The Rashtrakutas

🏛️ Rise from Feudatory to Empire

Imagine a mid-level officer in a powerful empire suddenly deciding he no longer wants to just serve; he wants to rule. That’s how Dantidurga, once a feudatory of the Chalukyas of Badami, rose to power. In 757 CE, he defeated Kirtivarman II, the last Chalukyan king, and established independence, setting up his capital at Manyakhet (Malkhed) in present-day Karnataka.

🗺️ The core of the Rashtrakuta Empire covered most of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and parts of Andhra Pradesh.

But to legitimize this sudden shift in power, Dantidurga performed a hiranya-garbha ritual—a Vedic sacrificial ceremony believed to symbolically “rebirth” a non-Kshatriya into the Kshatriya fold, thereby justifying his kingship.

⚔️ Military Ambitions & Expansion

Once they rose, the Rashtrakutas didn’t rest. For nearly two centuries, they were constantly embroiled in:

• Conflicts with southern kingdoms: Eastern Chalukyas (Vengi), Pallavas (Kanchi), Pandyas (Madurai), and later, the Cholas.
• A Tripartite Struggle for Kannauj against:
  • Palas (East, Bengal)
  • Gurjara-Pratiharas (Malwa)

This made them one of the paramount powers of the Deccan, with influence extending from the Ganga-Yamuna Doab to Kanyakumari—a vast expanse unmatched in contemporary India.

🌟 Key Rulers and Achievements

1. Krishna I

• Successor to Dantidurga.
• Defeated the Gangas and Eastern Chalukyas.
• Built the famous Kailashanatha Temple at Ellora, a rock-cut monolithic marvel—a symbol of imperial grandeur.

2. Govinda III (793 – 814 CE)

• One of the greatest Rashtrakuta rulers.
• Defeated:
  • Nagabhata II (Pratihara king of Kanauj)
  • Dharmapala (Pala emperor)
• Even received gifts of submission from Sri Lanka.

3. Amoghavarsha I (814 – 878 CE)

• Reigned for an astonishing 64 years.
• A Jain ruler and a major patron of arts and literature.
• Authored Kavirajamarga – the earliest known Kannada book on poetics.
• Built up Malkhed to rival the legendary Indra’s city.
• Admired even by foreign travellers: Arab trader Suleiman called him one of the four greatest kings in the world.

4. Krishna III (934 – 963 CE)

• Known for military success.
• Battle of Takkolam (949 CE): Defeated Parantaka I of Cholas and occupied northern parts of the Chola territory, including Rameswaram.
• Built temples like the Krishneswara Temple at Rameswaram.

📉 Decline of the Rashtrakutas

But every empire has its twilight.

• In 972 CE, Khottiga Amoghavarsha faced a devastating blow when Siyaka Harsha of Malwa, a former feudatory, plundered Manyakhet.
• A year later, Tailapa II, another Rashtrakuta feudatory, declared independence and founded the Western Chalukya dynasty.
• The last Rashtrakuta king, Indra IV, embraced Sallekhana (Jain ritual of fasting unto death) at Shravanabelagola, marking the symbolic end of the dynasty.

📚 Rashtrakuta Contribution to Literature

The Rashtrakutas weren’t just warriors—they were cultural patrons par excellence.

• Supported Sanskrit, Kannada, Prakrit, and Apabhramsa literature.
• Jain literature flourished, as many kings and officials were patrons or adherents of Jainism.

Key Contributions:

• Amoghavarsha I:
  • Kavirajamarga (Kannada poetics)
  • Prashnottara Ratnamalika (Sanskrit religious work – also attributed to Adi Shankara/Vimalacharya)
• Jinasena (Jain monk):
  • Adipurana (Life of Rishabhanatha)
  • Mahapurana, Parsvabhudaya (Biography of Parsva)
• Mahaviracharya:
  • Ganita-sara-samgraha – a seminal work in mathematics

The ‘Three Gems’ of Kannada literature – the Kavi Ratnatraya:

• Adikavi Pampa (wrote Adi Purana, Vikramarjuna Vijaya)
• Ponna (wrote Shantipurana)
• Ranna
  → Pampa and Ponna were patronised by Krishna III, while Ranna later by Western Chalukyas.

🧘 Society & Religion

• The Rashtrakuta society was pluralistic and harmonious.
• Vaishnavism and Shaivism thrived alongside Jainism, which enjoyed state patronage.
  • Around one-third of the Deccan population were Jains.
• Buddhism survived in isolated, prosperous monasteries at Kanheri, Sholapur, and Dharwar.

🔚 Conclusion

The Rashtrakutas represent a golden chapter in Deccan history—where imperial ambition met cultural brilliance, and diversity was embraced instead of suppressed. Their military reach, literary achievements, and religious tolerance place them as one of the most significant empires in early medieval India.

And just as they rose from the shadows of the Chalukyas, they too faded into history, only to be succeeded by another regional power—the Western Chalukyas—reminding us that power is cyclical, but culture leaves a more lasting legacy.