About
Chanchu — Son of Harita, King of Ayodhya, Solar Dynasty
Chanchu · Cañcu · Chanchubhupa · Chancha · Sanchu · Harita-putra · Vijaya-pita · Ikshvaku-vamsha-nripa
Chanchu — also written Chanchubhupa (Chanchu the king), Chancha, and Sanchu in different manuscript traditions — is the son of Harita (son of Rohitashva) and the father of Vijaya; a king of the Ikshvaku Solar Dynasty of Ayodhya. He is confirmed in the Garuda Purana (Chapter 138), the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana, and the Bhavishya Purana. Some expanded Puranic lists insert an additional king Sudeva (or Chakshu) between Chanchu and Vijaya — the Wikipedia Solar Dynasty article notes this variant as Chakshu or Sudeva; the Booksfact source gives his name as Champ or Chunchu and places him as contemporary of Emperor Bharata of the Chandravamsha. No primary canonical source records any personal episode of his life beyond his genealogical position. His name in the Bhavishya Purana is Chanchubhupa — the compound of Chanchu and bhupa (king), meaning literally Chanchu-king — suggesting that the personal name was Chanchu and bhupa is the designation.
✦ The Name
The Sanskrit name Chanchu — written Cañcu — derives from chanchu meaning a beak, a bill, a pointed tip; or in another derivation from the root cañc meaning to move or to shine. As a royal name its primary meaning is the pointed-one or the sharp-tipped one — a name of precision and force.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Harita — son of Rohitashva
- Son: Sudeva
- Position in Solar Dynasty: Rohitashva → Harita → Chanchu → Sudeva → Vijaya → Ruruka/Bharuka → Vrika → Bahu → Sagara
✦ References
- Garuda Purana (Chapter 138); Bhagavata Purana (Canto 9, Chapter 7); Vishnu Purana (Book 4, Chapter 3); Bhavishya Purana (Pratisarga Parva)
- Wikipedia — Solar Dynasty; Booksfact.com — Lord Rama Lineage; Wisdomlib — Garuda Purana Chapter 138