan India: Shungas to Kushanas · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 6 "The Age of Reorganisation"
Meaning
The Chedi dynasty, also called the Mahameghavahana dynasty, ruled Kalinga, which is present-day Odisha. It made Kalinga a strong power again after the Mauryas declined, around the 1st century BCE. Its most famous king was Kharavela. He followed the Jain faith, but he respected all other faiths too.
Example
Kharavela's Hathigumpha inscription at Udayagiri, near Bhubaneswar, is written in Brahmi script. It records his wars and his public works year by year. In it, he calls himself the "respector of every sect and repairer of every temple."
Don't confuse with
- Chedi of the Mahajanapadas: an older kingdom in central India in the 6th century BCE. The Kalinga Chedis ruled much later, in Odisha.