THE RASHTRAKUTAS (राष्ट्रकूट) - the glorious medieval Indian empire

If one has to explore the most complex and intriguing part of medieval Indian history, the Rashtrakuta dynasty (753-982 AD) would top the chart. They dynasty's family line is linked to several clans - the Marathas or Kannadigas or the Reddis or the Rajputs or even some Punjabi clans - but nothing concrete has been verified till now. The most popular linkage is the origin of the word 'Maharashtra' that some scholars root from the Rashtrakuta clan, proving the origins of words 'Rashtra' or 'Ratta' (for Mahratta or Maratha) to 'Rashtrika' or 'Rashtra' or 'Rathika' - all stemming out of the Rashtrakuta era which further would go deep down to Emperor Ashoka's time (269 BC). This highly complex theory is still doubted by several historians. Nevertheless, the Rashtrakutas dynasty is one of the most interesting chapters of medieval Indian history that deserves much more attention that its given.

The Anglicized versions of Indian empires gives a different sound to the names by adding the suffix '-a' to several words. Hence the correct pronunciations of these names would be something like (राष्ट्रकूट) Rashtrakuta, (चालुक्य) Chalukya, (चोल) Chola, (पांड्य) Pandya, (गुर्जर-प्रतिहार) Gurjara-Pratihara, (परमार) Parmara, Gahadavala (गाहड़वाल), Pallava (पल्लव), etc. If the Gurjara-Pratiharas dominated north and central India, the Rashtrakutas were glorious in the Deccan. There were constant battles and warfare between the Rashtrakutas, Gurjara-Pratiharas and Chalukyas (the dynasty that was overthrown by King Dantidurga to establish Rashtrakuta Empire). Although prevalent majorly in the Deccan, the Rashtrakuta Empire's influence to as far as Chota Nagpur region of Jharkhand and to even the southernmost point of Kerala, thus covering almost entire Deccan. The influence of Rashtrakutas went even till Sri Lanka (ruled by Lambakannas that time) in 9th century AD.

Rashtrakutas were known by several other names throughout history, mostly corruption of the original name. Rathavara, Rathavada, Rathaura, Rathauda, Rathada and Rathoda. But why exactly the Rashtrakutas were so important and were they responsible to turn the course of Indian history by any event?

It were the Rashtrakutas who had first uprooted the Chola expansion in the south after the bloody battle at Takkolam (or Takkaloma or Takkola, in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu) in 949 AD. King Parantaka I (प्रणांतक) had annexed Tondaimandalam (or Tondai Nadu; the southern part of Andhra Pradesh and northern region of Tamil Nadu states. This region was also known as Jayankonda Cholamandalam by the Chola kings). The kingdom was under the Banas and Vaidumbas clans who appealed to the King Krishna III to eliminate the Chola occupation. And thus started the battle that would kill the Chola king Rajaraja I (or Arulmoli Varman) and first fall of the empire. At the end of the battle, the Cholas lost Tondaimandalam and Madurai (temporarily) which they regained in future and established a strong empire that would even extend to southeast Asian territories.

The Rashtrakutas had proved their dominance in the subcontinent by trading, forging alliances, capturing and creating new territories. Between 769 to 970, the territory of Andhra was a vassalage to the empire; during the same period, the Rashtrakutas gained supremacy over the Pandyas; the Gangavadi kingdom of the Gangas (area around today's Mysore) was a tributary between 768-782, the Paramaras near Ujjain between 802-968 were made tributaries, the Kalachuris (कलचुरी) of Tripuri (today's Tewar, in Jabalpur) were in a matrimonial alliance between 765 to 968 etc.

Religion has always played a key role in any Indian kingdom. The Rashtrakutas existed when there was arrival of Islam in the subcontinent in form of raids by Muhammad ibn Qasim (Arab governor of Sind or the Sauvira-Sindhu kingdoms) in 714 AD. The raids were done at Kasmira (Kashmir) in the towns of Parihasapura (Parihaspore, near Srinagar), Srinagara (Srinagar) and Padmapura (Pampore, in Srinagar) but resulted futile to annex or conquer in the first attempt. Hence there wasn't any rise of a non-Hindu religion in the subcontinent at this point. Hinduism, as vast as it is, had its sub-branches or traditions (also mentioned as separate religions in various sources) which were practiced during the medieval age (and in the later centuries as well). Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism were the major names among few others. Apart from these, the usual spread-out of Buddhism and Jainism existed as well.

The currency system during the medieval age was restricted to metallic coins. Paper notes were not yet introduced and it would take the British in the 19th century to make use of it. But medieval India used names such as Suvarnarupa (gold coins), Rupyarupa (silver coins), Tamarupa (copper coins) and Sisarupa (lead coins). This system also existed during the Mauryan era as well.

Concluding, the Rashtrakutas expanded on the arrival of Islam in the subcontinent and shook the Cholas (temporarily) after influencing heavily the Gurjara-Pratiharas and Chalukyas. Trade, arts, culture and language was heavily practiced and works such as Tattvartharajavartika (तत्त्वरथराजवर्तिका, by Akalankabhatta; central texts of Digambara monastic students in Jainism), Ganitasarasangraha (गणितसरसंग्र, by Mahaviracharya; Compendium of the Essence of Mathematics), Yashodharacharita (यशोधराचारित, by Pushpadanta; life of Yashodhara - wife of Siddhartha/Gautam Buddha) etc. forms importance to Indian history, arts and mathematics.

Below here is a map of the glorious Rashtrakuta empire that existed between 753 to 982 AD.