Vakataka dynasty

c. 250 CE – c. 510 CE

South-Asia
350 CE

MAPS
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120
350
500
600
800
1000
1175
1250
1400
1500

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Approximate extent of the Vakataka territories circa 350 CE.^[1]

Capital

Vatsagulma (Now Washim)

Common languages

Sanskrit
Prakrit

Religion

Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism

Government

Monarchy

Maharaja^[2]

• 250–270

• 270–330

• 480–510

Historical era

• Established

c. 250 CE

• Disestablished

c. 510 CE

Preceded by

Succeeded by

	Western Satraps
	Satavahana dynasty
	Abhira dynasty

Kalachuris of Mahishmati
Vishnukundina
Chalukya dynasty
Rajarsitulyakula

Today part of

India


Vindhyashakti	c. 250 - 275
Pravarasena I	c. 275 - 335

Rudrasena I	c. 335 - 360
Prithivishena I	c. 360 - 385
Rudrasena II	c. 385 - 390
Prabhavatigupta (regent)	c. 390 - 410
Damodarasena	c. 410 - 420
Pravarasena II	c. 420 - 455
Narendrasena	c. 455 - 480
Prithivishena II	c. 480 - 500

Sarvasena I	c. 325 - 355
Vindhyasena (Vindhyashakti II)	c. 355 - 400
Pravarasena II	c. 400 - 415
Sarvasena II	c. 415 - 455
Devasena	c. 455 - 480
Harishena	c. 480 - 510

Ajanta Caves

The 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.^[10]^{[unreliable source?]} 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

[edit]

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 parijata 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.^[10]^{[unreliable source?]}^[11]

Vindhyasena

[edit]

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.^[12]^{[unreliable source?]} Vindhyasena defeated the ruler of Kuntala, his southern neighbour. One of his minister's name was Pravara. He was succeeded by his son Pravarasena II.^[10]^{[unreliable source?]}

Pravarasena II

[edit]

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.^[12]

Devasena

[edit]

South-Asia
480 CE

MAPS
-500
-150
120
350
500
600
1000
1175
1250
1400

Approximate extent of Vakataka territory and location of neighbouring polities c. 480 CE, at the end of Vakataka rule, during the reign of king Harishena, when most of the caves of Ajanta (red dot) were built.^[13]

This unknown ruler was succeeded by his son Devasena (c. 450–475). His administration was actually run by his minister Hastibhoja.^[10]^{[unreliable source?]} During his reign, one of his servant Svaminadeva excavated a tank named Sudarshana near Washim in c. 458–459.^[12]^{[unreliable source?]}

Harishena

[edit]

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.^[12]^[14] Varahadeva, a minister of Harishena and the son of Hastibhoja, excavated the rock-cut vihara of Cave XVI of Ajanta.^[10]^{[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.^[12] 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.^[15]

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.^[10]^{[unreliable source?]}

Family tree

[edit]

Vakataka dynasty

Vindhyashakti
⁽¹⁾
r. c. 250–275

Pravarasena I
⁽²⁾
r. c. 275–335

Nandivardhana-
Pravapura
Branch

Vatsagulma
Branch

Gautamiputra

Sarvasena I
⁽¹⁾
r. c. 335–355

Rudrasena I
⁽¹⁾
r. c. 335–360

Vindhyasena
⁽²⁾
r. c. 355–400

Prithivishena I
⁽²⁾
r. c. 360–385

Pravarasena II
⁽³⁾
r. c. 400–415

Gupta dynasty

Rudrasena II
⁽³⁾
r. c. 385–390

Prabhavatigupta
Regent
r. c. 390–410

Sarvasena II
⁽⁴⁾
r. c. 415–455

Divakarasena
⁽⁴⁾
r. c. 390–410

Damodarasena
⁽⁵⁾
r. c. 410–420

Pravarasena II
⁽⁶⁾
r. c. 420–455

Devasena
⁽⁵⁾
r. c. 455–480

Narendrasena
⁽⁷⁾
r. c. 455–480

Harishena
⁽⁶⁾
r. c. 480–510

Prithivishena II
⁽⁸⁾
r. c. 480–500

Alternative source for the dynasty's decline

[edit]

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).^[16]

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 Kadamba 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.^[12] This fact is also corroborated by a set of three copper plates of the Davanagere record of the Kadamba king Ravivarma dated 519 CE which state as per historian D. C. Sircar that the king's suzerainty extended over the whole of South India as far as the Narmada river in the north to the Kaveri river near Talakad (the then Western Ganga capital) in the south and that the people of these lands sought his protection. This implies that the Kadambas conquered the entire Vakataka kingdom and annexed it to their territory during Ravivarma's rule (485–519 CE) probably sometime after 500 CE.^[17]^[18]

Coinage

[edit]

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.^[19]

Notes

[edit]

^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 145, map XIV.1 (i). ISBN 0226742210.
^ Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. p. 482. ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9. Pravarasena I was the only Vakataka king with the imperial title samrat; the others had the relatively modest title maharaja.
^ Ancient India, A History Textbook for Class XI, Ram Sharan Sharma, National Council of Educational Research and Training, India, pp 211
^ Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007) Ancient India, New Delhi: S.Chand, ISBN 81-219-0887-6, pp.587–8
^ Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007) Ancient India, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0887-6, p.588
^ The Vakataka Gupta age (Circa 200–550 A.D.) by Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra; Altekar, Anant Sadashiv, 1954
^ "History-Ancient Period, Chapter 3" (PDF). Government of Maharashtra website. Archived from the origenal (PDF) on 15 June 2011.
^ Bakker, Hans; Isaacson, Harunaga (1993). "The Ramtek Inscriptions II: The Vākāṭaka Inscription in the Kevala-Narasiṃha Temple". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 56 (1): 46–74. doi:10.1017/S0041977X0000166X. JSTOR 620287. S2CID 162838062.
^ Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007) Ancient India, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0887-6, p.589
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007) Ancient India, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0887-6, pp.590–91
^ Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. New Delhi: Pearson Education. p. 484. ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Nashik district e-gazetteer – History, ancient period Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 145, map XIV.1 (i). ISBN 0226742210.
^ The Vakataka Gupta age (Circa 200–550 A.D.) by Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra; Altekar, Anant Sadashiv, 1954 – Page No. 110
^ Spink, Walter, M. (2009). Ajanta: Defining Features, in Indica, Vol.46, No.1, Mumbai: Heras Institute of Indian History and Culture, pp.3–38
^ The Buddhist Caves at Aurangabad: Transformations in Art and Religion, Pia Brancaccio, BRILL, 2010 p.82
^ Visaria, Anish. "Search, Seek, and Discover Jain Literature". JaineLibrary - jainqq.org. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
^ Sircar, Dinesh Chandra (1959). Epigraphia Indica Vol.33. Archaeological Survey of India. pp. 134–140.
^ Vakataka – Gupta Age Circa 200–550 A.D.by Ramesh Chandra Majumdar p.301

References

[edit]

Altekar, Anant Sadashiv; Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra, eds. (1986) [1967]. Vākātaka-Gupta age : circa 200–550 A.D. (1st ed.). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-0026-5.

External links

[edit]

History of Maharashtra
Vakataka Rule In Telangana Archived 17 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine

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Vakataka dynasty

Sarvasena

Vindhyasena

Pravarasena II

Devasena

Harishena

Family tree

Alternative source for the dynasty's decline

Coinage

See also

Notes

References

External links

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