Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur

The Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur, also known as the Khokhra chieftaincy, was an Indian dynasty which ruled the parts of Chota Nagpur plateau region (modern-day Jharkhand) during much of ancient, medieval and modern period. Phani Mukut Rai is considered the first king of dynasty claim to be son of Pundrika Naga, a mythical Naga. Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1931–2014) was last ruling king of the dynasty, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India. The origins of the Nagvanshis are unknown. The Nagvanshi claim descent from Nagas. According to Nagvanshavali (genealogy of Nagvanshi), the Nagvanshi dynasty originated with Pundarika Naga, the son of Takshaka. The son of Pundarika Naga, Phani Mukut Rai, founded the Nagvanshi dynasty. Phani Mukut Rai was born on return journey from Puri to Varanasi. The Pundarika Naga turned Cobra after revealing his identity and his wife Parvati committed Sati. Later the Sakaldwipiya Brahmin found the child and took the child to Madura Munda, the chief of Sutiambe village. Madura Munda and other Raja such as King of Surguja and Aditya king of Patkum elected Phani Mukut Rai as king due to his qualities. His empire was named Nagpur. However, the story of Phani Mukut Rai is mostly considered to be a myth and an invented story of Brahminacal origin of the dynasty. Many scholars put the date of establishment of Nagvanshi dynasty in the 4th century taking into account an average ruling period of 25 years for each king. According to a different source, the dynasty was founded in the 5th century as a successor state to the Gupta Empire. According to many historians the Nagvanshi dynasty was possibly established in 10th century. The lineage of Nagvanshi is Kashyap gotra. According to Bhagavata Purana, Sage Kashyapa and his wives generated various beings, including the Naga. Hence, Mlecchas, i.e. followers of non-vedic tradition were being bestowed by Kashyap gotra. Kashyap gotra is also used for vedic ritual performances for those who have forgotten their gotra.