The Forgotten Empire of Ancient India ; The Vakatakas

In the 4th century AD, two powers emerged in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and the Dakkan region. The power that emerged in northern India is known to most of us. I am here talking about the Guptas. The Guptas had a great impact on the history of the Indian subcontinent. But when it comes to the power that emerged in the Dakkan region, we find that this power is not well known. I am here talking about the Vakatakas. The Vakatakas, just like the Guptas, also had a great impact on the history and culture of the Indian subcontinent. And in this video, I will talk about the Vakataka kingdom or the Vakataka empire. When we study the Vakataka history, we find that just like the Gupta history, there are also some questions which historians are not able to answer completely. So for example, in the Gupta case, we find that historians are not sure about the original homeland of the Guptas. The same is true of the Vakatakas. So we find that there are two views when it comes to the original homeland of the Vakatakas. Some scholars argue that the original homeland of the Vakatakas lay south of the Vindhyas. But other groups of historians argue that the original homeland of Vakatakas lay north of the Vindhyas. Now in this video, I will stick to the argument that the original homeland of the Vakatakas lay north of the Vindhyas or north of the Narmada river. This is because when we read Puranas, the Vakatakas are described as a northern dynasty. And in present times, we see that the historical consensus is that the Vakatakas lay in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. So I am going to stick with it. But we should also remember that this matter has not been resolved yet. So we should also keep this in mind. Now coming to the Vakataka rulers, the first ruler of this dynasty was a person called Vindhyashakti. In later inscription, he is described as a Dvija and particularly a Brahman. And from the study of various inscriptions, it appears that the period of Vindhyashakti's reign was around 250 AD to 270 AD. Vindhyashakti is also mentioned in the Puranas and we find that based on the Puranic description and also from the later inscriptions, Vindhyashakti was succeeded by his son, Pravarsen I. Now Pravarsen I is also mentioned in the Puranas as Pravir. So Pravir according to Puranas had two capitals. The first and the main capital was the city of Chanaka and the second capital was the city of Purika. Now the location of these two capitals is a matter of debate but most likely the main center of the Vakataka power during this period was Chanaka. This city presently is identified with the village of Nachana which is in the Panna district of Madhya Pradesh. It is during the reign of Pravarsen I most likely that the Vakataka emerged as a great power. We can say this because in the Puranas, we are told that it was Pravarsen I who conquered the city of Vidisha. Vidisha during this time was controlled by the Nagas and we also find based on the Puranic description and also in later inscriptions that Pravarsen I performed great Vedic sacrifice. So we are told that he performed four Ashwamedha sacrifice, seven Soma sacrifice and his Vajpayee sacrifice is also mentioned in the Puranas. This is because in the Puranas, we are told that during the Vajpayee sacrifice of Pravarsen I, he donated great gifts to the Brahmins. Now based on the later inscription, we find that it was probably after conducting these great Vedic sacrifices that Pravarsen I assumed the title of Samrat. Now this title is important because it was only Pravarsen I who in the Vakataka history assumed this title. No other Vakataka ruler had this title of Samrat. Although during the reign of Pravarsen I, the and they had also occupied the Naga territory of Vidisha but Pravarsen I also wanted to have a matrimonial alliance with the Nagas who were a great power in the central India region. So in order to establish a matrimonial alliance, we find that he married his grandson who was called Rudrasen to the daughter of the Naga king Bhavnag. Bhavnag belonged to the dynasty of the Bharsivas. So because of this marriage, there was this great alliance between the Nagas and the Vakatakas. Now in the Puranas, we learn that Pravarsen's rule lasted around 60 years and it appears that his son had died during his reign. So after the reign of Pravarsen, it was his grandson Rudrasen I who succeeded Pravarsen. With the coming of Rudrasen I, the political map of northern and central India changed significantly. As we know that Rudrasen I had married the daughter of the Bharsiva king Bhavnag. So because of this marriage, there was this great power, the Vakatakas that had emerged in central India. Now what is interesting about this period is that in the Ganga valley, it is the Guptas who are emerging as a great power and it was their king Samudragupta who has now begun his campaign to conquer most of the northern India. So we have the Guptas who under the leadership of Samudragupta are expanding and then in central India, we have the Vakatakas who not only controlled their territory but they also controlled the territory of the Nagas. So it was quite natural that these two powers will soon collide and that is what exactly happened. According to some scholars, the king Rudradev which is mentioned in Samudragupta's Prayagrajya Prashasti was no other than the Vakataka ruler Rudrasen and apart from Rudradev, the two Naga princes and Ganapati Naga are also mentioned and in the Prashasti, we learn that these three rulers were violently eradicated by Samudragupta. Based on this, it appears that Samudragupta had waged a war of annihilation with the Vakatakas and their Naga allies. In this war, the Gupta military might completely destroy the Naga and the Vakataka power in the central India region and with this destruction, Samudragupta had now established himself firmly in central India particularly north of the Narmada river. Now there are some scholars who argue that in the struggle with the Guptas, Rudrasen first might have lost his life and it was his son who migrated with the Vakataka nobles south of the river Narmada. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the Vakatakas moved southwards and now they were safe from the Gupta onslaught. After coming to southern India, we find that an important development took place within the Vakatakas. The Vakatakas were now divided into two branches. The first branch ruled in the Vidarbha region and it was ruled by the son of Rudrasen I. He established his kingdom in the city of Nandivardhan. The second branch was ruled by the son of Pravasen I called Sarvasen and he established his kingdom further west in the Ajanta plateau. His capital was called Vatsagulm and it is from the names of these two capitals, historians differentiate the two branches. So on the one hand we have the Nandivardhan branch and on the other we have the Vatsagulm branch. Now it is in the Nandivardhan branch which is also called the main branch that Chandragupta II, the Gupta emperor married his daughter. How this happened will be discussed in a later video. You can watch that video here when it will be uploaded. Thank you for watching.