Rashtrakuta Empire

The Rashtrakuta Empire was an early medieval Indian power that dominated the Deccan from 753 to 982. Its core lay in present-day Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh. The dynasty rose when Dantidurga, a feudatory of the Badami Chalukyas, overthrew Kirtivarman II in 753 and took control of the northern Chalukya lands. His successors, Krishna I and Dhruva Dharavarsha, expanded the realm across the Konkan and into central India. Under Govinda III the Rashtrakutas became a pan-Indian power, campaigning in the Gangetic plain and receiving tribute from rulers as far away as Ceylon. Amoghavarsha I, the most celebrated king, moved the capital to Manyakheta and ruled for more than six decades; he was a patron of Jainism and wrote the Kavirajamarga, a landmark of Kannada literature. The empire was famous for its rock-cut architecture, including the Kailasa temple at Ellora. Its later years were troubled by the tripartite struggle with the Palas and Pratiharas, and in 972 the Malwa king Siyaka Harsha sacked Manyakheta. Feudatories broke away, and the Western Chalukyas replaced Rashtrakuta power in the Deccan. The dynasty left a rich legacy of inscriptions, coinage and temple building.