Vakataka dynasty

The Vakataka dynasty was an ancient Indian house of the Deccan from the mid third century CE, whose state ran from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra in the south, and from the Arabian Sea to the borders of Chhattisgarh. They were the chief successors of the Satavahanas in the Deccan and the contemporaries of the Guptas in the north. Little is known of Vindhyashakti, the founder, but expansion began under his son Pravarasena I, after whom the house split into four branches, of which the Pravarapura-Nandivardhana and Vatsagulma lines are known. The Gupta emperor Chandragupta II married his daughter into the Vakataka family and, with their help, took Gujarat from the Saka Satraps in the fourth century. When Vakataka power faded, the Chalukyas of Badami filled its place. The dynasty is remembered as a patron of arts, building and literature: its public works survive as monuments, and the rock-cut Buddhist halls and shrines of Ajanta, a world heritage site, were raised under King Harishena.