Rashtrakutas
Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries"; Class 9, Ch 5 "State and Society up to 1000 CE"
Meaning
The Rashtrakutas were a powerful Deccan dynasty that ruled from about the mid-8th to the late 10th century. Their capital was Manyakheta (Malkheda). Dantidurga founded the dynasty. He had been a samanta, or vassal, of the Chalukyas, and he overthrew them. The Rashtrakutas were one of the three powers in the Tripartite Struggle for Kannauj, and for a short time they held the city.
Example
Krishna I had the Kailasanatha temple at Ellora cut from a single rock. It is India's largest rock-cut temple. Amoghavarsha I reigned for 64 years, leaned towards Jainism and wrote poetry. The Arab traveller al-Masudi praised a Rashtrakuta ruler for protecting Muslims.
Don't confuse with
- Chalukyas of Badami: the earlier Deccan rulers whom the Rashtrakutas overthrew.
Related concepts
- Tripartite struggle
- Matsyanyaya
- Gopala
- Pala dynasty
- Dharmapala
- Devapala
- Vikramashila
- Odantapuri
- Somapura Mahavihara
- Atisha Dipankara