Vakataka
dynasty
Indian
ruling house originating in the central Deccan in the
mid-3rd century CE, the empire of which is believed to have extended
from Malwa and Gujarat in the
north to the Tungabhadra in the south and from the Arabian Sea in the west
to the Bay of Bengal in the
east. The Vakatakas, like many of the contemporary dynasties of the
Deccan, claimed Brahmanical origin. Little is known, however, about
Vindhyashakti (c. 250–270 CE), the founder of the family.
Territorial expansion began in the reign of his son Pravarasena I, who
came to the throne about 270 and reached the Narmada River in the
north by annexing the kingdom of Purika.
Pravarasena’s
kingdom was partitioned after his death. The main line continued with Rudrasena
I (c. 330), his son Prithvisena I (c. 350), and
Prithvisena’s son Rudrasena II (c. 400). In the period of
Prithvisena the Vakatakas came into contact with the powerful Gupta family of
North India, which was making a bid to expand in the west at the expense of the
Western Kshatrapas. Because of its territorial position, the Vakataka family
was recognized as a useful ally; Prabhavati Gupta, the daughter of Chandra Gupta II, was married to
Rudrasena II. In this period, Gupta impact was significant in Vakataka polity
and culture. Rudrasena’s
death was followed by the lengthy regency of Prabhavati Gupta during the
minority of her sons Divakarasena and Damodarasena. After the Guptas became
involved in a war against the Hunas, the Vakataka dynasty was free to
expand in central India, and in the
period of Narendrasena (c. 450–470), son of Pravarasena II,
Vakataka influence spread to such central Indian states as Kosala, Mekala, and
Malava. This power, however, ultimately brought the Vakatakas into conflict
with the Nalas and caused a setback to the family. Its power was temporarily
revived in the reign of Prithvisena II, the last known king of the line, who
acceded to the throne about 470.
Apart from this
senior line was the Vatsagulma (Basim, in Akola district) line, which branched
off after Pravarasena I and occupied the area between the Indhyadri Range and
the Godavari River. The Vakatakas
are noted for having encouraged arts and letters.
The Vakatakas, a forgotten empire: Tracing the history of a
once-powerful kingdom that mysteriously faded away
The
Vakatakas, now almost forgotten in popular ancient Indian narrative, were a powerful
dynasty that ruled for almost three centuries, having close ties with the
Guptas.
Harini SrinivasanJune 17, 2019 07:40:05 IST
- Most of the information that we have regarding
the chronology and the rulers has been constructed through the Puranas and
other records and inscriptions.
- One of the famous inscriptions extant from
this dynasty are the Poona copper plate inscriptions and the Riddhapur
inscriptions issued by Queen Prabhavati Gupta.
- The Vakataka dynasty disappeared soon after
the death of King Harishena.
When one
thinks of the kingdoms of ancient India, the mighty Mauryas and the imperial
Guptas are proudly recalled. Others, despite their importance, are now
forgotten. For instance, not many remember the Vakatakas, a powerful dynasty
that ruled the Deccan for three centuries.
The
Buddhist caves constructed by this dynasty in the fifth and sixth centuries,
the magnificent Ajanta Caves, are a well-known UNESCO site. Despite this,
except perhaps historians, artists or civil service aspirants, few know about
or remember the builders, the Vakatakas of the Deccan.
The
Buddhist caves constructed by this dynasty in the fifth and sixth centuries,
the magnificent Ajanta Caves, are a well-known UNESCO site. Wikimedia
Commons/Anupamg
A history
built from sparse information
By the
third century, the Satavahanas had collapsed and the Sakas were no longer the
powerful force they had been. The stage was set in the Deccan for a local power
to stake its claim. It is in this scenario that Vindhyashakti, a Brahmin
chieftain about whom not much is known, founded the Vakataka empire.
Theories
abound about the dates and origins of this powerful dynasty which emerged in
the Deccan in the third century CE. No one has found any connection between the
Vindhyas and Vindhyashakti – barring a discovery a few years ago of
some relics typical of the dynasty, from a remote site near Satna in Madhya
Pradesh.
Most of
the information that we have regarding the chronology and the rulers has been
constructed through the Puranas and other records and
inscriptions. Through these we know that Vindhyashakti founded this family and
is said to have ruled between 255 and 275 CE.
However
it is his son, King Pravarasena I (275 CE – 335 CE), who was successful in
spreading the rule across a greater part of the Deccan. Starting as the ruler
of a small kingdom, by the time of his death Pravarasena I’s empire comprised
Northern Maharashtra, Berar, Madhya Pradesh and a part of Andhra. At the height
of its power, the Vakataka Empire is said to have extended from the South of
Malwa and Gujarat to the Tungabhadra River in the South, and from the Arabian
Sea in the West up to Chhattisgarh in the East.
A cordial
split and two missing branches
Sometime
in the fourth century, the Vakataka dynasty split into four separate branches.
Pravarasena I had four sons, each of whom he had deputed to manage one of the
provinces of the rapidly expanding kingdom. Each of these sons set up an
entirely different branch of this kingdom. Of the four branches, information is
available about only two. One is the main Vakataka house under Gautamiputra,
the eldest son, and his descendants. Sarvasena, the second son, founded his
branch that ruled from Bashim till the middle of the sixth century. The two
branches were cordial.
The Gupta
queen
The
defeat of a Kuntala king in Southern Maharashtra by the ruler Prithvishena I
(360 CE to 385 CE) increased the prestige of the Vakatakas. This, aided by the
fact that their kingdom bordered the Sakas’, may have been what prompted Chandragupta
II to take the Vakatakas seriously – and pursue the matrimonial alliance
between his daughter, Queen Prabhavatigupta with Rudrasena II, the son of
Prithvishena I.
Rudrasena
II, who took over the reins of the kingdom in 385 CE, had a short rule. For
reasons unknown, he passed away in 390 CE leaving behind his young widow,
hardly 25 years old, and his two sons, Divakarasena, aged five, and
Damodarasena, aged two.
Queen
Prabhavati continued ruling till Damodarasena came of age and took over as
Pravarasena II. Inside the Ajanta Caves. Wikimedia Commons/Akshatha Inamdar
Prabhavatigupta
took over as regent (390 CE to approximately 410 CE) for the minor King
Divakarasena and was aided by her father in all matters military and
administrative.
One of the famous inscriptions extant from this
dynasty are the Poona copper plate inscriptions and the Riddhapur inscriptions
issued by Queen Prabhavatigupta.
Interestingly,
Vindhyashakti II who was the king of the Bashim branch offered no resistance –
the might of Chandragupta II may have played a role – and through her regency,
the cordial relations between the two branches continued. It was during her
regency that the Guptas conquered Gujarat and Kathiawar and throughout the
period, the Guptas majorly influenced the affairs of the Vakatakas.
Also
interesting is that Divakarasena did not become King. While most history books
gloss over what happened to Divakara, there is a brief mention in The
Vakataka-Gupta Age by RC Majumdar and AS Altekar, that he died young
and this forced Queen Prabhavati to continue ruling till Damodarasena came of
age and took over as Pravarasena II.
A dynasty
at its zenith, and its quiet disappearance
One of
the major decisions taken by Pravarasena II, who had a long rule of about 30
years from 410 CE to 440 CE, was to shift the capital of the empire to a new
city called Pravarapura, probably near Wardha.
Until
then, Nandivardhana – known today as Nagardhan – was the capital city.
Incidentally, in June 2018, it was reported that an
archaeological team in Maharashtra had unearthed remnants of Nandivardhana, the
Vakataka’s lost capital, definitively proving its existence.
Bodhisattva
Padmapani, cave 1, from Ajanta, India. Wikimedia Commons
The city,
heavily-researched and deeply imagined in the setting of my book The
Curse of Anuganga, had been found!
The
Vakataka branch of the dynasty continued till the end of the reign of
Prithvishena II in 480 CE. Since no son or daughter of this king is known to
have succeeded him, the leadership passed on to King Harishena of the Bashim
branch. By the time Harishena died in 510 CE, the Vakataka empire was at its
zenith – covering Andhra, Maharashtra and most of Madhya Pradesh. In addition,
its influence extended to Konkan, Gujarat, Malwa and Chhattisgarh. The dynasty
was even larger than it had been under Pravarasena I.
Among this branch’s main achievements are the
construction of those magnificent Ajanta caves.
However,
despite such brilliance and power, the Vakataka dynasty disappeared soon after
the death of King Harishena. Most of the regions occupied by the Vakatakas had
been taken over by the Chalukyas by 550 CE. But, how and why this decline and
disappearance occurred remains a mystery.
*
Vakataka dynasty
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Vakataka Empire |
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c. 250
CE – c. 500 CE |
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Approximate
extent of the Vakataka territories in 375 CE. |
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Approximate
extent of the Vakataka territories in 450 CE. |
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Capital |
Vatsagulma (Now Washim) |
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Common languages |
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Religion |
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Government |
Monarchy |
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• 250–270 |
Vindhyashakti |
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• 270–330 |
Pravarasena I |
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• 475–500 |
Harishena |
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Historical era |
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• Established |
c. 250 CE |
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• Disestablished |
c. 500 CE |
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Today part of |
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![Approximate extent of the Vakataka territories in 375 CE.[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:South_Asia_historical_AD375_EN.svg)
![Approximate extent of the Vakataka territories in 450 CE.[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:South_Asia_historical_AD450_EN.svg)
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Vakataka dynasty |
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Nandivardhana-Pravarapura
Branch |
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Vatsagulma
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The Vakataka Empire (IAST: Vākāṭaka) was a dynasty from the Indian subcontinent that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd
century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges
of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to
the Tungabhadra River in the south as well as from the Arabian Sea in the west
to the edges of Chhattisgarh in
the east. They were the most important successors of the Satavahanas in the Deccan and contemporaneous
with the Guptas in
northern India.
The Vakataka dynasty was a Brahmin dynasty.
Little is known about Vindhyashakti (c. 250 – c. 270 CE), the
founder of the family. Territorial expansion began in the reign of his
son Pravarasena I.
It is generally believed that the Vakataka dynasty was divided into four
branches after Pravarasena I. Two branches are known and two are unknown. The
known branches are the Pravarapura-Nandivardhana branch and the Vatsagulma
branch. The Gupta emperor Chandragupta II married his
daughter into Vakataka royal family and with their support annexed Gujarat from the Saka Satraps in 4th
century CE. The Vakataka power was followed by that of the Chalukyas of Badami in
Deccan.[6] The Vakatakas are
noted for having been patrons of the arts, architecture and literature. They
led public works and their monuments are a visible legacy. The rock-cut
Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves (a UNESCO
World Heritage Site) were built under the patronage of
Vakataka emperor, Harishena.
Vindhyashakti
The founder of the dynasty was Vindhyashakti (250-270), whose name is
derived from the name of the goddess Vindhyavashini.
The dynasty may be originated there. Almost nothing is known about
Vindhyashakti, the founder of the Vakatakas. In the Cave XVI inscription of
Ajanta he was described as the banner of the Vakataka family and
a Dvija. It is stated in this inscription that
he added to his power by fighting great battles and he had a large cavalry. But
no regal title is prefixed to his name in this inscription. The Puranas say
that he ruled for 96 years. He was placed variously at south Deccan, Madhya
Pradesh and Malwa. K.P. Jayaswal attributes
Bagat, a village in the Jhansi district as the home of Vakatakas. But after
refuting the theory regarding the northern home of the Vakatakas, V.V.
Mirashi points out that the earliest mention of the name
Vakataka occurs in an inscription found on a fragment of a pillar at Amravati which records the
gift of a Grihapati (householder) Vakataka and his two wives.
This Grihapati in all probability was the progenitor of Vidhyashakti. It
appears from the Puranas that Vindhyasakti was a ruler of Vidisha (in the present
day Madhya Pradesh state)
but that is not considered to be correct.
As per Dr Mirashi, who has rejected the identification of
Rudra deva in the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudra Gupta with Rudra sena
I. He has also pointed out there are no coins of Vakataka and there are no
inscriptions of them in the north of Vindhyas. Hence, a south home of Vakatakas
is correct. However, it is true that they have ruled on some of these places,
since the epigraphs were available in MP etc.
Pravarasena I
The next ruler was Pravarasena I (270-330), who maintained the
realm as a great power, he was the first Vakataka ruler, who called himself
a Samrat (universal ruler) and conducted wars with the Naga kings. He has become an emperor in his own right, perhaps the only
emperor in the dynasty, with his kingdom embracing a good portion of North
India and whole of Deccan. He carried his arms to the Narmada in the north and
annexed the kingdom of Purika which was being ruled by a king named Sisuka. In
any case, he certainly ruled from Bundelkhand in the north (though Dr Mirashi
does not accept that he has crossed the Narmada) to the present Andhra Pradesh
in the south. The puranas assign him a reign of 60 years.
As per V.V. Mirashi, it is unlikely that he made any
conquest in Northern Maharashtra, Gujarat or Konkan. But, he may have conquered
parts of North Kuntala comprising Kolhapur, Satara and Solapur districts
of Maharashtra.
In the east, he may have carried his arms to Dakshina Kosala, Kalinga and
Andhra. He was a follower of Vedic religion and performed several Yajnas (sacrifices)
which include Agnishtoma, Aptoryama, Ukthya, Shodasin, Atiratra, Vajapeya,
Brihaspatisava, Sadyaskra and four Asvamedhas. He heavily donated to the
Brahmins during the Vajapeya sacrifice as per the Puranas. He also took up the
title of Dharmamaharaja in addition to Samrat. He
called himself as Haritiputra. His prime minister Deva was a very
pious and learned Brahmin. The Puranas say that Pravarasena I had four sons. He
married his son Gautamiputra to a daughter of King Bhavanaga of the powerful Bharashiva family,
which might have proved to be helpful. However, Gautamiputra predeceased him
and he was succeeded by his grandson Rudrasena I,
the son of Gautamiputra. His second son, Sarvasena set up his capital at Vatsagulma
(the present day Washim). Nothing is known about the
dynasties set up by the other two sons.[8][9]
Branches of Vakataka dynasty
It is generally believed that the Vakataka ruling family
was divided into four branches after Pravarasena I. Two branches are known and
two are unknown. The known branches are the Pravarpura-Nandivardhana branch and
the Vatsagulma branch.
Pravarapura-Nandivardhana branch
Ruins of
Nandivardhana fort
The Pravarapura-Nandivardhana branch ruled from various
sites like Pravarapura (Paunar) in Wardha district and Mansar and
Nandivardhan (Nagardhan) in Nagpur district. This branch
maintained matrimonial relations with the Imperial Guptas.
Rudrasena I
Not much is known about Rudrasena I,
the son of Gautamiputra, who ruled from Nandivardhana, near Ramtek hill, about
30 km from Nagpur.
There is a mention of Rudradeva in the Allahabad pillar inscription, bundled
along with the other rulers of Aryavarta. A number of scholars, like A.S.
Altekar do not agree that Rudradeva is Rudrasena I, since
if Rudrasena I had been exterminated by Samudragupta, it is extremely unlikely
that his son Prithivishena I would
accept a Gupta princess (Prabhavatigupta)
as his daughter-in-law. Secondly, no inscription of Rudrasena I has been found
north of the Narmada. The only stone inscription of Rudrasena I's reign
discovered so far was found at Deotek in the present-day Chandrapur district, so he cannot be equated with Rudradeva of the Allahabad pillar
inscription, who belonged to the Aryavarta.
Prithivishena I
Rudrasena I was succeeded by his son named Prithivishena I (355-380), and Prithivishena
I was succeeded by his son named Rudrasena II.
Rudrasena II, Divakarasena and
Pravarasena II
Remains of the
Pravareshvara Shiva temple built by Pravarasena II at Mansar
Rudrasena II (380–385)
is said to have married Prabhavatigupta, the daughter of the Gupta
King Chandragupta II (375-413/15).
Rudrasena II died fortuitously after a very short reign in 385 CE, following
which Prabhavatigupta (385
- 405) ruled as a regent on behalf of her two sons, Divakarasena and
Damodarasena (Pravarasena II) for 20 years. During this period the Vakataka
realm was practically a part of the Gupta Empire. Many historians
refer to this period as the Vakataka-Gupta age. While this has been widely
accepted more than 30 years ago, this line of argument has no proper evidence.
Prabhavati Gupta's inscription mentions about one "Deva Gupta" who is
her father and the historians equated him with Chandra Gupta II. However, there
is no other source to prove that Deva Gupta is really Chandra Gupta II.
Pravarasena II composed the Setubandha in Maharashtri Prakrit.
A few verses of the Gaha Sattasai are also attributed to him.
He shifted the capital from Nandivardhana to Pravarapura, a new city of founded
by him. He built a temple dedicated to Rama in his new capital.[11][unreliable
source?]
The highest number of so far discovered copperplate
inscriptions of the Vakataka dynasty (in all 17) pertain to Pravarasena II. He
is perhaps the most recorded ruler of ancient India after Ashoka the Great.
See: Shreenand L. Bapat, A Second Jamb (Khandvi) Copperplate Grant of Vakataka
Ruler Pravarasena II (Shravana Shuddha 13, Regnal Year 21), Annals of the
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. 91, pp. 1–31
Narendrasena and Prithivishena II
Pravarasena II was succeeded by Narendrasena (440-460),
under whom the Vakataka influence spread to some central Indian states.
Prithivishena II, the last known king of the line, succeeded his father
Narendrasena in c. 460. He was Defeated by Vishnukundina King Madhava Varma II,
After his death in 480, his kingdom was probably annexed by Harishena of the
Vatsagulma branch.
Vatsagulma branch
Ajanta Caves
.jpg)
The
rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves, built under the
patronage of the Vatsagulma branch of the Vakataka rulers.
Bird's
Eye View of Ajanta Caves.
Entrance
of cave no. 9.
Lord
Buddha statue at Ajanta.
The Vatsagulma branch was founded by Sarvasena, the
second son of Pravarasena I after his death. King Sarvasena made Vatsagulma,
the present day Washim in Washim district of Maharashtra his
capital. The territory ruled by this branch was between the Sahydri Range
and the Godavari River. They patronized some of the Buddhist caves at Ajanta.
Sarvasena
Sarvasena (c. 330 - 355) took the title of Dharmamaharaja.
He is also known as the author of Harivijaya in Prakrit which
is based on the story of bringing the parijat tree from heaven
by Krishna. This work, praised by later writers is lost. He is also known as
the author of many verses of the Prakrit Gaha Sattasai. One of his minister's name was
Ravi. He was succeeded by his son Vindhyasena.
Vindhyasena
Vindhysena (c. 355 - 400) was also known as Vindhyashakti
II. He is known from the well-known Washim plates which recorded the grant of a
village situated in the northern marga (sub-division) of Nandikata
(presently Nanded)
in his 37th regnal year. The genealogical portion of the grant is written in
Sanskrit and the formal portion in Prakrit. This is the first known land grant
by any Vakataka ruler. He also took the title of Dharmamaharaja.
Vindhyasena defeated the ruler of Kuntala, his southern
neighbour. One of his minister's names was Pravara. He was succeeded by his son
Pravarasena II.
Pravarasena II
Pravarasena II (c. 400 - 415) was the next ruler of whom
very little is known except from the Cave XVI inscription of Ajanta, which says that he
became exalted by his excellent, powerful and liberal rule. He died after a
very short rule and succeeded by his minor son, who was only 8 years old when
his father died. Name of this ruler is lost from the Cave XVI inscription.[14]
Devasena
This unknown ruler was succeeded by his son Devasena (c.
450 - 475). His administration was actually run by his minister
Hastibhoja. During his reign, one of his servant Svaminadeva excavated a
tank named Sudarshana near Washim in c. 458-59.
Harishena
Harishena (c. 475 - 500) succeeded his father Devasena.
He was a great patron of Buddhist architecture, art and culture. The World
Heritage monument Ajanta Caves is surviving
example of his works. The rock cut architectural cell-XVI inscription of Ajanta
states that he conquered Avanti (Malwa) in the north, Kosala (Chhattisgarh), Kalinga and
Andhra in the east, Lata (Central and
Southern Gujarat)
and Trikuta (Nasik district)
in the west and Kuntala (Southern Maharashtra) in the south.[14][15] Varahadeva, a
minister of Harishena and the son of Hastibhoja, excavated the rock-cut vihara of Cave XVI of
Ajanta.[12][unreliable
source?] Three of the Buddhist caves at Ajanta, two viharas - caves XVI and
XVII and a chaitya -
cave XIX were excavated and decorated with painting and sculptures during the
reign of Harishena. According to an art historian, Walter M. Spink, all
the rock-cut monuments of Ajanta excluding caves nos. 9,10,12,13 and 15A (Ref:
Page No. 4, Ajanta-A Brief History and Guide - Walter M. Spink) were built
during Harishena's reign[16] though his view is
not universally accepted.
Harishena was succeeded by two rulers whose names are not
known. The end of the dynasty is unknown. They were probably defeated by the
Kalachuri of Mahismati.
The Dashakumaracharita version
of the end
Foreign dignitary in
Persian dress drinking wine, on ceiling of Cave 1, at Ajanta Caves, either depicting the Sasanian embassy to Pulakesin II (610–642
CE), or simply a genre scene during the Vakataka Dynasty if
the 460-480 CE dating is retained (photograph and drawing).
According to the eighth ucchvāsaḥ of
the Dashakumaracharita of Dandin, which was written probably around 125
years after the fall of the Vakataka dynasty, Harishena's son, though
intelligent and accomplished in all arts, neglected the study of the Dandaniti (Political
Science) and gave himself up to the enjoyment of pleasures and indulged in all
sorts of vices. His subjects also followed him and led a vicious and dissolute
life. Finding this a suitable opportunity, the ruler of the neighbouring Ashmaka sent
his minister's son to the court of the Vakatakas. The latter ingratiated
himself with the king and egged him on in his dissolute life. He also decimated
his forces by various means. Ultimately, when the country was thoroughly
disorganised, the ruler of Ashmaka instigated the ruler of Vanavasi (in the
North Kanara district) to invade the Vakataka territory. The king called all
his feudatories and decided to fight his enemy on the bank of the Varada
(Wardha). While fighting with the forces of the enemy, he was treacherously
attacked in the rear by some of his own feudatories and killed. The Vakataka
dynasty ended with his death.[14]
Coinage
Although the Vakatakas replaced the Satavahanas, it does
not seem that they continued their coin-minting tradition. As of today, no
Vakataka coins have ever been identified.
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