The rulers of which of the following dynasty have been called as 'Shriparvatiya' in Puranas ?

The answer is B) Ikshvakus. The Puranas refer to the Andhra Ikshvakus as 'Shriparvatiya', linking them to the Shriparvata region in the Krishna valley, around Srisailam. After the Satavahanas declined in the 3rd century CE, the Ikshvakus ruled from Vijayapuri (Nagarjunakonda), and their inscriptions there are the main source for them.

• Vakatakas were a Brahmin dynasty of Vindhyashakti based in central and Deccan India. The Puranas do not use the term Shriparvatiya for them.
• Shakas were foreign rulers, such as the Western Kshatrapas of western India. They are not linked to Shriparvata.
• Kharvelas were Chedi kings of Kalinga, known from the Hathigumpha inscription. Their sources are epigraphic and Jain, not Puranic.

Core concept: identifying dynasties from their regional base and source material. For Mains, the Ikshvakus show how post-Satavahana successor states in the Deccan combined Vedic ritual, such as Ashvamedha sacrifices, with Buddhist patronage.

Trap: candidates often pick Satavahanas or Vakatakas because they are the more familiar Deccan dynasties. Remember that the Puranic label Shriparvatiya is specific to the Ikshvakus.