The Rashtrakutas

Rashtrakuta Dynasty: Political and Cultural History

Political History:

• Rashtrakutas were initially feudatories of the Western Chalukyas of Vatapi, ruling from Manyakheta in Karnataka.
• Dhantidurga founded the dynasty by defeating Chalukyas of Badami.
• Krishna 1 succeeded Dhantidurga and built the Kailasa temple in Ellora, defeated Gangas of Mysore.
• Dhruva was the greatest ruler in the Rashtrakuta dynasty; during his reign, Rashtrakuta power reached its zenith.
• Govinda 3 succeeded Dhruva and extended the empire from Himalayas in the north to Kanyakumari in the south and Saurashtra in the west to West Bengal in the east.
• Amoghavarsha succeeded Govinda 3 and was a patron of literature; he constructed Manyakheta city and made it his capital.
• Krishna 3 was the last great ruler of the Rashtrakuta dynasty; his successors were too weak to save the kingdom from decline.

Religion:

• Rashtrakuta rulers were religiously tolerant.
• Worship of Shiva and Vishnu was popular, and the famous rock-cut Shiva temple at Ellora was built by Krishna 1.
• Jainism was patronized by later rulers like Amoghavarsha.
• Buddhism had declined, and its only important center was at Kanheri.

Literature:

• The Rashtrakutas were great patrons of learning, and Kannada and Sanskrit literature made great progress during their reign.
• Kannada language received great patronage and a golden age in this era.
• The three gems of ancient Kannada literature - Pampa, Ranna, Ponna - were patronized by Rashtrakuta kings.
• Amoghvarsha wrote Kavirajamarga, the first book on poetics in Kannada.
• Mahaveeracharya, a mathematician, wrote Ganithasarasangraha in Sanskrit.
• Halayudha wrote Kavirahasya in Sanskrit.

Art and Architecture:

• The Rashtrakutas made splendid contributions to Indian art.
• They built structural temples, cave temples, and Basadis.
• Ellora, Ajanta, and Elephanta are centers of their art.
• The Kailasa Temple was built by the 8th-century Rashtrakuta King Krishna 1 between the years 756 and 773 AD.
• It is a particularly notable cave temple in India due to its size, architecture, and having been entirely carved out of a single rock.
• It has a three-tiered sikhara or tower and is modeled along similar lines to other Hindu temples with a gateway, an assembly hall, a multi-storey maintemple surrounded by numerous shrines laid out according to the square principle, an integrated space for circumambulation, a garbha-grihya (sanctum sanctorum) wherein resides the linga-yoni, and a spire-shaped like Mount Kailash - all carved from one rock.
• Other shrines carved from the same rock are dedicated to Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, the ten avatars of Vishnu, Vedic gods and goddesses including Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya, and Usha, as well as non-Vedic deities like Ganesha, Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati), Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu), Annapurna, Durga, and others.

Kailasa Temple:

• Built by the 8th century Rashtrakuta King Krishna I between 756 and 773 AD
• Notable for its size, architecture and being carved out of a single rock
• Modeled after other Hindu temples with a gateway, assembly hall, multi-storey main temple, shrines according to the square principle, space for circumambulation, garbha-grihya, and spire-shaped like Mount Kailash
• Other shrines carved from the same rock dedicated to various deities including Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Vishnu's ten avatars, Vedic gods and goddesses, and non-Vedic deities like Ganesha and Durga
• Has a three-tiered sikhara resembling the sikhara of the Mamallapuram rathas
• Interior includes a pillared hall with sixteen square pillars
• Sculptures include Goddess Durga slaying the Buffalo demon, Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa, and scenes from the Ramayana
• The general characteristic of the Kailasa temple are more dravidian 

Dasavathara Cave:

• Located in Cave 15 at Ellora
• Two-story temple with Shiva Nataraja and a Shiva emerging from Lingam while Vishnu and Brahma pay homage
• Similar layout to Buddhist caves with non-Buddhist features like a Nrtya Mandapa at its entrance
• Open court with a free-standing monolithic mandapa at the middle and a two-storeyed excavated temple at the rear
• Large sculptural panels between wall columns on the upper floor depicting various themes including the ten avatars of Vishnu
• Finest relief depicts the death of Hiranyakashipu where Vishnu in man-lion form emerges from a pillar
• Other reliefs include Gangadhara, marriage of Shiva and Parvati, Tripurantika of Shakti tradition, Markendeya, Garuda, Nandi in mandapa, and others
• Panels arranged in dyads displaying cooperative but antagonistic energy with a mutuality of power transference

Elephanta Cave:

• Located on an island 6 miles from Mumbai
• Has 7 caves, named after a large elephant by the Portuguese
• Sculptural art of Rashtrakutas reached its zenith in this place
• Sculptures include Nataraja, Sadashiva, Ardhanarishvara, Maheshamurti, and Trimurthi representing the three aspects of Shiva as creator, preserver, and destroyer
• UNESCO world heritage site.