Written by: Pranjal Khatiwoda - 2022013, Grade X
Posted on: 10 January, 2021
The Shakya dynasty is part of the Hindu religion and is one of the many ruling Kshatriya dynasties of ancient times. There was a king called Okaka who ruled over the Saket of northern India. He married five queens at first, and from the eldest one, they got four princes and five princesses, king Okaka fell in love with a woman and brought her in as his sixth queen, the sixth one gave birth to a prince called Jantu and from being trapped in the youngest queen’s love and conspiracy, the king planned to transfer the throne to the youngest prince by sending other princes and princesses into exile. Both of them, the prince and princesses went to a jungle and they arrived at a hut of a sage called Kapil. The sage counseled them to set up a town and live there to continue their royal generation. The princes cleared the Saal/Shak trees to make the place fit to live in and they called the place “Kapilvastu''.
King Okaka sent his ministers to check on his children and they carried the information that they had started living in Kapilvastu. Two of the ministers preferred to live in that place and now to retain their identity and clan of the royal dynasty, the princes and princesses decided to give the eldest princess the status of the queen-mother, and the rest of the princesses married the princes for continuing the lineage of the dynasty. Mainly from Buddhist religious books and beliefs, it states that the formation of Kapilvastu is regarded to be the origin of the Shakya dynasty. They got their Shakya surname from “Saknu” in Nepali and eldest prince Okkakamukh became the king of Kapilvastu. That is how the Shakya dynasty originated and then the Shakyas started ruling over Kapilvastu before the birth and the enlightenment of Buddha.
Shakya dynasty is a very important part of history. The most important contributions are through Gautam Buddha. His principles are followed by people living in the Northern part of India as well as all around the world. Nepal is geographically connected with many other important regions and this dynasty and its people lift an overall influence over the whole country as well as its neighboring regions. Also, the Shakyas were great warriors. It is because of their brave deeds that have also made Nepal very famous.
