In Hindu texts, the Puru and Yadu Dynasties are the descendants of legendary King Pururavas who was a famous Hindu ruler in the Treta Yuga. Pururavas was the son of Ila and Budha. Some of the dynasties' important members were Yayati, Yadu, King Puru, Turvasu, Druhyu and Anu. According to Hindu mythology, Yayāti was one of the ancestors of Pandavas and the Yaduvamsha.
See main article: Lunar Dynasty.
King Pururavas was a ruler of Treta Yuga. According to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Pururavas was the son of Ila and Budha. Some important members were Yayati, Yadu, Puru, Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu. According to the Mahabharata, the Pandavas and the Kauravas were from the lineage of
Puru. Kartavirya Arjuna, Krishna and Balarama were from the lineage og Yadu. Turvasu's descendants are named to be the Mlecchas of Balochistan and Dravidas of South India. Druhyu's descendants included the Gandharas and Shakuni. Anu's descendants included e
The Lunar Dynasty started in the Treta Yuga.
Yayati had two wives and five sons. Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu, Anu, and Puru were the five sons of Yayati. Devayani and Sharmishtha were the two wives of Yayati.
Budha=Budha
illegitimate son of Chandra
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legitimate son of Chandra
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See main article: King Puru. The Puru Dynasty Kings such as King Puru and Janamejaya were once defeated by Ravana of Lanka.
See main article: Emperor Bharata. Bharata (Mahabharata) conquered the whole world from Kashmir (pole) to Kumari (coast) and established the great Lunar dynasty and by the glory, zenith and name of this king, India was called as Bharatavarsha or Bharatakhanda or Bharatadesha or Bharata. He was named so because he had the blessings of Goddess Saraswati and Lord Hayagriva. India developed Vedic studies (Sanatana Dharma) in the Vedic Period.
Once in Treta Yuga, there lived a sage called Chuli. He was named so because he worships the lord Shiva always with a Shulam (Trident). Apsara Somada who was the daughter of Apsaras Urmila came to him. Then Sage asked what she wanted. Somada asked him to marry her and to give a brave and a valiant son. Soon they were married and in short time a son was born to them. He was Brahmadatta I who married 100 daughters of Kushanabha who was the grandfather of Sage Vishwamitra and this king formed his kingdom's capital named Kampilya long before the 5 Panchala brothers. But his dynasty's reign were very short.
After his descendants' reign, it came under the control of the Paurava, Ajamida II, who was a descendant of Puru.
See main article: Panchala Kingdom (Mahabharata). Ajamida II had a son named Rishin (a saintly king). Rishin had 2 sons namely Samvarana II whose son was Kuru and Brihadvasu whose descendants were Panchalas.
See main article: Kuru Kingdom. Kuru II, a king of Puru dynasty after whom the dynasty was named 'Kuruvansha' or 'Kaurava'. After his name, the district in Haryana was called as Kurukshetra. This battlefield before the birth of Bhishma, Shantanu and Pratipa was the Yagnabhumi (sacred place or sacrificial place or capital city of Kuru Kingdom) of this King in Dvapara Yuga. By the glory, zenith and name of this king the dynasty was hence the Kuru Dynasty and the kingdom was renamed from Paurava Kingdom to Kuru Kingdom. After these Kings several kings of this dynasty established several kingdoms. He had three sons, namely Vidhuratha I who became the ruler of Pratisthana, Vyushitaswa who died at a very young age, and Sudhanva, who became the ruler of Magadha. Henceforth, Vidhuratha became the king of Hastinapura.
See main article: Magadha.
Sudhanva, son of Kuru II, became the king of Magadha.
See main article: Brihadratha dynasty.
Brihadratha, king of Magadha, started the Brihadratha dynasty.
Once Yadu dynasty King Yayati was suffering from a curse, he requested his five sons to help relieve him from that curse. All the four sons disagreed to help except the youngest. Yayati cursed his eldest son Yadu that his descendants are not worth to be a royal one. Yadu apologized for the mistake he committed. Yayati gave him a boon that Lord Narayana himself will born in his dynasty. The descendants of Yadu were Sahasrabahu Kartavirya Arjuna, Krishna etc.
See main article: Heheya Kingdom.
Sahasrajit was the eldest son of Yadu whose descendant were Haihayas. After Kartavirya Arjuna, his grandsons Talajangha and his son, Vitihotra had occupied Ayodhya which was ruled by Rama's ancestor Sagara's father Bahuka who was also known as Asita. Talajangha, his son Vitihotra were killed by King Sagara. Their descendants (Madhu and Vrshni) exiled to Kroshtas, a division of Yadava Dynasty.
Yadu had a son named Kroshta whose descendant was Krishna. Once, Satvata and his son Bhima caught hold of Lord Rama's Ashwamedha sacrifice horse and then they were defeated by Hanuman and Shatrughna and the Yadava Kingdom was given to Ikshvaku Dynasty. Rama then gave the kingdom to Shatrughna's son Subahu before his journey to Vaikunta. Then, finally Andhaka (Son of Bhima) recovered his paternal kingdom from Subahu after the journey to Vaikunta of Rama.
See main article: Vrishni.
Vrishni I was a great Yadava king. His descendants were the Vrishni Yadavas, Chedi Yadavas and Kukura Yadavas. His son was Antara.
Yogmaya was daughter of Nanda Baba.
See main article: Chedi Kingdom.
Yadu's descendant Vidarbha, who was the founder of the Vidarbha Kingdom, has three sons: Kusha, Kratha and Romapada. Kusha was the founder of Dwaraka. Romapada was given central India Madhya Pradesh. King Romapada's descendants were the Chedis. During the reign of Lord Rama, Tamana and his father Subahu II fought against Rama while doing Ashvamedha sacrifice and were defeated by Lord Hanuman. Later, Uparichara Vasu conquered Chedi.
Vishwagarbha, a descendant of Vrishni had a son named Vasu. Vasu had two sons, Kriti and Kukura. Kriti's descendants were Shurasena, Vasudeva, Kunti, etc. Kukura's descendants were Ugrasena, Kamsa and Devaki, adopted daughter of Ugrasena. After Devaka, his younger brother Ugrasena reigned at Mathura.