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THE RASHTRAKUTAS (753-982AD) || Short Notes

  • Founder - Dantidurga.
  • Capital - Manyakhet or Malkhed near modern Sholapur. 
  • The greatest ruler - Govind-III (793-814) and Amoghavarsha (814-878).
  • Govind-III defeated Pratihara king Nagabhat and annexed Malwa, and terrified Pandyas, Chola, and Pallavas of south.
  • Areas the Rashtrakutas ruled include - Deccan, and entire area of modern Maharashtra.
  • Gujarat and Malwa were the bone of contention between the Rashtrakutas and the Pratiharas.
  • They fought constantly against -
    • the Chalukyas of Vengi (modern Andhra Pradesh) in the east.
    • Pallavas of Kanchi in the south
    • Pandyas of Madurai in the south
 
  • Gangas (of Karnatak) were bound with fetters and met with death.
  • Govind-III imprisoned king of Lanka and brought to Halapur.
  • Amoghvarsha preferred religion and literature to war.
    • He wrote the first Kannada book on poetics - Kavirajmarga.
    • He built the capital of Manyakhet.  
  • Indra-III, the grandson of Amoghvarsha, became king in 915 and ruled till 927.
  • Krishna-III was the last powerful ruler of the Rashtrakutas. 
    • He campaigned against Paramaras of Malwa, Chalukyas of Vengi, Cholas, Pallavas.
    • He defeated the Chola king Parantaka-I in 949 AD.
  • After the death of Krishna-III, all his opponents united and sacked his successor. They sacked and burnt the Rashtrakuta capital Malkhed which marked the end of the Rashtrakuta empire.

Features of the Rashtrakuta dynasty

  • Religious tolerance -
    • Rashtrakutas were quite tolerant in terms of religion. 
    • They professed not only Shaivism and Vaishnavism but also Jainism as well.
    • They allowed Muslim traders to settle and permitted Islam to be preached in their dominions.
    • Muslims could have their own headman, built mosques in the towns in the Rashtrakuta empire. 
    • Amoghavarsha professed Jain but patronized other faiths as well.
  • Patrons of Art and Literature - 
    • The famous rock-cut temple of Shiva at Ellora was built by Krishna-I.
    • Rashtrakutas had poets in Prakit and apabhramsha languages along with Sanskrit scholars.  
    • The great apabhramsha poet Svayambhu and his son lived at the Rashtrakuta court.
Temple of Shiva at Ellora 
 
The Pala Dynasty (750 AD – 1150 AD)
The Chola Empire (900-1200) || Short Notes || Medieval Indian History || Short Notes  
 
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