Rashtrakuta was the name of a dynasty (series of rulers who belong to the same family) that ruled in the Deccan Plateau in India from about 753 to about 973. They attempted to dominate trade between the northern and southern parts of India by controlling both coasts of central India as well as the plateau, but they faced constant opposition from kingdoms on both sides of their empire. They ruled at first from Ellora, and later from Manyakheta. Because of their location in the center of India, the Rashtrakutas fought wars with rulers from many other parts of India, including the Gangas and the Pallavas in the south, the Pratiharas in the north, and the Palas in the east (see Pala; Pallava; Pratihara).
The Rashtrakutas were at first feudatories (vassal kings) of the Chalukya dynasty, who ruled over the western Deccan before them. Dantidurga was the first Rashtrakuta to rule independently of the Chalukyas, after defeating them in battle in about 753. His reign lasted until about 760.
Dantidurga’s successor, Krishna I, who ruled from about 760 to about 780, sponsored the construction of one of the most spectacular temples in India: the Kailasanatha Temple at Ellora, in Maharashtra, which was the first capital of the Rashtrakutas. This temple was carved from a hillside, and no outside materials were used. The sculpture in the temple is among the finest temple sculpture in India, and the temple is probably the greatest Rashtrakuta architectural achievement.
Amoghavarsha I had a long reign, from about 815 to about 880. A Muslim traveler who visited India during his reign called him one of the four great rulers of the world, the others being the Muslim caliph and the rulers of Byzantium and China. Amoghavarsha converted to and patronized Jainism.
The Rashtrakutas reached their peak of power in the north under Indra III, who ruled from about 914 to about 923. Indra III was successful in the north, taking Kanauj, for centuries a city battled over by the Rashtrakutas and their two main rivals, the Palas and the Pratiharas. Rashtrakuta power came to an end around 973, when Manyakheta was sacked by the Paramaras. Soon after that, the Chalukyas regained the power they had once had in the area.
