Satavahana Dynasty

mapofsatavahanaempire
Satavahanaempirewasavastkingdomofthecentralindia
duringtheancienttimesbasedatKotilingala,Telanganawith
otherprominentcentersatjunnarandprasthistana,Maharasthra.
TimePeriodEmpirebeganaround230BCandlastedtill
around220AD,with400yearsofcoontinousrule.
Etymology:Actuallywordcouldbesadvahan.Satvahanis
corruptSanskritformoftheoriginalPrakrutword.Sadvahan
meansahorseriderinprakrutlanguage.
Languages:Prakrit,Sankrit,Locallanguages.
Capitals:Prtisthanapura(MH),Kotilingala(Telangana).
Founder:Simuka(230207BC)
TerritorialExpanseEmpireofthesatavahanasextentedfrom
thewestcoasttoeastcoastcoveringthemodernday
Maharasthra,Telangana,noethernKarnataka,deltaicregionsof

AndhrapradeshandpartsofGujratandMadhyaPradesh
SourcesofSatavahanahistory:
1.

MythologyPuranasreferthemasandhrabhrutyas.

2.

ItisbelievedthatsatavahanasbelongtoOundhraclan.The
firstmentionofOundraalongwithPundra,Mutib,Pulind,
Shabaretc.asrulersofsouthernpartofVindhyaMountain
appearsinAitareyaBrahmana

3.

Inscriptions:likeHathigumpa,amaravatichaityaetc

4.

NumismaticsTheSatavahanasarethefirstnativeIndian
rulerstoissuetheirowncoinswithportraitsoftheirrulers,
startingwithkingGautamiputraSatakarni.Satavahana
coinsgiveuniqueindicationsastotheirchronology,
language,andevenfacialfeatures.

Origin:

TheAitareyaBrahmanaspeaksofthemasthedegenerate
sonsofVisvamitra.

PlinytheElderreferstotheAndhrasasapowerfulrace
whichsuppliedthekingwithanarmyof1,00,000infantry,
2,000cavalryand1,000elephants.

ItisbelievedthattheRoyalfamilyoriginatedintheupper
partsofnorthwesttelanaganaandextendeditscontrolto
theeastcoast,finallygivingitsname,Andhra,tothis
region.SincetheearliestinscriptionsoftheSatavahanas
arefoundintheWesternDeccan,thisviewmaybecorrect.

ProminentKings
1.

Simukha(230207BC).

2.

Satakarni(180124BC)

3.

Hala(2024AD)

4.

Gautamiputrasatakarni(78AD102AD)

HistoryofSatavahanascanbedividedintotwophasesviz.
1.

EarlySatavahanas.

2.

LaterSatavahanas.

SatavahanaswerethevassalkingsundertheMauryandynasty.
WiththedeathofAshokain232BC,manyfeudatoriesdeclared
theirindependence.Mostprominentandpowerfulamongthem
wereSatavahanadynasty.
EarlySatavahanas:
ThefounderoftheSatavahanadynastywasSimuka.Heandhis
successorsestablishedtheirauthorityfromthemouthofthe
KrishnatotheentireDeccanplateau.AccordingtothePuranas,
theSatavahanakingkilledthelastKanvarulerofMagadhaand
presumablytookpossessionofhiskingdom.
TheearliestoftheSatavahanakingstoreceivewiderecognition
wasSatakarniI,andthiswasduetohispolicyofmilitary
expansioninalldirections.HeistheLordofthewestwho
defiedKharavelaofKalingaandagainstwhomthelatter
campaigned.HisconqueststookhimnorthoftheNarmadainto
easternMalva,whichatthetimewasbeingthreatenedbythe

ShakasandtheGreeks.
SatakarniIgainedcontroloftheregionofSanchi,andan
inscriptiontherereferstohimasRajanShriSatakarni.Hisnext
movewasinthesoutherlydirectionandonconqueringthe
GodavarivalleyhefeltentitledtocallhimselfLordofthe
SouthernRegions(Dakshinapathapati).
ThedescriptionofSatakarniIas(Dakshinapathapati)inthe
NanaghatinscriptionofNayanikaprovesthattheSatavahana
dominionwasnotconfinedtowesternDeccanalone,but
includedotherareasoftheDeccanandbeyondSatakarniI
performedtwoAsvamedhasacrificesandoneRajasuya
sacrifice.
LaterSatavahanas:
AfterthereignofSatakarniI,theSatavahanasweredrivenout
ofthewesternDeccanbytheShakasoftheKshaharataclan.
CoinsandinscriptionsoftheShakaChiefNahapanahavebeen
foundaroundNasik,indicatingtheShakadominanceinthearea
towardsthecloseofthefirstcenturyA.D.orthebeginningof
thesecond.
ButitmusthavebeensoonafterthisthattheSatavahanas
regainedtheirwesternpossessions,forthecoinsofNahapana
areoftenfoundoverstruckbythenameGautamiputra
Satakarni,thekingwhowasresponsibleforreestablishing
SatavahanapowerinthisregionbydrivingouttheShakas.
GautamiputraSatakarni(A.D.106130)issaidtohave
destroyedthepoweroftheShakasandtheprideofthe
Khastriyas,promotedtheinterestsofthetwicebornandstopped
themixingofthefourvarnas.Hisachievementsarerecordedin
glowingtermsintheNasikprasastibyhismotherGautami

Balasri.
HeruledoverawideareaextendingfromtheKrishnainthe
southtoMalwaandSaurashtrainthenorthandfromBerarin
theeasttotheKonkaninthewest.TotheBuddhistshemade
munificentdonations.HispatronagetoBrahmanismisrevealed
bytheepithetEkabrahmana.
SatavahanaAdministration:
1.

Administrationismodelledonthelinesofamuaryans,also
usedkautilyasarthshastraandmanusmritiextensively
inadministration.

2.

TheSatavahanacoins,inscriptionsandliteraturearethe
richsourceofourknowledgeabouttheiradministrative
system.InthisperiodtheSouthwasruledoverbythe
monarchies.Kingwasthehighestofficialofthe
Governmentandhisofficewashereditary.

3.

Theydidnotassumehighsoundingtitles.Similarly,the
Satavahanarulersdidnotbelieveindivinerightsofaking
andtheycarriedadministrationinaccordancewiththe
directivesoftheDharmaShastrasandthesocialcustoms.
Thekinghimselfledhisarmiesinthebattlefieldandwas
commanderinchiefofhisforces.

4.

Therewasalsoacouncilofministerstoaidandadvisehim
forcarryingouttheadministrationproperly.Thekingwas
theheadoftheGovernmentaswellastheprotectortohis
people.TheSatavahanakingsregardedtheirsubjectsas
theirownchildrenandalwayslookedaftertheirwelfare.

5.

TheSatavahanaEmpirewasveryvast.Theiradministrative
systemwasfeudal.Theyhaddividedtheirempireamonga
numberoffeudalchiefswhomanagedthelandrevenue
systemandlookedaftertheadministration.

6.

TherewerethreegradesoffeudatoriestheRaja,the
MahabhojaandtheMaharathiorSenapati.TheRaja
belongedtothehighestgrade.Hehadtherighttoimpose
taxesandtostrikecoins.Thekingdomwasdividedinto
provincesandJanapadasforadministrativeefficiency.

7.

ThehighestofficialinaprovincewasAmatyaor
minister.Hisofficewasnothereditary.Menofproven
abilitywereappointedtothisofficial.Eachunithadseveral
villages.AvillagewasadministeredbyaGramika.There
weseveralofficialstohelptheking.Outofthem,themost
importantwereSenapati,Mahabhoja,Koshadhyaksha,
Rajadoof,Amatyaetc.

8.

TherewasalsoaspecialofficialcalledUparakshitawho
waschargedwiththedutyofbuildingcavesetc.forthe
monks.Thebhikshus(monks)andBrahmanaswereheld
inhighesteemandtheytooobservedandpreachedhigh
standardsofconduct.Theywerebeyondtheordinarylaws
oftheGovernment.

9.

Inthisperiod,thelocaladministrationhaditsown
importance.Therewereseparateorganizationtolookafter
theadministrationofthetownsandthevillages.Thetowns
wereadministeredbyabodycalledtheNagarsabhawhile
invillagestherewereGramSabhas.Theseorganizations

carriedtheirfunctionsindependentlywithoutany
interference.
10. ThemilitaryadministrationoftheSatavahanaswasalso

quiteefficient.Theirarmyconsistedoffootsoldiers,
cavalryandelephants.Footsoldiersorinfantrywasthe
backboneofthearmyandtheyformedthevanguardand
wereflankedoneithersidebyhorsesandelephants.The
soldiersusedswords,spears,axesandarmoursasweapons
ofwar.
11. Itwasbydintofefficientmilitaryadministrationthatthe

Satavahanassucceededinexpandingtheirempires.They
keptaregimentpostedineachvillageformaintaining
peaceandorder.Theyweremaintainedattheexpenseof
theruralinhabitants.
SALIENTFEATURESOFPOLITY:
1.

Absenceofcentralisationofadministrationduetopresence
ofpowerfulmaharathisandmahabhojas.

2.

Theywerethefirsttostartissuinglandgrantstothe
Buddhists,monks,sanghas,brahmanas.

3.

PolityisdominatedbytheelementofMilitarism.This
madethefeudallordsvirtuallyindependent.

4.

Viswasamatyaactedasprimeminster,whowasconsulted
bykingsonallmatters.Kingiasassistedbyacouncilof
ministerscalledrajapramukhs.

5.

Kingsundertookroyaltourstokeepintouchwiththe
publicopinionandimproveadminstrativeefficiency.

6.

TAXATIONcollected1/6thoftehproduceastaxcalled
bhagaanddeyameya.Butstatesmainsourceofincome
waslandrevenue.

7.

SocietyduringSatavahanaPeriod:
Thecoins,sculptureandliteratureoftheSatavahanaperiodare
thesourceofourknowledgenotonlyinrespectofthe
contemporaryadministrationbutalsoaboutthepolitical,social,
economicandreligiousandculturalconditions.
SocialCondition:

TheSatavahanasocietywasdividedintofourclasses.This
divisionwasbasedoneconomicactivityandstatus.The
firstclassconsistedofhighofficialsandfeudatorychief
whoruledoverprovincesanddistricts.Thesecondclass
includedpettyofficerslikeAmatyasMahamatrasand
wealthytraders.Inthethirdclasswerethemiddleclass
peoplessuchasVaidyasorphysicians,writers,peasants,
goldsmiths,perfumersetc.

Thevarnasystembecamerigid,Gautamiputrasatakarni
calledhimselfasdwijakulavardhana,ekabrahmin.

Thefourthandthelastclasswereconstitutedofthelowest
vocationssuchascarpenters,blacksmiths,fishermenand
gardeners.Therewerethefourdivisionsofthesociety.

Thesmallestunitwasthefamilyinwhichtheeldestliving
membercommandedthegreatestrespect.Hewascalledthe
Grihapatiandwasobeyedbyalltheothermembersofthe
family.

Womenwerehonoured.Theyweregivenhighereducation
andtheytookpartinreligiousfunctions.Someoftherulers
evenaddedtheirmothersnametotheirownname,suchas
Gautamiputra,Vashishthiputra,Pulumavi,Kaushakiputra
etc.

AccordingtoGathasapsati,societywaspatriarchaland
jointfamilysystemisfollowed.

Thispracticeitselfrevealsthatthestatusofwomenwas
muchhigh.Sometimes,womenassumedguardianshipof
theirminorsonsandactedastheirregents.Theyalsotook
partintheAshvamedhas.TheSatavahanaswere
Brahmanas.

Therefore,Brahmansnismmaderapidstridesundertheir
rule.TheBrahmanaswereaccordedthehighestplace.
EffortwasalsomadetorevicetheVarnasystem.Intheir
bidtoexaltBrahmanismtheSmritisdeclaredthataten
yearsoldBrahmanwouldbemorereveredthana100years
oldKshatriya.

Mixedmarriageswereconsideredobnoxiousthoughthere
aresomeinstancesofsuchmarriages.Vashishthiputra
PulumavihimselfmarriedthedaughteroftheSakaruler
Rudradamanthusgivingrespectabilitytosuchmarriages.

Inthisperiod,intermarriagesamongtheHindusand
foreigntribesoftheSakas,theparthiansandtheGreeks
werefreelyconsummatedsothattheseforeignerswere
absorbedforeverintheHindusocialorder.

EconomicCondition:
1.

Agricultureandtradewereprosperous.Lifeofthecommon
manwashappyashewaswellprovidedwithallfacilities
oflife.Theywereeconomicallywelloff.

2.

Theyinheritedmanytraitsofthematerialcultureofthe
Mauryasandmadetheirlifebetterandwelloff.Therewas
afreefusionoflocalelementsandnortherningredients
underthem.

3.

Theylearnttheuseofcoins,burntbricksandringwells
fromtheMauryasandaddedmuchtotheadvancementof
theirmateriallife.UndertheSatavahanas,agriculturewas
prosperousandthevillageseconomywasdeveloped.

4.

RicewascultivatedintheterritorybetweentheKrishna
andGodavaririvers.Cottonwasalsoproduced.The
peasantsusedimplementsmadeofironwhichwere
extensivelyusedparticularlyinCarnatic.Therewerealso
wellsforirrigation.

5.

Encouragementwasgiventotradeandindustry.The
tradersandthoseengagedinotherprofessionshadtheir
ownguildsorsanghas/srenis.Coindealers,potters,oil
pressersandmetalworkershadtheirownguilds.

6.

Theseguildslookedafterthecollectiveinterestsoftheir
tradeandworkedfortheircommonuplift.Theseguilds
wererecognizedbytheGovernmentandworkedasbankers
also.

7.

Bothinternalandexternaltotradeandindustry.The
externalorforeigntradewascarriedthroughthefamous
portsofSupara,BroachandKalyan.

8.

IndiaandtraderelationswithcountrieslikeArabia,Egypt
andRome.Inthefareasterncountries,Indiantraders
establishedtheirownsettlementsandpreachIndianculture.

9.

TheyreferredtothesecountriesasSwargabhoomior
paradise.Indiaexportedcotton,textiles,spicesetc.India
importedwine,glassanditemsofluxury.Theinlandtrade
wasalsoprosperous.

10. TravelbetweenthenorthandsouthofIndiaweremuch

easyastheroadsandtransportwerebetter.
11. SeveraltownssprangupinMaharashtraduringthisperiod.

Paithan,NasikandJunarwerebigmarketsandcentersof
trade.InthesoutheastVijaypurandNarselawerewell
knowntradecenters.
12. Therewereguildsoftradersaswellandtheycarriedtrade

ingroups.Toencouragetrade,theSatavahnakingsstruck
numerouscoinsofgold,silver,copperandbronze.
ReligiousCondition:

DuringtheSatavahanaperiod,bothHinduismand
Buddhismspreadrapidly.TheSatavahanarulerswerethe
followersofBrahmanism.TheyperformedAswamedha
YajnasandgavedonationstoBrahmanas.Indra,Surya
(TheSunGod),Chandra,(theMoonGod),Vasudeva,
Krishna,PasupatiandGaurietc.werevariousGodsand
Goddessesworshippedbythepeople.

ShaivismandVaishnavismweremostpopularformof
Hinduism.Beautifultempleswerebuilt.TheBrahmans
occupiedthehighestpositioninthesociety.

Caveinscription

TheSatavahanakingswereBrahmanasbuttheyshowed
tolerancetowardsotherfaithssuchastoBuddhismaswell.

TheygavesimilardonationstoBuddhismastheydidfor
theHinduism.Consequently,Buddhismtoospreadinthis
period.Atmanyplaces,theBuddhistcaves,chaityasand
stupaswerebuilt.

AlmostallthecavesinthesouthbelongedtotheBuddhists.
Sometimes,grantsoflandweremadeforthemaintenance
ofthesechaityas,viharasandstupasaswellasforthe
monksorbhikshus.Inthisperiod,therewereseveralsects

ofBuddhisminthesouthandvariousclassesofmonks
werealwaysbusytopreachtheBuddhistdoctrines.

Onesignificantdevelopmentofthisperiodwasthe
admissionoftheforeignracesoftheSakas,Greeks,
KushansandAbhirastothefoldsofHinduismor
Buddhism.TheybecameanintegralpartoftheIndian
society.Theywerequitetolerantandexchangedgiftson
religiousfestivalsandotheroccasions.

Literature:
TheSatavahanarulerswereloversofliterature.Undertheir
patronage,greatprogresswasmadeinthefieldofliterature.
MostoftheSatavahanarulerswerethemselveslearnedandhad
specialinterestinliterature.Inthisperiod,thePrakritlanguage
andliteraturedevelopedsignificantly.
TheyextendedpatronagetothePrakritlanguageandwrotemost
oftheirinscriptionsinthatlanguage.TheSatvahanaKingHala
wasapoetofhighorder.HecomposedGathaSaptasatiin
Prakrti.
Ithas700shloakas.Healsopatronizedseveralscholarswho
livedinhiscourt.Gunadhya,thegreatscholarwhowrote
BrihatKathalivedinhiscourt.AnotherscholarSarvaVarman
wroteatreatiseontheSanskritGrammar.
Architecture:

amaravatistupa
MostoftherockcavesintheDeccanwerecutduringthis
period.Thesecaveswerebigandbeautiful.Thecaves,
monasteries,chaityasandstupasofOrissa,Nasik,Karleand
Bhujarefinespecimenofcontemporaryarchitectureand
decoration.
Chaityawasalargehallwithanumberofcolumns.TheVihara
hadacentralHall.Onecouldenterthishallbyadoorwayfroma
varandahinfront.TheChaityaofKarlewasmostfamous.Itis
40metreslong,15metreswideand15metreshigh.Ithasrows
of15columnsoneachside.

Eachofthesecolumnsisbuiltonastairlikesquareplinth.
Eachpillarhasacapitalfigureofanelephant,ahorseora
rideronthetop.Therooftopsarealsodecoratedwith
elegantcarvings.Theviharasweremeantasplacesof
residenceforthemonks.AtNasik,therearethreeviharas
carryingtheinscriptionsofGautmiputraandNahapana.

Themostfamousofthesemonumentsarethestupas.
AmongthemtheAmravatiStupaandtheNagarjunakonda
Stupaaremostfamous.Thestupawasalargeround
structurebuiltoversomerelicoftheBuddha.

TheAmravatiStupameasures162metresacrossthebase
anditsheightis100feet.Boththesestupasarefullof
sculptures.TheNagarjunakondatowncontainsnotonlythe
BuddhistmonumentsbutalsosomeancientHindubrick
temples.

Manysculpturesweremadeduringthisperiod.Mostofthe
sculpturesofthisperioddepictscenesfromthelifeofthe
Buddha.AtAmravati,thereisabeautifulsceneshowing
Buddhasfeetbeingworshipped.Thescene,showing
BuddhapreachingatNagarjunakonda,ispervadedwith
serenityandcalm.

AchievementsoftheSatavahanaRulers:
TheSatavahanarulersweregreatkings.Theyrecorded
significantachievementsinvariousfieldswhicharedescribedas
under:
1.TheSatavahanaRulersandtheirConquests:
Therewereabout19Satavahanarulersofwhomthemost
importantwereSimukawhoconqueredMagadhaandKrishna
whooccupiedNasik.SriSatakarniconqueredBerarandMadhya
Pradesh.Littleisknownabouttheirsuccessorsforabouta
centuryexceptHalathe17thrulerofthisdynasty.
ShriGautamiputraSatakarniconqueredMalwa,Kathiawar,
GujaratandpartoftheRajputana.ShriPulumavihadperpetual
conflictwithRudradaman.ThelastkingwasYagyaSri
Satakarniwhowasastrongruler.Hewagedwarstorecoverthe
territoriesconqueredpreviouslybytheSakarulers.
2.PoliticalConditionandAdministration:
Thesystemofadministrationwasmonarchical.Theking

himselfwasthecommanderofhisforce.Hesoughtadvicefrom
hiscouncilofministerstocarryouthisadministration
efficiently.Theadministrationwasfeudal.Thewholekingdom
wasdividedintoprovinces,districtsandvillages.
Thekingwasalwayspreparedtotakestepsforthewelfareofhis
subjects.Themainsourcesofincomewerelandtax,salttax,
propertytax,justicecessandincomefromimportandexport
trade.Themilitaryadministrationwasefficient.Thearmywhich
consistedofinfantryorfootsoldiers,cavalryorhorsesand
elephantswerewellequipped.
3.LiteraryProgress:
TheSatavahanakingswereloversofliterature.Theyalso
patronizedlearning.ThePrakritlanguageprosperedwellduring
thisperiod.HalawroteGathaSaptasati,Gunadhyawrote
BrihatKathaandSarvaVarmanwroteatreatiseonthe
SanskritGrammar.
4.ProgressintheFieldofArchitecture:
UndertheSatavahanasgreatprogresswasmadeinthefieldof
architectureaswell.
5.ProgressintheFieldofSculpture:

Manystatuesandimageswerealsomadeduringthis
period.Mostoftheimagesdepictscenesfromthelifeof
theBuddha.

Buddhaidol

ThescenedepictingBuddhasfeetbeingworshippedis
particularlyauniquesculptureattheAmravatiStupawhile
atNagarjunakondathesculpture,depictingtheBuddha
givingasermon,castaspellofserenityandcalm.

6.Coinage:

TheSatavahanasarethefirstnativeIndianrulerstoissue
theirowncoinswithportraitsoftheirrulers,startingwith
kingGautamiputraSatakarni,apracticederivedfromthat
oftheWesternSatrapshedefeated,itselforiginatingwith

theIndoGreekkingstothenorthwest.

Satavahanacoinsgiveuniqueindicationsastotheir
chronology,language,andevenfacialfeatures(curlyhair,
longearsandstronglips).Theyissuedmainlyleadand
coppercoins;theirportraitstylesilvercoinswereusually
struckovercoinsoftheWesternKshatrapakings.

ThecoinlegendsoftheSatavahanas,inallareasandall
periods,usedaPrakritdialectwithoutexception.Some
reversecoinlegendsareinKannada&Telugulanguage,
[22]whichseemstohavebeeninuseintheirheartland
abuttingtheGodavari,Kotilingala,Karimnagarin
Telangana,Krishna,Amaravati,GunturinAndhraPradesh.

Theircoinsalsodisplayvarioustraditionalsymbols,such
aselephants,lions,horsesandchaityas(stupas),aswellas
theUjjainsymbol,acrosswithfourcirclesattheend.
ThelegendaryUjjayiniEmperorVikramditiyaonwhose
nametheVikramSamvatisinitiatedmightbeSatakarniII

aSatavahanaemperorastheUjjayinisymbolalsoappeared
ontheSatavahanacoins.
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Labels: Telangana History

Telangana History

Telanganahistorycanbedividedintothreepartsforacademic
purposesviz.
1.

AncientHistoryextentstill10thcenturyA.D

2.

MedievalHistorycommencedwiththekakatiyadynasty
andspanstill1857revolt.

3.

Modernhistoryextentstilltheformationoftelnganain
2014.

AncientTelanganaHistory:
TelanganawaspartoftheMughalempireuntiltheriseof
satavahanasin230BC.
1.TheSatavahanasandtheircontributionsocialstructure
religiousconditionsgrowthofliteratureandpainting
IkshvakusandtheirculturalcontributionGrowthofBuddhism
.GrowthofTelugulanguage&Literatureeducationand
learningReligiousSectsgrowthofartandarchitecture,
Tradeandcommerce.
2.Vakatakaempiresocialstructure,adminstration,cultural
achievements,literature,sociallife,education,religion,artand
architecture,Tradeandcommerce.

3.Chalukyandynastybadami,socialstructure,adminstration,
culturalachievements,literature,sociallife,education,artand
architecture,Tradeandcommerce.
4.RashtrakutasbasedatManyakheta,socialstructure,
adminstration,culturalachievements,literature,sociallife,
education,religion,artandarchitecture,Tradeandcommerce.
5.RoleoftheBhaktimovements,budhism,jainism,their
contributionstothesaocietallife,literature,artforms,schoolsof
architecture,developmentofliterature,contributionsfrom
differentareas.
Medievaltelanaganahistory
1.Kakatiyadynastysocialstructure,adminstration,cultural
achievements,literature,sociallife,education,religion,artand
architecture.
2.Vijayanagarempireliterature,telugulanguage,social
structure,adminstration,culturalachievements,sociallife,
education,religion,artandarchitecture,Tradeandcommerce.
3.BahmanisultanateGulbarga,literatureurdu,persian,
telugulanguage,socialstructure,adminstration,cultural
achievements,sociallife,education,religion,artandIndo
Islamicarchitecture,Tradeandcommerce,Monuments,Fine
arts.
4.QutubShahiDynastyGolconda,Hyderabad,
tombs,literatureurdu,persian,telugulanguage,social
structure,adminstration,culturalachievements,sociallife,
education,religion,artandIndoIslamicarchitecture,Tradeand
commerce,Monuments,Finearts.
5.AsafjahiDynastysocioculturalawakeninginTelangana

AdiHinduMovement
ModernTelanganaHistory
Medievaltelanaganahistorycanbetakentobeendedwiththe
sepoymutinyof1857.Withthis,princelystates(largestbeing
theHyderabadstate)weretakenundertheCrownsparamountcy
withconsiderableontheadministration,socialcontacts,
nationalism,education,economicdevelopmentbytheBritish
India.
1.AsifJahikingspost1857,socioeconomicconditioninthe
hyderabadstate,NizamRashtraJanasanghamTheroleof
HyderabadStateCongressandVandemataramMovement.
2.Peasantupsurgeandcommunistparty,TelanganaPeoples
ArmedStruggleIttehadulMuslimeenRazakarsantiNizam
StrugglesandendofNizamsRule,andintegrationof
HyderabadStateinIndianUnion
3.Telanganamovementroleofwomen,withdrawalof
telanaganaarmedpartisanresistance,NonMulkiagitation,
FormationofAndhraPradesh,Gentlemanagreement,
Telanganaagitation,1969andeventsleadingtotheformation
ofTelangana,2014.
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Labels: Telangana History

Origins of Telugu Script

Note:Inthefollowingwriteup,two(ormore)different
spellingshavebeenusedforcertainkeywords.Theword
innormalcolordenotestheusualspellinginEnglish.The

wordinanalternatecolordenotesthetransliteration
spellingasperRIT,e.g.,Brahmiandbraahmee.

IndusScriptandTelugu
ThehistoryoflinguisticscriptsinIndiafollowedatotally
differentlinefromthatofthelanguagesthemselves.
TelugubelongstotheDravidianfamilyoflanguages.
LiteratesouthIndianlanguagesexceptKonkaniare
Dravidian.Mostpeoplewhospeakthelanguages
belongingtothisfamilynowliveinsouthernIndia.
However,pocketsofpeoplebelongingtothisgroupalso
liveinseveralotherpartsoftheworld,e.g.,Pakistan,
Afghanistan,Nepal,andCentralAsia.Itismoreorless
certainthattheIndusseals(hieroglyphicornot)foundin
theremainsofMohenjodaroandHarapparepresentthe
protodravidianlanguage.Geographicallytherangeofthis
languageextendedfromtheSindhriverallthewayupto
thebordersofGangaYamunadoabspreadingoverthe
SaraswatiriverbasininPakistanandIndia.Itflourished
forwellovera1000yearsfromaround3000BCE.Ithad
awelldevelopedscript.Anexampleofthecharacterset
usedbythisscriptisgivenbelow.Therearemorethan
fourhundredsymbolsinthisscript.Itishighlylikelythat
thesesymbolsareamixtureofhieroglyphs,ideograms,

syllabicgraphsandothersuchpatterns.Sofar,the
availableexamplesofthescriptconsistofveryshort
phrasesorsentencescomprisedof5to26characters.Ina
recentdiscovery(May1999),researchersunearthedat
Harappa,whatseemstobetheearliestknownwritingin
theworlddatingfrom3500BCE.

Thereishardlyanydirectevidencereferringtothestateof
thislanguageafter1700BCE.However,fromindirect

evidenceandacombinationoftransformationaland
lexicostatisticalanalyses,wecanconcludethatthis
languageeventuallyblossomedintoNorthern,Central,
andSouthernsubfamilies.ThecentralDravidiansub
familyevolvedintoTeluguandseveralothertribal
languagesofcentralandeasternIndia.Thesouthernsub
familygaverisetoTamil,Kannada,Malayalam,Kodagu
andTuluaswellassomeothernonliteratetribal
languages.ThemonumentalLinguisticSurveyofIndia
(pub.1906)carriedoutmorethanacenturyagolistsmany
oftheselanguages.Amorerecentclassification,alistof
over70languagesintheDravidianfamilyandsome
relevantstatisticscanbefoundattheETHNOLOGUE
site.Thereareseveralchangesinthislistcomparedtothe
LinguisticSurveyofIndia(Ed.G.A.Grierson).For
example,GriersonlistedtheSavaralanguageunderthe
Mundafamily,whereastheEthnologuesiteplacesitin
theTelugusubfamily.Furtherresearchmayrevealthat
someoftheselanguagesareactuallydialectsofother
languages.Conversely,morelanguagesmaybere
classifiedfromexistingregionalvariants.Butitiscertain
thatdozensoflanguagesofsouthIndiabelongtothe
Dravidianfamily.Thisrootfamilyhasmostlikely
descendedfromtheSaraswatiSindhucivilization.Thus,
theancientpredecessortoTeluguandotherDravidian
languageshadascriptasdepictedintheIndusseals.In
spiteofseveralimaginativeattempts,thisscriptremains
undeciphered.

{Traditionally,withinsouthIndia,thewordDravidian
meantTamilian.Thetwowordsareetymologically
relatedtoeachother.Howeversincethemiddleofthe
nineteenthcentury,perhapsbecauseofthelackofabetter
word,Dravidianisincreasinglybeingusedtodenotethe
commonalityinSouthIndianrootsandculture.Thisusage
wasduetoBishopCaldwellwhowroteaninfluential
workonSouthIndianLanguages.}

BrahmiScriptandTelugu

Forsomeinexplicablereason,laterIndianlanguagesthat
succeededthesaraswatisiMdhuprotodravidianlanguage
seemtohavesuspendedtheuseofformalscriptforalong
timeperhapsmorethanfifteencenturies.Thearrivalof
Aryantribesintothesubcontinentmighthavetriggered
thisinsomefashion.Mostcurrentresearchersbelievethat
theseAryantribeshadmigratedfromcentralAsiaviathe
middleeastandIran.Thesetribestoodidnotemploy
formalscriptinIndiaformanycenturiesaftertheirarrival.
Itisinterestingtonotethatsincetheycameviathe
middleeast,theseAryantribesmusthavehadaveryclear
understandingofthescriptsalreadyinusethereforavery

longtime.TheSumerian,andotherMesopotamian
cultureshadthrivingsociopoliticalsystemssupportedby
rigorousrecordkeeping.Yet,noevidenceforformal
writinghadbeenunearthedinIndiaorPakistanbetween
1700BCEandfourthcenturyBCE.Duringthistime,
Indiansdevelopedavastamountofphilosophicaland
ritualisticliterature.Theyalsodevelopedakeensenseof
phoneticsandcomplicatedrulesofgrammarand
pronunciation.Infacttheserulesareconsideredtobe
amongthemostsophisticatedeverdeveloped.Contraryto
earlierunderstandingthatthesedevelopmentsareentirely
Aryan,boththeDravidianandAryansystemsseemto
haveinfluencedthesedevelopmentssignificantly.Itis
difficulttoimaginetheclearestablishmentofthealphabet
andallthealliedrules,thedevelopmentofhugekingdoms
andenormousarmiesnumberingseveralhundred
thousandtroupeswithoutthehelpofwrittenrecord
keeping.Researchersareyettosatisfactorilyexplainthis
seemingcontradiction.Itissaidthatthetraditionof
writinghadbeenrevivedsometimeafterthedeathof
BuddhaalthoughearlyEuropeanresearcherstendedto
believethatthisrevivalmighthavebeenaroundtheeighth
centurybeforeChrist.Thecatalystforthisrevivalseems
tobetheincreasedcontactwithcentralAsia.Perhapsthe
bigfactorinthisisthesocalledinvasion(ofpartsof
Indusvalley)byAlexanderofMacedoniain326BCE.He
broughtwithhimalargearmyaswellasalargeentourage
ofcourtierswhichincludedscribesofvarioushues.The
preferredscriptusedbythesescribesseemstobe

Aramaic.Incidentally,Aramaicbecametheinternational
scriptofthattimeandevenJesusofNazarethmadeuseof
AramaicmorethanhisnativeHebrew.Thesescribeswere
prizedfortheirskillsandtheyspreadoutoveravastarea
ofAsia.Theywereemployedinlargenumbersbymostof
thekingdomsinthemiddleeastincludingthepowerful
Achaemenidempire.TheyintroducedtheAramaicscript
toIndians.Thiswasadoptedbythepeoplesofthe
northwesternIndiaintheformofKharOSThee.The
Nandakings(andMauryanemperorswhosucceeded
them)atPataliputraadoptedascriptinspiredbyitforall
theirofficialcommunications.Fromthisdevelopedthe
BrahmiscriptandeventuallythemoderndayDevanagari.
Thefiguresbelowshowtheearlybraahmeescript.

TheAndhra(Saatavaahana)dynastyintroducedthe
braahmeetothepresentdayKannadaandTeluguregions.
TheearliestinscriptionsfoundintheTamillandbelongto
moreorlessthesameperiod.Anumberofearly
SatavahanacoinsandotherremainswerefoundinTamil
Nadu.Itisthereforereasonabletoassumethat
SatavahanasintroducedthescripttotheTamilcountry
also.TheSatavahanaswere,forsometime,vassalsofthe
MauryanEmpire.MauryanEmperorAsokathegreat
(reign:269232BCE)andtheriseofBuddhismplayed
stellarrolesinchampioningthisspreadofwriting.Thus,
TeluguandalltheothersouthIndianlanguageshad
developedfromtheprotodravidianlanguageoftheIndus
valleywhiletheirscriptsdescendedfromthebraahmee.

Therearedirectorindirectreferencesto'lipi,'liKh,'
'lEKha,''liKhita,'etc.,intheliteraturebelongingtothe
periodsbeforethisperceivedspreadofbraahmee.
Researchers,especiallythewesternscholarstendedto
explainthesereferencesasbelongingtotheartofpainting
ratherthanofwriting.Intheabsenceofaconvincing
prooftothecontrary,itmaybesafetoassumethatthe
prevailingtheoriesarereasonablyrepresentativeof
history.Theessenceofthesetheoriesisthat,barringtheir
connectionwiththeIndusculture,existingIndian
languagesdidnothaveanyformalscriptbeforethefourth
centuryBCE.AllthecurrentIndianscriptsincludingthe
Teluguscripthavedescendedfromthebraahmeewhich
wasinspired,atleastpartlybytheAramaicandother
westernscripts.
{Thereareseveralvoicesthatopposethemainstream
theoriesfromscientific,political,sociologicaland
emotionalpointsofview(e.g.,InvasionThatNeverWas
andMythoftheAryanInvasion).Thegistofthese
alternatetheoriesisthattheAryans,theircultureand
languagewereallindigenous.Anyincidentalsimilarities
betweenIndiaandtheWestcanbeexplainedaway.These
voicesareyettogainanyrespectabilityintermsof
scientificrigorandcompletenessoftheirarguments
althoughtheyarebecomingincreasinglyelaborate.}

DescentofTeluguScriptfromBrahmi

ThechartbelowoutlinesthedescentofvariousIndic
scriptsfromthebraahmee.

CautionaryNote:Thefigureindicatesthemostprobable
routesfortheevolutionofmodernscripts.Caremustbe
takeninreadingtheseroutes.Forexample,Teluguscript
hasbeenshownasadescendentof"oldKannada"script.
Itdoesnotinanywaymeanthatthelanguage(asopposed

tothescript)hasdescendedfromKannada.Kannada
becamealiteratelanguageslightlyaheadofTelugu.For
example,bothKannadaandTeluguhadproducedpoetry
duringtheeighthcentury.Kannadawritershadalso
producedfullfledgedliteraryworksintheninthcentury.
Butitwastwomorecenturiesbeforemajorpoeticworks
inTelugubecameavailable.Thatisthereasonforthe
combinedTeluguKannadascripttohavebeencalledas
the"oldKannada."ThisinturndoesnotmeanthatTelugu
peoplewerenonliterateduringtheperiodswhenKannada
andTamilpeoplewereproducingworksofliterature.
WritersinTelugulandhadbeencontinuouslyengagedin
creatingliterary,religiousorphilosophicalworksin
PrakritandSanskritfromlongbeforeChrist.Whilethe
TamilandKannadawritershadswitchedtowritingin
theirlocallanguagesinthefirstcenturyCEandtheeighth
centuryCErespectively,Teluguwriterswaitedtillthe11th
century.Themajorreasonsforthisstateofaffairsinclude
sociopoliticalfactorssuchasroyalpatronageandthe
influenceofBuddhismandJainism,amongotherthings.

FurtherReadingandAcknowledgements
OriginoftheIndianscriptsystemshasbeendiscussedin
greatdetailbyseveralauthors.Theabovediscussionis

confinedtooutliningtheessentialsofTeluguscript
evolution.
Averygoodreviewofthecurrentpositionamongleading
westernscholarsregardingtherecent(asopposedto
Indus)originofIndianscriptsisgivenbyRichard
SalomonoftheUniversityofWashington.Dr.Solomon
himselfiscurrentlypreparingascholarlyworkonthe
subject.Similarly,IravathamMahadevan'spaper"An
EncylopaediaoftheIndusScript"publishedinthe
InternationalJournalofDravidianLinguistics
(Trivandrum,Jan.1997)isareviewofAskoParpola's
encyclopedicwork"DecipheringtheIndusScript."
MahadevanhimselfcarriedoutamajorstudyoftheIndus
sealsandpreparedamajorstudyandconcordanceof
Indussealsandcharacters.
Anexcellentcompilationoftheonlineresources
regardingIndianscriptsandrelatedaspectsisprovidedby
Dr.YashwantMalaiya(Clickhere).Avastamountof
materialontheSaraswatiSindhucivilizationisbeing
compiledbyKalyanaraman.Aninformativelycreated
pageonworldscriptsismaintainedbyLawrenceLo.The
twoBrahmiscriptgifsarecourtesyofMr.Lo.

Kakatiya Dynasty

Period:1083AD1323AD
Capital:Orugallu(Warangal)

Languages:Telugu
ReligionPatronised:Hinduism
Founder:BetaI.
Sourceoftheirhistory:Historianshavefoundsomeinscriptions
ofKakatiyasinGuturdistrictofAndhraPradesh.Accordingto
oneoftheinscriptions,thekakatiyasareknowntobelongto
solarracekings.Somehistoriansbelievethatthekakatiyaswho
worshippedGoddessKakati(Kakatamma)werefromfishermen
community.
Etymology:ThenameKakatiyaisderivedfromthehighly
reveredgoddessofpower:KakatiDevi(DurgaMatha).Kakati
Deviwasthegoddessmotherforthefoundingfathersof
Kakatiyadynasty.KakaticouldbetheGoddessofBhairavi,an
otherformofDurga.
Thedynastysnamemightalsobeassociatedwithatownknown
asKakatipura(sincethekingsborethetitle
Kakatipuravallabha).KakatiyasbelongedtotheDurjaya

family/clan.
Greatness
TheKakatiyareignissaidtobethebrightestperiodofthe
TelugulandwiththeKakatiyarulersextendingtheempire
beyondWarangalallthwayuptoRaichur,Karnataka.Warangal
embellishedtheirreign,asthemetropolisofAndhra(Deccan)
region,standingthetestimonyoftimefornearlyamillenium
(morethan800years).ThestalwartsoftheKakatiyanDynasty
unitedalltheTelugukingsunderoneadministrationandarethe
mostbrilliantmonarchsevertoruletheAndhraregionrightup
therewiththeSatavahanas.
TheKakatiyaperiodwasrightlycalledthebrightestperiodof
theTeluguhistory.TheentireTeluguspeakingareawasunder
thekingswhospokeTeluguandencouragedTelugu.They
establishedorderthroughoutthestrifetornlandandtheforts
builtbythemplayedadominantroleinthedefenceoftherealm.
AnumakondaandGandikotaamongthe`giridurgas,Kandur
andNarayanavanamamongthe`vanadurgas,DiviandKolanu
amongthe`jaladurgas,andWarangalandDharanikotaamong
the`sthaladurgaswerereckonedasthemostfamous
strongholdsintheKakatiyaperiod.Theadministrationofthe
kingdomwasorganizedwithaccentonthemilitary
HISTORY:LineageofKings
1.TherulersofKakatiyaDynastywereoriginallythefeudatory
oftheEasternChalukyasofVengi.Takingadvantagesofthe
confusionthatfollowedafterthedeathoftheEasternChalukya
kingAmmarajaII,BetaI,afeudatoryoftheEasternChalukyas
declaredhisindependencebyestablishinganewdynastyinthe

year1,000A.D.HeruledtheKakatiyaKingdomfor30years
andwassucceededbyhissonProlaI.
2.ProlaI(10301075A.D.)
ProlaIwhosucceededhisfatherin1030facedacritical
situationasthesmallprincipalitywasthreatenedbyboththe
CholasandtheWesternChalukyasofKalyani.Nagavamsiof
Chakrakuta(Bastar)triedtoannexthenewprincipality.ProlaI
wasabletoovercomeallthesedangers.HeattackedChakrakuta
anddefeateditsrulerDharavasu.Duringhisruleof36years
ProlawasabletoextendtheKakatiasterritoriesofhis
principalityinalldirections.HewassucceededbyhissonBeta
IIwhoruledfrom10751110A.D.Hisreignwasuneventful.He
shiftedhiscapitaltoAnamakondanearWarangalandtookthe
titleTribhuvanamalla.
3.ProlaII(11101158A.D.)
ProlaIIwasanimportantkingoftheearlyKakatiyas.His
exploitsaredescribedatlengthintheAnamakondainscription
ofhissonRudradeva.Heiscreditedtohavedefeated
Mailapadeva,Govindaraja,GundaandJaggadeva.Thereisa
greatdealofcontroversyregardingtheidentityoftheserulers
andthelocationoftheirterritories.
4.Rudradeva(11581195A.D.)
RudradevawhosucceededhisfatherProlaIIin1158A.D.wasa
greatfighter.Hisexploitsaredescribedinhisfamousinscription
intheRudresvaratempleatAnumakonda.Fromthisinscription
itisevidentthathehaddefeatedalargenumberofChalukyan
feudatoriesroundhiskingdom.Hewasalsoengagedin
numerouswarswiththerulersofVelanaduintheeastand
Yadavasinthewest.

Rudradevawasagreatpatronofartliterature.Heconstructed
themajesticRudresvaratempleinAnamakonda.Hewasthe
authoroftheSanskritwork`Nitisara.Heextendedhis
patronagetoSaivitedivineslikePalkurkiSomanatha
KingMahadevaruledforonly3yearsbetween1195and1198
AD.
5.Ganapathideva(11981262A.D.)
GanapathidevawasthegreatestofalltheKakatiyas.He
accompaniedhisfatherMahadevawhenthelatterbesieged
Devagiri,theYadavacapital.Mahadevawaskilledbeforethe
wallsofDevagiriandGanapathidevawastakenprisonerbythe
Yadavas.ThenewsofthedeathofMahadevaandthearrestof
GanapathidevacreatedgreatcommotionintheKakatiya
kingdom.ManyfeudatoriesoftheKakatiyasroseinrevoltand
triedtoasserttheirindependence,buttheloyalgeneralofthe
Kakatiyas,RecherlaRudra,putdowntheserevoltsandlooked
afterthekingdom.Ganapathidevawasreleasedin1202and
allowedtoreturntohiskingdom.
Inthecourseofhislongreignextendingoversixtyyears
GanapathidevabroughtagreatpartofthepresentAndhra
Pradeshunderhiscontrol.Hefirstturnedhisattentiontowards
VelanaduandVengiregionsofcoastalAndhraandbrought
themunderhiscontrol.HeconqueredKalinga.Hehelped
ManumasidditherulerofNelloreinregaininghiskingdom
ThegreatesttriumphoftheGanapathidevawastheconquestof
KanchiandthesubjugationoftheYadavasofDevagiri.
Inspiteofhisengagementsinnumerouswars,Ganapathideva
didnotneglecttheadministration.Infact,heconstructedmany
templesandimprovedirrigationalfacilities.Hehadalso

improvedtradeandcommerce.
Ganapathidevahadnosonbuttwodaughtersonly.Theelder
daughterwasRudrambaandtheyoungerGanapamba.
Rudrambawasactivelyassociatedintheadministrationofthe
kingdom.Ganapathidevapassedawayin1262A.D.aftera
gloriousreignof64years.Heisundoubtedlythegreatest
emperoroftheKakatiyadynasty.Hebroughtalargepartofthe
Teluguspeakingareaunderhiscontrolandlaidthefoundation
foritsdevelopmentinagricultural,commercialandother
spheres.Hehadtheforesighttotrainhisdaughterintheartof
administrationbyassociatingherinthegovernmentasearlyas
1240A.D.
6.RaniRudramaDevi(12621296A.D.)
RaniRudramaDeviwasthedaughterofGanpathideva.Shewas
oneofthemostinfluentialwomenpersonalityinIndianHistory.
Infact,ShewastheonlywomantoruleoverAndhra.Shewas
declaredQueenandgiventhemalenameRudradeva.
RaniRudramaDevibecametheruleroftheKakatiyaEmpire
afterthedeathofherFather.Shewasthedaughterof
Ganpathideva.Shewasthefirstandtheonlywomantoruleover
Andhra.
Ganpathidevadidnothadanyson.Afterhisdeath,hiselder
daughter,RaniRudramaDevi,wascoronatedastheQueenof
KakatiyaDynastyandassumedthemalenameRudradeva.
WarangalwastheCapitalofKakatiyaEmpire.
Herreignwasmarkedbytheuprisingofherfeudatorieswhodid
notlikethesuccessionofawomantothethrone.RaniRudrama
overcameallthedifficultiesandmaintainedtheintegrityofthe
empire.ShewasmarriedtoVeeraBhadrabutlosthimearly.

Thisincidentgaveherseveregrief.
SheisknownfordefendingherempirefromtheCholasand
Yadavas.ShealsocompletedthecontructionofWarangalFort
andandevencapturedmanyotherforts.Shehadfaithin
religiousbeliefsandworshippedmanygoddesses.The
administrativesystemofRaniRudramawasefficientandthe
generalpeopleledahappylife.
7.Prataparudra(12961323A.D.)
Prataparudraascendedthethroneafterthedeathofhis
grandmother,in1296.Hebeganhisreignwithaseriesof
reformsintheadministration.Duringthereignof
Ganapathidevathegovernorsofdifferentareasoftheempire
knownasNayakswereappointedfromthemembersofdifferent
castes.ThiswasknownastheNayamkarasystem.
Prataparudradevareorganizedthissystemappointingonly
Padmanayakstotheseofficers.HedismissedNayaksbelonging
toothercommunities.
Hisreformingactivityendedin1303whentheempirehadto
facethefirstshockofaMusliminvasionfromthenorth.From
1303to1323theMuslimrulersofDelhiinvadedfivetimesand
finallyannihilatedtheKakatiyaEmpire.
EndoftheEmpire
ThekingofDelhiSultanateAlauddinKhiljithefamousruler
sendhisarmyfordefeatingtheempireinAD1303.Upparhalli
whichthePrataparudaDistrictoverpoweredthem.AgaininAD
1310MalikKafursenthisarmytocaptureWarangalandinvade
it.AnothermajorinvasionofMuslimsinKakatiyaDynastytook
placeinordertocaptureTilling,GhiazuddinTughlaqthe
rulerofTughlaqDynastysenthishugearmyunderthe

leadershipofUlguhKhanduringAD1321.Howeverdueto
someblockadesfacedbyhimduetosomeinternalrebellions
withdrewthearmyandlefttoDelhi.Heonlywentbackto
returninaveryshortwhileandcamebackwithhugearmy
againstPrataparudawherehewasdefeatedandforcedto
surrenderandthenPrataparudawastakenasaprisoner.This
markedanendtotheKakatiyaDynasty.
Society,religionandculture
Theageofkakatiyamarksadistinctphaseintheculturalhistory
ofTelugus.Theynotonlyinheritedtheculturalheritageofthe
EasternChalukyasofVengi,butalsosubstantiallyenrichedand
developedit.
SOCIETY:
Inthesocialframework,thecastesystemcontinuedtobethe
basisforthesocialorganisation.Though,theBrahmins
continuedtoenjoytheprivilegedposition,thechaturdhavarna
rosetoprominance.Thereddy,kamma,velama,balijaand
naidusemergedasarulingclass.
Theprocessofsankritisation(socialphenomenonbywhich
lowercastesemulatethesocioreligiouspracticesoftheupper
castetogainahigherheiarchyinthesocialposition)continued.
Asaresult,newsubcasteslikethevishwabrahminsand
veerapanchalasemergedinthesociety
Theamalagamationofthetribesintothemainstreamofthe
socitycontinued.Theforesttribeslikethelenkasenteredinto
themainstreamofthesocietytorenderservicestotheupper
castes.
Astheeconomyunderthekakatiyasflourishedwell,thesocial

evilscroppedup.VinukondaVallabharayainhis
Kreedabhiramam,anillustratedworkoncontemporarysociety
talksabouttheprostitution,gambling,satietcofthisage.
ThesocialconflictcalledIdangai(righthandedcastes
agriculturalists)andvedangai(lefthandedcastes
professionals)enteredthetelugudesabegan.Thekakatiyas
couldstrikeabalanceandmaintainsocialharmonyby
accomodatingallthesectionsintheiradministrativesystem
Religion:
ThisagewitnessdthevirtualeliminationofJainismfromthe
telugudesa.AccordingtotheSiddheswaracharitra,
GanapatidevaundertheinfluenceofTikkanna,somayajiand
hismasterViswesawarasivadestroyedthejainsettlements.
saivismcontinuedtoflourishasthepopularsect.Thesaiva
sectslikethepashupathas,agamanthasandkalamukhaswere
wellestblished.Vishweshwarasiva,anardentfollowerof
agamantahasectfoundedgolakimathastopromotesaivism.
veershaivismofbrahannaidufluotishedintirupati,
simhachalam,srikakulam,nandaluru.Duetoitsimpact,anew
communitycalledpadmanaikaswasfounded.
Thesectarianconflictbetweensaivismandvaishnavism
continued.Thegreatpoettikkanamadeanattempttoendthe
conflictinhisHariharaaaradhanaandbyrevivingsmartha
systemwhichpermittedworshippingofnayGod.
Culturaldevelopment:
Thegreatculturaldevelopmentunderthekakatiyasinfluenced
eachandeverysphereofthesociallife.Infactcultural

developmenthaswitnesseditslaststageintelugudesaunder
kakatiyas.
Inthefieldofliterature,bothsanskritandteluguweregivendue
patronage.Kakatirudrawrotetheneetisaaraonthebasisof
thesanskrittextneetisaara(samename).
Vidyanath,mostpopularpoetinthecourtofprataparudrawrote
prataparudrayashobhushanam,atextonalankarashastra.
Agastyawrotebalabhratamandnalakeerthikaumudi.
Intheteluguliterature,desakavithamovementstartedwith
palkurikisomana.Hewrotevipadhakavyaslikepanditarajya
charitraandbasavapuranam.Healsocontributedforthe
satakaliteraturewithhisvrishadeepasatakam.
Kethanawrotedashakumaracharite,thefirstkhandhkavyain
teluguliterature.
Bodhenaenrichedtheteluguliteraturewithhissumati
satakam.
Theartofwrtitingplayswasperfectedbytripurantakawgo
wrotethestreetplaypremabhiramama.Onthebasisofthis
textVinukondaVallabarayawrotekreedabiramam.
MusicandDance:
Classicswerecomposedduringthisage.jayapasenaniwasthe
celebratedauthorofvijayaratnavali,nrutyaratnavaliand
geetharatnavali.Theliteraryworksbearatestimonytothe
developmentofthefinearts.
Painting:
Machaladeviwasanaccomplishedpainterinthecourtof
prataparudra.Shefoundedaschoolforpromotingpainting
calledchitrashalaatwarangal.Thetextpratapacharitetells
usthattherewerearound1500paintersinwarangal.

ArtandliteratureofKakatiyadynasty
Adistinctkakatiyaschoolofarchitecturewasdeveloped.Its
uniqueaspectswere,thecityentrancepillarscallednagara
toranas,extensiveuseofstonepillarswithrichlycarved
designsandstructuresandtempledgrafted
platforms(Adishtanas).
kakatiprolaconstructedthesiddeshwaraandpadmakshi
templesinhanamakonda,swayambhuandkesavatemples
inwarangal.
Heconstructedthemagnificent1000pillartemplein
hanamakonda
TheKakatiyadynastyexpresseditselfbestthroughreligiousart.
Kakatiyaartpreservedthebalancebetweenarchitectureand
sculpture,thatis,whilevaluingsculpture,itlaidemphasison
architecturewheredue.

Ramappatemple
TheKakatiyatemples,dedicatedmostlytoSiva,revealintheir
constructionahappyblendingofthestylesofNorthIndiaand
SouthIndiawhichinfluencedthepoliticallifeoftheDeccan.The
mostimportantofthesetemplesarethoseatPalampeta,

HanamkondaandtheincompleteoneintheWarangalfort.
ThetempleatPalampeta,describedasthe`brightestgeminthe
galaxyofMedievalDeccantemplearchitecture,was
constructedbyRecherlaRudra,ageneralofKakatiyaGanapati,
inS.1135(A.D.1213).
Thefiguresinthetempleareofaheterogeneouscharacter
comprisinggods,goddesses,warriors,acrobats,musicians,
mithunapairsinabnormalattitudesanddancinggirls.The
sculptures,especiallyofthedancinggirls,possessthe
suggestionofmovementandpulsatinglife.Astriking
peculiarityofthistempleisthefigurebracketswhichspring
fromtheshouldersoftheouterpillarsofthetemple.Thefigure
bracketsaremereornamentsandrepresenttheintermediate
stagebetweentheirearlieranaloguesatSanchiandthelater
examplesatVijayanagara.
TheThousandPillaredTemple

atHanamkonda,builtbytheKakatiyakingRudrainA.D.1162,
issimilarinstyleandworkmanshiptotheRamappatemple.
Thistemple,dedicatedtoSiva,VishnuandSurya,isstar
shaped.TheNandipavilion,inwhichahugegranitebullstill
stands,thebeautifulentrancestotheshrine,thepiercedslabs
usedforscreensandwindows,andtheelegantopenworkby
whichthebracketshaftsareattachedtothepillarsaretheother
mostinterestingfeaturesofthistemple.

ThetempleintheWarangalfort,believedtohavebeenbuiltby
KakatiyaGanapati,wasconstructedmakinguseoflargeslabs.
Theflooroftheshrineisbeautifullypolishedandshineslikea
mirror.Aninterestingfeatureofthistempleisthe

RuinsofWarangalFort
fourgatewayscalled`KirtiStambhaswhichfacethefour
cardinalpointsofthecompass.Intheirdesignthegatewaysare
reminiscentofthe`toranasoftheGreatStupaatSanchi.The
architectureandsculptureofthesetemplesarethusconventional
toadegreebutnoonecandenytheirmagnificencenorcanany
onefailtoseetherichimagination,patientindustryandskilful
workmanshipofthebuildersofthetemplesoftheKakatiya
period.
TheRulersofKakatiyaDynastyhadgreatpatronageforartand
literature.TheytookinitiativetopromoteSanskritandduring
thisperiodtherewasrevivalofSanskritliterature.Amongthe
rulers,Prataparudahadgoodwritingflairwhichisinterestingto
note.Heevenpromotedliterature.Therulershadatreasurefor
thereligiousart.TheyalsobuilttemplesofLordShivawhich
wereperfectexamplesofblendingbetweenthestyleformsof

northernandsouthernIndia.
DuringAD1162,theThousandPillaredTempleatHanamkonda
wasbuiltbytheKakatiyaDynasty.KingRudrambabuiltthisin
issimilarstyleandworkmanshiptotheRamappatemple.This
templeisdedicatedtoSiva,VishnuandSurya,andisstar
shaped.TheNandipavilionisalsofamousinwhichahuge
granitebullstillstands,whichhasthebeautifulentrancestothe
shrinewithpiercedslabsusedforscreensandwindowsandan
elegantopenworkbywhichthebracketshaftsareattachedto
thepillarsaretheothermostinterestingfeaturesofthistemple.
WarangalFort
WarangalforttemplehadbeenbuiltbyKakatiyaGanapati,
whichwasconstructedmakinguseoflargeslabs.Floorofthe
templeshrineisbeautifullypolishedandtwinkleslikeamirror.
AninterestingfeatureofWarangalforttempleistherearefour
gatewayscalledKirtiStambhaswhichfacethefourcardinal
pointsofthecompass.

Thedesignofthegatewaysisredolentlikethetoranasofthe
GreatStupaatSanchi.Thearchitectureandsculptureofthese
templesaremagnificentasnoonecanfailtoseetherich
imagination,patientindustryandskilfulworkmanshipofthe
buildersofthetemplesoftheKakatiyaperiod.

.
ThoughSaivismcontinuedtobethereligionofthemasses,
intellectualsfavouredrevivalofVedicrituals.Theysoughtto
reconciletheVaishnavitesandtheSaivitesthroughtheworship
ofHarihara.ArtsandliteraturefoundpatronsintheKakatiyas
andtheirfeudatories.TikkanaSomayaji,whoadornedthecourt
oftheTeluguCholarulerManumasiddhiII,wrotethelast15
cantosoftheMahabharatawhichwaslyingunfinished.Sanskrit,
whichcouldnotfindaplaceintheMuslimoccupiednorth,
receivedencouragementatthehandsoftheKakatiyas.
Prataparudrawashimselfawriterandheencouragedother
literature.
Rashtrakuta Dynasty

Period:753A.D975A.D.
Capital:Manyakheta.

Languages:Sanskrit,Ancientkannada,ancienttelugu.
Religionspatronised:Hinduism,Buddhism,Jainism.
Founder:Dantidurga
SpreadOfKingdomDuringthepeakoftheirrule,theyruled
fromthenorthofRivercauverytillthesouthofrivergangaand
fromthewesternshorelineinthewesttotheeasternshoreline.
ButtheheartoftheKingdomremainedthepresentday
Karnataka,MaharashtraandTelangana.
SourcesOftheirHistory
ThesourcesforRashtrakutahistoryincludemedieval
inscriptions,ancientliteratureinthePalilanguage,

contemporaneousliteratureinSanskrit,TeluguandKannadaand
notesoftheArabtravellerslikeArabsAlMasudiandIbn
Khordidbihofthe10thcentury.
Theoriesaboutthedynasticlineage(SuryaVamsaSolarline
andChandraVamsaLunarline),thenativeregionandthe
ancestralhomehavebeenproposed,basedoninformation
gleanedfrominscriptions,royalemblems,theancientclan
namessuchasRashtrika,epithets(Ratta,Rashtrakuta,
LattaluraPuravaradhiswara),thenamesofprincesand
princessesofthedynasty,andcluesfromrelicssuchascoins.
Scholarsdebateoverwhichethnic/linguisticgroupscanclaim
theearlyRashtrakutas.Possibilitiesincludethenorthwestern
ethnicgroupsofIndia,theKannadiga,Reddy,theMaratha,or
thetribesfromthePunjabregion.TheSamangadhcopperplate
Grant(753AD)confirmsthatthefeudatorykingDantidurga,wo
probablyruledfromachalapurinBerar(modernelichapur,
Maharasthra),defeatedthegreatBadamiChalukyanarmyof
KirtivarmanIIandtookcontrolofthenorthernregionsof
chalukyanempire.
HISTORY:

DantidurgassuccessorKrishnaIbroughtmajorportionsof
present
dayKarnatakaandKonkanunderhiscontrol.

DuringtheruleofDhruvaDharavarshawhotookcontrolin
780,thekingdomexpandedintoanempirethat
encompassedalloftheterritorybetweentheKaveriRiver
andCentralIndia.Heledsuccessfulexpeditionsto
Kannauj,theseatofnorthernIndianpowerwherehe
defeatedtheGurjaraPratiharasandthePalasofBengal,
gaininghimfameandvastbootybutnotmoreterritory.He
alsobroughttheEasternChalukyasandGangasofTalakad
underhiscontrol.AccordingtoAltekarandSen,the
RashtrakutasbecameapanIndiapowerduringhisrule.

TRIPARTITESTRUGGLE:
Itisaperiodtheperiodofstruggleforthecontrolresourcesand
areaofGangeticPlains(centered

aroundKANNAUJ)amongthethreepartiesi.eThe
Rashtrakutasofsouth,ThePalasofeastandThePratiharasof
westIndiaduringthe8thcenturyandthe10thcenturyAD.
ThestruggleseemstohavestartedwiththePratihararuler,

Vatsaraja,whowantedtotakecontrolofthecityofKannaujand
itsenvirons,asdidthePalaruler,Dharmapala.Thisbroughtthe
tworulersintoconflictandduringthistimetheRastrakutaking,
Dhruva,attackedbothcombatantsandclaimedtohavewon.
ThesignificanceofKannauj
KannaujwaslocatedontheGangatraderouteandwas
connectedtotheSilkroute.ItmadeKannaujstrategicallyand
commerciallyveryimportant.Itwasalsotheerstwhilecapitalof
HarshvardhanasempireinnorthIndia.ConquestofKannauj
wasequatedtotheconquestofentireNorthIndia.

TheascentofDhruvaDharavarshasthirdson,GovindaIII,
tothethroneheraldedaneraofsuccesslikeneverbefore.
[42]Thereisuncertaintyaboutthelocationoftheearly
capitaloftheRashtrakutasatthistime.Duringhisrule
therewasathreewayconflictbetweentheRashtrakutas,
thePalasandthePratiharasforcontrolovertheGangetic
plains.TheSanjaninscriptiondescribeshisvictoriesover
thePratiharaEmperorNagabhattaII.Duringhisreignthe
RashtrakutasempirewasspreadovertheareasfromCape
ComorintoKannaujandfromBanarastoBroach.
ThesuccessorofGovindaIII,AmoghavarshaImade
Manyakhetahiscapitalandruledalargeempire.
ManyakhetaremainedtheRashtrakutasregalcapitaluntil
theendoftheempire.Hecametothethronein814butit
wasnotuntil821thathehadsuppressedrevoltsfrom
feudatoriesandministers.AmoghavarshaImadepeace

withtheWesternGangadynastybygivingthemhistwo
daughtersinmarriage,andthendefeatedtheinvading
EasternChalukyasatVingavalliandassumedthetitle
Viranarayana.

HisrulewasnotasmilitantasthatofGovindaIIIashe
preferredtomaintainfriendlyrelationswithhisneighbours,
theGangas,theEasternChalukyasandthePallavaswith
whomhealsocultivatedmaritalties.Hiserawasan
enrichingoneforthearts,literatureandreligion.Widely
seenasthemostfamousoftheRashtrakutaEmperors,
AmoghavarshaIwasanaccomplishedscholarinKannada
andSanskrit.HisKavirajamargaisconsideredanimportant
landmarkinKannadapoeticsandPrashnottaraRatnamalika
inSanskritisawritingofhighmeritandwaslater
translatedintotheTibetanlanguage.Becauseofhis
religioustemperament,hisinterestintheartsandliterature
andhispeacelovingnature,hehasbeencomparedtothe
emperorAshokaandcalledAshokaoftheSouth.
DuringtheruleofKrishnaII,theempirefacedarevolt
fromtheEasternChalukyasanditssizedecreasedtothe
areaincludingmostoftheWesternDeccanandGujarat.
KrishnaIIendedtheRashtrakutadynastyindependent
statusoftheGujaratbranchandbroughtitunderdirect
controlfromManyakheta.IndraIIIrecoveredthedynastys
fortunesincentralIndiabydefeatingtheParamaraandthen
invadedthedoabregionoftheGangesandJamunarivers.
Healsodefeatedthedynastystraditionalenemies,the
PratiharasandthePalas,whilemaintaininghisinfluence

overVengi.TheeffectofhisvictoriesinKannaujlasted
severalyearsaccordingtothe930copperplateinscription
ofEmperorGovindaIV.Afterasuccessionofweakkings
duringwhosereignstheempirelostcontrolofterritoriesin
thenorthandeast,KrishnaIIIthelastgreatruler
consolidatedtheempiresothatitstretchedfromthe
NarmadaRivertoKaveriRiverandincludedthenorthern
Tamilcountry(Tondaimandalam)whilelevyingtributeon
thekingofCeylon.
DuringtheruleofKhottigaAmoghavarsha,theParamara
KingSiyakaHarshaattackedtheempireandplundered
Manyakheta,thecapitaloftheRastrakutas.Thisseriously
underminedthereputationoftheRastrakutaEmpireand
consequentlyledtoitsdownfall.

ThefinaldeclinewassuddenasTailapaII,afeudatoryof
the
RashtrakutarulingfromTardavadiprovinceinmodern
Bijapurdistrict,declaredhimselfindependentbytaking
advantageofthisdefeat.IndraIV,thelastemperor,
committedSallekhana(fastinguntodeathpractisedbyJain
monks)atShravanabelagola.Withthefallofthe
Rashtrakutas,theirfeudatoriesandrelatedclansinthe
DeccanandnorthernIndiadeclaredindependence.The
WesternChalukyasannexedManyakhetaandmadeittheir
capitaluntil1015andbuiltanimpressiveempireinthe
Rashtrakutaheartlandduringthe11thcentury.

Administration

TheRashtrakutaEmpirewasdividedintoseveralprovinces
calledrashtrasunderthecontrolofrashtrapatis.Theywere
furtherdividedintovishayasordistrictsgovernedby
vishayapatis.
Thenextsubdivisionwasbhukticonsistingof50to70
villagesunderthecontrolofbhogapatis.Theseofficers
weredirectlyappointedbythecentralgovernment.The
villageadministrationwascarriedonbythevillage
headmen.
However,thevillageassembliesplayedasignificantrolein
thevillageadministration.
Undertheking,thevitalpositionwasofthechiefminister
calledasMahasandhivigrahwhohadfivemotifsadequate
tohispositionthosewereconch,aflag,alargedrum,a
whiteumbrellaandfivemusicalinstrumentscalled
Panchamahashabdas.
TheCommanderwasknownasDandanayakaandthe
foreignminsterasMahaskhapataladhikrita,Primeminister
asMahamatyaorPurnamathya.Theyallwerelinkedwith
thekingandwiththegovernment.TheRastrakutaDynasty
armyconsistedofinfantry,countlesselephantsandseveral
horsemen.
TheinspiringandmajesticcapitalofManyakhetawasthe
mostevidentfootingmilitarygearedupforwarina
cantonment.Thekingsparticipatedinthewarswith
enormorusdefenceforces.Thechiefsandadministratiors

servedasleaderswhosejobswererotatedaccordingtothe
situationacrosstheregion.TheRastrakustadynastyalso
sawtheissueofcoinslikeSuvarna,Drammasinsilverand
gold.
Architecture

TheRashtrakutascontributedmuchtothearchitectural
heritageoftheDeccan.TheRashtrakutacontributionstoart
andarchitecturearereflectedinthesplendidrockcutcave
templesatElloraandElephanta,locatedinpresentday
Maharashtra.
TheEllorasitewasoriginallypartofacomplexof34
Buddhistcavesprobablycreatedinthefirsthalfofthe6th
centuryinrockyareasalsooccupiedbyJainsmonkswhose
structuraldetailsshowPandyaninfluence.Cavetemples
occupiedbyHindusonlybecamefeasiblelater.
TheRashtrakutasrenovatedtheseBuddhistcavesandre
dedicatedtherockcutshrines.AmoghavarshaIespoused
JainismandtherearefiveJaincavetemplesatEllora
ascribedtohisperiod.Themostextensiveandsumptuous
oftheRashtrakutasworkatElloraistheircreationofthe
monolithicKailasanathTemple,asplendidachievement
confirmingtheBalharastatusasoneamongthefour
principleKingsoftheworld.Thewallsofthetemplehave
marvelloussculpturesfromHindumythologyincluding

Ravana,ShivaandParvathiwhiletheceilingshave
paintings.

TheKailasanathTempleprojectwascommissionedby
King

kailasanathtemple
KrishnaIaftertheRashtrakutarulehadspreadintoSouth
IndiafromtheDeccan.Thearchitecturalstyleusedwas
Dravidian.ItdoesnotcontainanyoftheShikharas
commontotheNagarastyleandwasbuiltonthesame
linesastheVirupakshatempleatPattadakalinKarnataka.

TheachievementattheKailasanathtempleisconsideredan
architecturalconsummationofthemonolithicrockcut
templeanddeservesbeconsideredoneofthewondersof
theworld.Asanaccomplishmentofart,theKailasnatha
templeisconsideredanunrivalledworkofrock
architecture,amonumentthathasalwaysexcitedand
astonishedtravellers.

elephantacaves
Whilesomescholarshaveclaimedthearchitectureat
ElephantaisattributabletotheKalachuri,othersclaimthat
itwasbuiltduringtheRashtrakutaperiod.Someofthe
sculpturessuchasNatarajaandSadashivaexcelinbeauty
andcraftmanshipeventhatoftheEllorasculptures.
FamoussculpturesatElephantaincludeArdhanarishvara
andMaheshamurthy.Thelatter,athreefacedbustofLord
Shiva,is25feet(8m)tallandconsideredoneofthefinest
piecesofsculptureinIndia.Itissaidthat,intheworldof
sculpture,fewworksofartdepictingadivinityareas
balanced.Otherfamousrockcuttemplesinthe
MaharashtraregionaretheDhumerLenaandDashvatara
cavetemplesinEllora(famousforitssculpturesofVishnu
andShivaleela)andtheJogeshvaritemplenearMumbai.
Economy

TheRashtrakutaeconomywassustainedbyitsnaturaland
agriculturalproduce,itsmanufacturingrevenuesand
moneysgainedfromitsconquests.
Cottonwasthechiefcropoftheregionsofsouthern
Gujarat,KhandeshandBerar.Minnagar,Gujarat,Ujjain,
PaithanandTagarawereimportantcentresoftextile
industry.
MuslinclothweremanufacturedinPaithanandWarangal.
ThecottonyarnandclothwasexportedfromBharoch.
WhitecalicosweremanufacturedinBurhanpurandBerar
andexportedtoPersia,Turkey,Poland,ArabiaandEgypt.
TheKonkanregion,producedlargequantitiesofbetel
leaves,coconutandricewhilethelushforestsofMysore,
producedsuchwoodsassandal,timber,teakandebony.
Incenseandperfumeswereexportedfromtheportsof
ThanaandSaimur.

CulturalContributions

TheRashtrakutaswidelypatronizedtheSanskritliterature.
ThereweremanyscholarsintheRashtrakutacourt.
TrivikramawroteNalachampuandtheKavirahasyawas
composedbyHalayudhaduringthereignofKrishnaIII.
TheJainliteratureflourishedunderthepatronageofthe
Rashtrakutas.AmogavarshaI,whowasaJainpatronized
manyJainscholars.HisteacherJinasenacomposed
Parsvabhudaya,abiographyofParsvainverses.Another

scholarGunabhadrawrotetheAdipurana,thelifestoriesof
variousJainsaints.Sakatayanawrotethegrammerwork
calledAmogavritti.

Thegreatmathematicianofthisperiod,Viracharyawasthe
authorofGanitasaram.TheKannadaliteraturesawits
beginningduringtheperiodoftheRashtrakutas.
AmogavarshasKavirajamargawasthefirstpoeticworkin
Kannadalanguage.PampawasthegreatestoftheKannada
poets.HisfamousworkwasVikramasenavijaya.Ponna
wasanotherfamousKannadapoetandhewrote
Santipurana.

Religion

Theywerereligioustolerant.TheRashtrakutasbuiltwell
knownJaintemplesatlocationssuchasLokapurain
Bagalkotdistrictandtheirloyalfeudatory,theWestern
GangaDynasty,builtJainmonumentsatShravanabelagola
andKambadahalli.ScholarshavesuggestedthatJainism
wasaprincipalreligionattheveryheartoftheempire,
modernKarnataka,accountingforamorethan30%ofthe
populationanddominatingthecultureoftheregion.
KingAmoghavarshaIwasadiscipleoftheJainacharya
Jinasena.ThemathematicianMahaviracharyawroteinhis
GanitaSarasangraha,ThesubjectsunderAmoghavarsha
arehappyandthelandyieldsplentyofgrain.Maythe
kingdomofKingNripatungaAmoghavarsha,followerof

Jainismeverincreasefarandwide.Amoghavarshamay
havetakenupJainisminhisoldage.

However,fewoftheRashtrakutakingswereHindus,
followersoftheShaiva,VaishnavaandShaktafaiths.
Almostalloftheirinscriptionsbeginwithaninvocationto
godVishnuorgodShiva.TheSanjaninscriptionstellof
KingAmoghavarshaIsacrificingafingerfromhisleft
handattheLakshmitempleatKolhapurtoavertacalamity
inhiskingdom.
KingDantidurgaperformedtheHiranyagarbha(horse
sacrifice)andtheSanjanandCambayplatesofKing
GovindaIVmentionBrahminsperformingsuchritualsas
Rajasuya,VajapeyaandAgnishtoma.
AnearlycopperplategrantofKingDantidurga(753)
showsanimageofgodShivaandthecoinsofhis
successor,KingKrishnaI(768),bearthelegendParama
Maheshwara(anothernameforShiva).Thekingstitles
suchasVeeranarayanashowedtheirVaishnavaleanings.
TheirflaghadthesignoftheGangesandYamunarivers,
perhapscopiedfromtheBadamiChalukyas.
ThefamousKailasnathatempleatElloraandotherrockcut
cavesattributedtothemshowthattheHinduismwas
flourishing.Theirfamilydeitywasagoddessbyname
Latana(alsoknownasRashtrashyena,Manasa
Vindyavasini)whotooktheformofafalcontosavethe
kingdom.Theybuilttempleswithiconificationand
ornamentationthatsatisfiedtheneedsofdifferentfaiths.

ThetempleatSalotgiwasmeantforfollowersofShivaand
VishnuandthetempleatKargudriwasmeantfor
worshipersofShiva,VishnuandBhaskara(Surya,thesun
god).

Inshort,theRashtrakutarulewastoleranttomultiple
popularreligions,Jainism,VaishnavaismandShaivism.
Buddhismtoofoundsupportandwaspopularinplaces
suchasDambalandBalligavi,althoughithaddeclined
significantlybythistime.ThedeclineofBuddhismin
SouthIndiabeganinthe8thcenturywiththespreadofAdi
ShankarasAdvaitaphilosophy.
IslamiccontactwithSouthIndiabeganasearlyasthe7th
century,aresultoftradebetweentheSouthernkingdoms
andArablands.JummaMasjidsexistedintheRashtrakuta
empirebythe10thcenturyandmanyMuslimslivedand
mosquesflourishedonthecoasts,specificallyintowns
suchasKayalpattanamandNagore.Muslimsettlers
marriedlocalwomen;theirchildrenwereknownas
Mappilas(Moplahs)andwereactivelyinvolvedinhorse
tradingandmanningshippingfleets.

Society

Chroniclesmentionmorecastesthanthefourcommonly
knowncastesintheHindusocialsystem,someasmanyas
sevencastes(proliferationofcastes).Onetravellers

accountmentionssixteencastesincludingthefourbasic
castesofBrahmins,Kshatriya,VaishyaandSudras.

TheZakayaorLahudcasteconsistedofcommunities
specialisingindanceandacrobatics.Peopleinthe
professionsofsailing,hunting,weaving,cobblery,basket
makingandfishingbelongedtospecificcastesor
subcastes.
TheAntyajascasteprovidedmanymenialservicestothe
wealthy.Brahminsenjoyedthehigheststatusin
Rashtrakutasociety;onlythoseKshatriyasintheSat
Kshatriyasubcaste(nobleKshatriyas)werehigherin
status.

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Labels: Telangana History
Chalukya Dynasty

Timeperiod6thA.Dto12thA.D.TheyruledTelanganaareas
mainlyfrom543A.Dto753A.D.

CapitalVatapi(moderndayBadami).Hencetheyarealso
calledasBadamichalukyas.
LanguagesSanskrit,prakrit,Oldkannada.Oldtelugu.
ReligionHinduism,Jainism.
SourcesofHistory

InscriptionsinSanskritandKannada,Badamicave
inscriptionsofMangalesa,Peddavaduguruinscriptionof
PulakesiII,theKanchiKailasanathaTempleinscription
andPattadakalVirupakshaTempleinscriptionof
VikramadityaII.TheBadamicliffinscriptionofPulakesi
I,theMahakutaPillarinscriptionofMangalesaandthe
AiholeinscriptionofPulakesiII.
Traveloguesofcontemporaryforeigntravellershave
providedusefulinformationabouttheChalukyanempire.
TheChinesetravellerHsantsang(Xuanzang)hadvisited
thecourtofPulakesiII.

TheruleoftheChalukyasmarksanimportantmilestoneinthe
historyofSouthIndia.Sinceitisthefirstsouthindianbased
kingdomtotakecontrolandconsolidatedtheentireregion
betweentheKaveriandtheNarmadarivers.
BadamiChalukyaDynasty:
PulakesiIandhisdescendants,arereferredtoasChalukyasof
Badamiwhoruledoveranempirethatcomprisedtheentirestate
ofKarnatakaandmostofTelanganaintheDeccan.Pulakesi
IIwhoseprecoronationnamewasEreyawasperhapsthegreatest

emperoroftheBadamiChalukyas.ImmadiPulakesi(Immadiin
oldKannadameansII)isconsideredasoneofthegreatkings
inIndianhistory.HisqueenKadambaDeviwasaprincessfrom
thedynastyofAlupas.Theymaintainedclosefamilyandmarital
relationshipwiththeAlupasofSouthCanaraandtheGangasof
Talakad.
PulakesiIIextendedtheChalukyaEmpireuptothenorthern
extentsofthePallavakingdomandhaltedthesouthwardmarch
ofHarshabydefeatinghimonthebanksoftheriverNarmada.
HethendefeatedtheVishnukundinsinthesoutheastern
Deccan.PallavaNarasimhavarmanhoweverreversedthis
victorybyattackingandoccupyingtheChalukyacapitalVatapi
(Badami).
TheBadamiChalukyadynastywentintoabriefdecline
followingthedeathofPulakesiIIduetointernalfeuds.It
recoveredduringthereignofVikramadityaI,whosucceededin
pushingthePallavasoutofBadamiandrestoringordertothe
empire.Theempirereachedapeakduringtheruleofthe
illustriousVikramadityaIIwhodefeatedthePallava
NandivarmanIIandcapturedKanchipuram.
ListofBadamiChalukyas:
NOTE:OnlyImportantkingsarecoveredhere.
PulakesiI(543566C.E.)
PulakesiIestablishedtheChalukyadynastyinthenwestern
Deccanandhisdescendantsruledoveranempirethatcomprised

theentirestateofKarnatakaandmostofTelangana.Pulakesi
overthrewtheKadambastoestablishtheChalukyakingdom.He
hadthetitlesSatyashraya,VallabhaandDharmamaharaja.
PulakesiIwasRanarangasson.HiswifewasDurlabhadeviof
Bappurafamily.Heearnedthedistinctionofbeingthefirst
independentKingandtherealfounderoftheChalukyadynasty.
HesuccessfullydefiedthewaningpoweroftheKadambasand
proclaimedtheChalukyanindependence.HechoseBadami
(Vatapi)ashiscapitalandconstructedastronghillfortress
there.Thenewfortressstoodonthedefensiblelocation
surroundedbyriversandsteepmountains.TheChalukyan
kingdomdidnotextendmuchbeyondtheimmediatevicinities
ofBadami.
PulakesiperformedsacrificeslikeAsvamedha,Hiranyagarbha,
Agnistoma,Vajapeya,BahusuvarnaandPaundarika.These
detailsareprovidedbyhisBadamiCliffinscriptiondatedSaka
565(543CE).Inscriptionscompareshimwithsuchmythical
heroesasYayatiandDilipa.
KirtivarmanI(566597C.E.)
KirtivarmanIsucceededPulakesiIastheruleroftheChalukya
Dynasty.KirtivarmanIconsolidatedthenewlyfounded
ChalukyaKingdom.Hecompletedthesubjugationofthe
Kadambas,andhesecuredtheextensionoftheChalukya
KingdombysubduingtheNalasofNalavadi,theAlupasof
SouthKanaraandtheMauryachiefsofKonkan.
HealsoannexedtheportofGoa,thenknownasRevatidvipa.

TheSendrakas,thefeudatoriesoftheKadambaswhoruledin
Shimogadistrict,nowshiftedtheirpoliticalallegiancetothe
Chalukyas,andmarriedaprincessfromthisfamily.
AtthedemiseofKirtivarman,hissonPulakesiIIwastooyoung
toruleandKirtivarmansbrotherMangalesaassumedthe
responsibilitiesofthecrown.
Mangalesa(597609C.E.)
Mangalesawasanenergeticandambitiousrulersucceeded
KirtivarmanItotheChalukyathrone.Heruledasregentasthe
heirtothethronePulakesiIIwasconsideredtooyoungtorule.
Mangalesawonseverallaurelsinwar.Mangalesacontinuedthe
policyofexpansion.HeinvadedtheterritoryoftheKalachuri
rulerBuddhirajawhoruledoverGujarat,KhandeshandMalwa.
FromtheMahakutapillarinscriptionof595itisknownthathe
subduedtheGangas,Pallava,Chola,AlupasandKadambas
rulers.
MangalesaassumedthetitleslikeUruranaparakrama,
RanavikramaandParamabhagavata.AsMangalesawasruling
asaregent,heshouldhavesurrenderedthethronetoPulakesiII
whenthelattercameofage.Insteadhesoughttoprolonghis
reignwiththeviewofhandingthethronetohisownson
Sundaravarmainduecourse.
ThisforcedPulakesitorebelagainsthisuncle.Pulakesileftthe
courtandbyhisownmartialprowess,wagedawaron
Mangalesawiththehelpoffewofhisfriends.Mangalesawas
routedandkilledinthebattlefieldofElapattuSimbige.This

incidentismentionedinthePeddavaduguruinscription,andthe
incidentmusthavehappenedabout610A.D
PulakesiII(609642C.E.)
PulakesiIIisthemostfamousruleroftheChalukyadynasty.In
hisreigntheChalukyasofBadamisawtheirkingdomextend
overmostoftheDeccan.
Ereya,whoassumedthenamePulakesionhiscoronation,was
borntotheChalukyakingKirtivarmanI.Ereyaascendedthe
ChalukyathroneasPulakesiIIandassumedthetitleChalukya
Parameshwaraafterdefeatinghisuncle.Hisotherassumedtitles
areSatyashraya,Prithvivallabha.
Withthisconquest,Pulakesiscontrolextendedcompletelyover
SouthernIndia,includingMaharashtraandpartsofMadhya
PradeshandGujarat.HereceivedthetitleDakshinapatheshvara
(LordoftheSouth)ataroundthesametime(630634A.D).
TheGangarulerDurvinitagaveoneofhisdaughtersinmarriage
toPulakesi,andshewasthemotherofVikramadityaI.Pulakesi
wasthefirstrulerinSouthIndiatoissuegoldcoinage.Broad
andcircularinshape,thepunchmarkedcoinshadvarious
punchesattheedge,andacentralpunchdepictingaVarahaor
Boar.TheBoarwastheroyalemblemoftheChalukyas.
ContemporaryliteraturecitesthegoldcoinsofsouthIndiaas
Varahas.ItispossiblethatPulakesiIIlosthislifeinoneofthese
encountersagainstthePallavas.
Pulakesihadfivesons,Chandraditya,Adityavarma,
Vikramaditya,JayasimhaandAmbera.Theyfoughtamong

themselvesafterhisdemise,tryingtodividethekingdominto
territoriesforeachofthemselves.Pulakesisthirdson
VikramadityaIbecametheChalukyaking642andattemptedto
reunitethekingdomafterdefeatinghisbrothers.
VikramadityaI(655680C.E.)
VikramadityaIwasthethirdsonandfollowedhisfather,
PulakesiIIontotheChalukyathrone.Herestoredorderinthe
fracturedkingdomandmadethePallavasretreatfromthecapital
Vatapi.Vikramaditya,withthehelpofhismaternalgrandfather
BhuvikarmaofWesternGangaDynastysethimselfthetaskof
repellingthePallavainvasionandrestoringtheunityofhis
fatherskingdom.
HedefeatedthePallavaNarasimhavarmanItoendhis
occupation,whichhadlastedforthirteenyearsandexpelledhim
fromVatapi.Hedefeatedhisbrothersandotherfeudatorieswho
wishedtodividetheempireandthendeclaredhimselfkingof
theChalukyas(655).Herewardedhisyoungerbrother
Jayasimhavarmanwhowasloyaltohim,withtheviceroyaltyof
Latainthesouthern
Gujarat.
VikramadityacontinuedhisenimitywithNarasimhavarmans
sonandsuccessorMahendravarmanII,andlaterwithhisson
ParamesvaravarmanI.HealliedhimselfwiththePallavasother
enemythePandyanArikesariParankusa
Vinayaditya(680696C.E.)
Vinayadityasucceededhisfather,VikramadityaIontothe

Chalukyathrone.Hisreignwasmarkedbygeneralpeaceand
harmony.HeearnedthetitlesYuddhamalla,Sahasarasika,
Satyashraya.Hehadfoughtalongsidehisfatheragainstthe
Pallavas,hedefeatedthePallavas,Kalabhras,Keralasandthe
KalachuriofcentralIndia.
FromtheKolhapurplatesof678hedefeatedthekingdomsof
LankaandKamera.TheVakkaleriplatesconfirmtheChalukya
levyingtributeonKamera,LankaandParasika(Persia).During
thistime,PersiawasunderIslamicinvasion.Vinayadityasent
anexpeditiontothenorthunderthecommandofhisson
Vijayaditya.
Accordingtosomeaccounts,Vijayadityawascapturedandheld
prisonerandafteraperiodofincarceration,escapedand
returnedtotheChalukyankingdomtobecrownedthemonarch
oftheempire.VinayadityasentanambassadortotheChinese
courtin692.
VikramadityaII(733746C.E.)
VikramadityaIIwasthesonofKingVijayadityasucceededthe
BadamiChalukyathrone.Hehadconducesuccessfulmilitary
campaignsagainsttheirarchenemy,thePallavasof
Kanchipuram.Hismostimportantachievementswerethe
captureofKanchipuramonthreeoccasions,thefirsttimeasa
crownprince,thesecondtimeasanemperorandthethirdtime
undertheleadershipofhissonandcrownprinceKirtivarmanII.
VirupakshaTempleinscriptionalludestotheemperorasthe
conquerorofKanchionthreeoccasionsandreadsSri

VikramadityabhatararmumeKanchiyanmumeparajisidor.The
othernotableachievementwastheconsecrationofthefamous
VirupakshaTemple(Lokeshwaratemple)andMallikarjuna
Temple(Trilokeshwaratemple)byhisqueensLokamahadevi
andTrilokadeviatPattadakal.Thesetwomonumentsarethe
centrepieceoftheUNESCOWorldHeritageMonumentsat
Pattadakal.
KirtivarmanII(746753C.E.)
KirtivarmanIIalsoknownasRahappasucceededhisfather
VikramadityaII.Hisreignwascontinuouslytroubledbythe
growingpoweroftheRashtrakutasandfinallysuccumbedto
them.KirtivarmanandhisGangafeudatorySripurushacame
intoconflictwiththePandyarulerMaravarmanRajasimhaI
whowasextendingthePandyaEmpireontotheKongucountry
whichwasadjacent
totheGangakingdom.
RajasimhacrossedtheKaveriandengagedKirtivarmanand
SripurushainabigbattleatVenbaionthebanksoftheriver
Kaveri.TheChalukyakingwasdefeated.KirtivarmanIIwasthe
lastkingoftheBadamidynasty.Therewasaperiodof220
yearsinwhichthewesternbranchoftheChalukyaswasin
eclipse.
ContributionoftheChalukyas:

ArtandArchitecture:
TheChalukyasofBadamidevelopedtheDeccanorVesarastyle
inthebuildingofstructuraltemples,whichreachedculmination,
however,onlyundertheRashtrakutasandtheHoysalas.They
perfectedtheartofstonebuildingwithoutmortar.Undertheir
auspices,theBuddhists,JainasandBrahmanascompetedwith
eachotherinbuildingcavetemples.Someofthefinest
specimensofthecavefrescoesbelongedtotheChalukyaera.

Temples:
ThetemplebuildingactivityundertheChalukyasofBadamican
bebroadlydividedintotwostages.
ThefirststageisrepresentedbythetemplesatAiholeand
Badami.OfthetemplesatAihole,fourareprominent.TheLadh
Khantempleisaflatroofedstructure.TheDurgatemplewasan
experimentseekingtoadopttheBuddhistChaityatoa
Brahmanicaltemple.TheHucimaliguditempleisverysimilarto
theDurgatemple,butsmallerthanit.
TheJainatempleofMegutishowssomeprogressinthe
constructionofstructuraltemples,butitisunfinished.Ofthe
templesatBadami,theMelagittiSivalayaisasmallbutfinely

proportionedandmagnificentlylocatedtemple.Agroupoffour
rockcuthalls(oneJainaandthreeofthemHindu)atBadamiare
allofthesametype.
Thesecondstageisrepresentedbythetemplesat
Pattadakal.There

arefourtemplesin

thenorthernstyleandsixinthesouthernstyle.ThePapanatha
templeisthemostnotableamongthetemplesofthenorthern
styleanditalsorevealsattemptstocombinenorthernand
southernfeaturesinonestructure.TheVirupakshatemple,a
directimitationoftheKailasanathatempleofKanchiwasbuilt
byoneofthequeensofVikramadityaII.
Differentstylesofarchitecture

1.Nagaraarchitecture(NorthIndianstyle)
DistinctFeatures:
1.Inplan,thetempleisasquarewithanumberofgraduated
projectionsinthemiddleofeachsidegivingacruciformshape
withanumberofreentrantanglesoneachside.
2.Inelevation,aSikhara,i.e.,towergraduallyinclinesinwards
inaconvexcurve,usingaconcentricrotatingsquaresand
circlesprinciple.

Theprojectionsintheplanarealsocarriedupwardstothetopof
theSikharaand,thus,thereisstrongemphasisonverticallines
in

elevation.TheNagarastyleiswidely

distributedoveragreaterpartofIndia,exhibitingdistinct
varietiesandramificationsinlinesofevolutionandelaboration
accordingtoeachlocality.AnexampleofNagaraarchitectureis
theKandariyaMahadevaTemple.
2.Dravidianarchitecture
Followingfourpartsareimportant:
1.Theprincipalpart,thetempleitself,iscalledtheVimana(or
Vimanam).Itisalwayssquareinplanandsurmountedbya
pyramidalroofofoneormorestories;itcontainsthecellwhere
theimageofthegodorhisemblemisplaced.
2.TheporchesorMandapas(orMantapams),whichalways
coverandprecedethedoorleadingtothecell.
3.Gatepyramids,Gopurams,whicharetheprincipalfeaturesin
thequadrangularenclosuresthatsurroundthemorenotable
temples.
4.PillaredhallsorChaultrisproperlyChawadisusedfor

variouspurposes,andwhicharetheinvariableaccompaniments
ofthesetemples.

Besidesthese,atemplealwayscontainstempletanksorwells
forwater(usedforsacredpurposesortheconvenienceofthe
priests),dwellingsforallgradesofthepriesthoodareattachedto
it,andotherbuildingsforstateorconvenience.
3.VesaraStyle
ItisacombinationofboththeNagaraandtheDravidastyles.
Thisstyleofarchitecturereachedperfectionduringtheeraof
badamichalukyas.Thisstylereducestheheightoftheindividual
tierswithoutreducingtheirnumberresultinginareductionin

theheightofthetempletowers.

ThesemicircularstructuresoftheBuddhistChaityasarealso
incorporatedinsomeofthetemplesofthisstyle.Thetemplesof
Halebid,Belur,SomnathapuraandPattadakalaresomeofthe
examplesofthisstyle.
Polity:
TheempirewasdividedintoMaharashtrakas(provinces),then
intominorRashtrakas(Mandala),Vishaya(district),Bhoga
(groupof10villages),analogoustotheDasagramaunitusedby
theKadambas.Atthesubordinatelevelsoforganization,the
Kadambastyleentirelyreigned.TheSanjanplatesof
VikramadityaIhavementionedalandunittermedDasagrama.
ThereweremanyregionsruledbyfeudatorieslikeAlupas,
Gangas,Banas,Sendrakasetc.
Localassembliesworkedonthelocalissues.Groupsof
mahajanas(learnedbrahmins)lookedafteragraharas(like
Ghatikaorplaceofhigherlearning)liketheonesatBadami
(2000mahajans)andAihole(500mahajanas).
Coinage:

TheBadamiChalukyasimprintedcoinswereincludedNagari
andKannadalegends.Theymintedcoinswithcryptogramsof
temples,lionorboarfacingrightandthelotus.

ThecoinswerecalledhonnuinoldKannadaandhadfractions
suchasfanaandthequarterfana,whosecontemporary
equivalentbeinghana(literallymeansmoney).Itweighed4
grams.AgoldcoincalledGadyanaismentionedinsomerecord
inPattadakalthatlatercametobeknownavarahawhichwas
alsowitnessedontheiremblem.
Religion:
TheruleoftheBadamiChalukyawasaperiodofreligious
development.InitiallytheyfollowedVedicHindusim,as
observedinthediverseshrinesdevotedtocountlesspopular
Hindudeities.Pattadakalisthelocationoftheirgrandest
architecture.TheworshipofLajjaGauri,thefertilitygoddess
wasequallypopular.
TheyenthusiasticallyencouragedJainsmandconfirmedtoby
oneoftheBadamicavetemplesandotherJaintemplesinthe

Aiholecomplex.AiholeandKurtukoti,Puligere(Laksmeshwara
inGadagdistrict)wereprimaryplacesoflearning.
Literature
TheAiholeinscriptionofPulakesiII(634)writtenbyhiscourt
poetRavikirtiinSanskritlanguageandKannadascriptis
consideredasanclassicalpieceofpoetry.
AfewversesofapoetessnamedVijayanakawhodescribes
herselfasthedarkSarasvatihavebeenpreserved.Itis
possiblethatshemayhavebeenaqueenofprinceChandraditya
(asonofPulakesiII).FamouswritersinSanskritfromthe
BadamiChalukyaperiodareVijnaneshwarawhoachievedfame
bywritingMitakshara,abookonHindulaw,andKing
SomesvaraIII,anotedscholar,whocompiledanencyclopedia
ofallartsandsciencescalledManasollasa.
FromtheperiodoftheBadamiChalukyas,referencesaremade
totheexistenceofKannadaliterature,thoughnotmuchhas
survived.InscriptionshoweverrefertoKannadaasthenatural
language.
TheKappeArabhattarecordofc.700intripadi(threeline)
metreistheearliestavailableworkinKannadapoetics.
KarnateshwaraKatha,whichwasquotedlaterbyJayakirti,is
believedtobeaeulogyofPulakesiIIandtohavebelongedto
this
period.OtherprobableKannadawriters,whoseworksarenot
extantnowbuttitlesofwhichareknownfromindependent
referencesareSyamakundacharya(650),whoissaidtohave

authoredthePrabhrita,andSrivaradhadeva(alsocalled
Tumubuluracharya,650orearlier),thepossibleauthorofthe
Chudamani(CrestJewel),alengthycommentaryon
logic.
Around6thcenturyAD,theChalukyakingsofTelanganaalso
startedusingTeluguforinscriptions.Teluguwasmostexposed
totheinfluenceofSanskrit,asopposedtoPrakrit,duringthis
period.Thisperiodmainlycorrespondedtotheadventof
literatureinTelugu.
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Labels: Telangana History
Vakataka Dynasty

Periodaround250A.Dto500A.D.
TerritorialExpanse:Theirstateisbelievedtohaveextended
fromthesouthernedgesofMalwaandGujaratinthenorthto
theTungabhadraRiverinthesouthaswellasfromtheArabian
SeainthewesterntotheedgesofChhattisgarhintheeast.

LanguagesAncientMaharasthri,Sanskrit,Prakrit.

SourcesoftheirHistoryAllahabadinscriptions,Ajantacaves.
ReligionsPatronisedHinduism,Buddhism.
FounderKingVindhyasakthiisconsideredtobetheoriginal
founder.
RulersoftheVakatakadynasty
Vindhyasakti(250270)
PravarasenaI(270330)
1.ThePravarapuraNandivardhanabranch
RudrasenaI(330355)
PrithvisenaI(355380)
RudrasenaII(380385)
Divakarasena(385400)
Prabhavatigupta(fem.),Regent(385405)
Damodarasena(PravarasenaII)(400440)
Narendrasena(440460)
PrithvishenaII(460480)
2.TheVatsagulmabranch
Sarvasena(330355)
Vindhyasena(VindhyashaktiII)(355400)
PravarasenaII(400415)
Unknown(415450)
Devasena(450475)
Harishena(475500)
TerritorialexpansionbeganinthereignofhissonPravarasenaI,
whocametothethroneabout270andreachedtheNarmada
RiverinthenorthbyannexingthekingdomofPurika.

BranchesofVakatakaDynasty
ItisgenerallybelievedthattheVakatakarulingfamilywas
dividedintofourbranchesafterPravarsenaI.Twobranchesare
knownand
twoareunknown.Theknownbranchesarethe
1.PravarpuraNandivardhanabranchTheyruledfromvarious
siteslikePravarapura(Paunar)inWardhadistrictandMansar
andNandivardhan(Nagardhan)inNagpurdistrict.Thisbranch
maintainedmatrimonialrelationswiththeImperialGuptas.
ProminentKingswereRudrasenaI,Pravarasena,
2.VatsagulmabranchThisbranchwasfoundedbySarvasena,
the
secondsonofPravarasenaIafterhisdeath.KingSarvasena
madeVatsagulma,thepresentdayWashiminWashimdistrict
ofMaharashtrahiscapital.
TheterritoryruledbythisbranchwasbetweentheSahydri
RangeandtheGodavariRiver.
Importantkingsunderthisbranchare:
Sarvasena
Sarvasena(c.330355)tookthetitleofDharmamaharaja.Heis
alsoknownastheauthorofHarivijayainPrakritwhichisbased
onthestoryofbringingtheparijattreefrom
heavenbyKrishna.Thiswork,praisedbylaterwritersislost.
HeisalsoknownastheauthorofmanyversesofthePrakrit
GahaSattasai.OneofhisministersnamewasRavi.He

wassucceededbyhissonVindhyasena.
Vindhyasena
Vindhysena(c.355400)wasalsoknownasVindhyashaktiII.
HeisknownfromthewellknownWashimplateswhich
recorded
thegrantofavillagesituatedinthenorthernmarga
(subdivision)
ofNandikata(presentlyNanded)inhis37thregnalyear.The
genealogicalportionofthegrantiswritteninSanskritandthe
formalportioninPrakrit.Thisisthefirstknownlandgrantby
anyVakatakaruler.HealsotookthetitleofDharmamaharaja.
PravarsenaII
PravarasenaII(c.400415)wasthenextrulerofwhomverylittle
isknownexceptfromtheCaveXVIinscriptionofAjanta,which
saysthathebecameexaltedbyhisexcellent,powerfuland
liberalrule.Hediedafteraveryshortruleandsucceededbyhis
minorson,whowasonly8yearsoldwhenhisfatherdied.Name
ofthisrulerislostfromtheCaveXVIinscription.
Devasena
ThisunknownrulerwassucceededbyhissonDevasena(c.450
475).Hisadministrationwasactuallyrunbyhisminister
Hastibhoja.[6]Duringhisreign,oneofhisservantSvaminadeva
excavatedatanknamedSudarshananearWashim
Harishena
Harishena(c.475500)succeededhisfatherDevasena.Hewasa
greatpatronofBuddhistarchitecture,artandculture.TheWorld

HeritagemonumentAjantaissurvivingexampleofhisworks.
The
rockcutarchitecturalcellXVIinscriptionofAjantastatesthathe
conqueredAvanti(Malwa)inthenorth,Kosala(Chhattisgarh),
KalingaandTelanganaintheeast,Lata(CentralandSouthern
Gujarat)Harishenawassucceededbytworulerswhosenames
arenotknown.
Theendofthedynastyisunknown.Theywereprobably
defeatedby
theKalachuriofMahismati.
CulturalContributions
SomeofthekingsoftheVakatakadynastycontributedheavily
towardsthesectorsofculture,religionandarts.Thoughtherule
ofthesekingswasnotasfamousorassignificantasthe
kingsofotherfamousdynasties,theystillplayedabigrolein
thosedays.
Art
AJANTACAVES

Thecaves,famousforitsmurals,arethefinestsurviving

examplesofIndianart,particularlypainting.
Thesecavesareexcavatedinhorseshoeshapedbendofrock
surfacenearly76minheightoverlookinganarrowstream
knownasWaghora.
Thelocationofthisvalleyprovidedacalmandserene
environmentfortheBuddhistmonkswhoretreatedatthese
secludedplacesduringtherainyseasons.Thisretreatalso
providedthemwithenoughtimeforfurtheringtheirreligious
pursuitsthroughintellectualdiscoursesforaconsiderablylonger
period
Thecaveswerecausedtobeexcavatedbyroyalpatronageand
thefeudatoriesundertheVakatakasasillustratedbythe
inscriptionsfoundinthecaves.Varahadeva,theministerof
VakatakakingHarishena(A.D.475500)dedicatedCave16to
theBuddhistSanghawhileCave17wasthegiftofaprince
(whosubjugatedAsmaka)feudatorytothesameking.
TheflurryofactivitiesatAjantawasbetweenmid5thcentury
A.D.tomid6thcenturyA.D.
DuringtheruleofKingHarishena,cavenumberssixteenand
seventeenweredugoutandadornedwithexcellentpaintings
andsculptures.Oneofthefamoushistorians,WalterSpink
hasrecordedthatallthecavesintheAjantarockcuttemples,
exceptcaves9,10,12,13and
15A,wereconstructedduringthehistoricruleofHarishena.
Literature
OneoftherulersoftheVatsagulmabranch,KingSarvasena,

wasalsoafamouspoetandisbestknownforhiswork,
HarivijayainPrakritscript.Duringthetimeitwaswritten,this
workwaspraisedbylotofliteratureexperts.However,this
workgotlostovertimeduetolackofpreservation.Thework
termedasGahaSattasai,wasalsopennedbySarvasena.
Religion
ThelastsignificantruleroftheVatsagulmabranch,Harishena,
wasknowntohavecontributedexcessivelytowardsBuddhism
culture.Cavenumber16inAjantacavesfoundinthe
AurangabaddistrictisproofofthefactthatHarishenawon
placeslikeNasiksTrikuta(west),CentralandSouthern
GujaratsLata(west),Telangana(east),Kalinga(east),Malwas
Avanti(north),ChhattisgarhsKosala(east)andSouthern
MaharashtrasKuntala(south).