Kadamba dynasty

The Kadamba dynasty was an ancient royal family of Karnataka in southern India that ruled from Banavasi in the Western Ghats. It was founded around 345 by Mayurasharma, a scholar-turned-warrior who defeated the Pallavas of Kanchi and declared himself independent. The Kadambas were among the first indigenous dynasties to rule the region without outside overlords, and they were the first to use Kannada in administration. The kingdom reached its height under Kakusthavarma in the fifth century, when it formed marriage alliances with the Gupta and Vakataka courts. After the sixth century the Kadambas became vassals of larger Kannada powers, the Chalukyas and later the Rashtrakutas, and branches of the family continued to rule smaller territories for centuries. Their temples and inscriptions at Banavasi and nearby sites are among the earliest monuments of Karnataka. The dynasty is remembered as a formative kingdom in the political and cultural history of the Kannada-speaking country.