Rashtrakuta dynasty, a Hindu dynasty that ruled India's Deccan and neighbouring areas from approximately 755 to 975 CE. They were the royal family of Lattalur, and they were probably originally Dravidian farmers (Latur, near Osmanabad). They knew Kannada as well as the northern Deccan language. Under Rashtrakuta, who defeated a rival dynasty, the Chalukyas, the Deccan empire grew to become India's second largest political unit, stretching from Malwa in the west to Kanchi (Kanchipuram) in the southeast. In this article, we will discuss the Decline of Rashtrakutas which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Establishment of Rashtrakuta Empire

• Their ascension began in 753 CE, when Dantidurga (also known as Dantivarman, r. until 756 CE), a feudatory of the Badami Chalukyas, defeated their King Kirtivarman II.
• Dantidurga's rise began when he assisted the Chalukyas in their successful war against the incoming Arab army (between 731 and 739 CE).
• Soon, it became clear that he was dissatisfied with being merely a vassal state, and he began to wield power through military aggression.
• Before making the final assault on the Chalukya king in 753 CE, he defeated the kings of Kosala and Kalinga, subdued the Gurjaras of Malwa, defeated other kings of Central India, and made friendship with the Pallava king Nandivarman II Pallavamalla of Kanchi by giving his daughter in marriage.

Beginning of the Decline

• Krishna III’s younger brother Jagattunga had predeceased him, so the throne was passed down to the next brother, Khottiga.
• In C.E. 972, Siyaka II of the Paramara dynasty, the powerful king of Malwa, attacked and defeated Khottiga before plundering the capital Manyakheta.
• Khottiga was killed in this battle, as confirmed by Pushpadanta's book. This was the beginning of the Deccan Rashtrakutas' demise, and they never recovered.
• It did not take long for the dynasty to collapse and fade into obscurity after this point.
• Khottiga died without any male heirs, clearing the way for his younger brother Nirupama's son to ascend to the throne.
• An inscription from the reign of Paramara king Udayaditya, discovered in Udaipur (Gwalior), states that Shri Harsha (Siyaka II of the Paramara dynasty of Malwa) had seized the kingdom from Khottigadeva.

Decline of Rashtrakutas

• During the reign of Khottiga Amoghavarsha, the Paramaras King Siyaka Harsha attacked the empire and plundered Manyakheta, the Rashtrakuta capital, in 972 A.D. This seriously harmed the Rashtrakuta Empire's reputation, ultimately leading to its demise.
• Tailapa II, a feudatory of the Rashtrakuta ruling from Tardavadi province in modern Bijapur district, declared himself independent by taking advantage of the Rashtrakuta defeat.
• Indra IV, the last emperor, performed Sallekhana (the practice of fasting until death practiced by Jain monks) in Shravanabelagola.
• After the Rashtrakutas were defeated, their feudatories and related clans in Deccan and northern India declared independence.
• The Chalukyas took control of the Rashtrakuta feudatories in western Deccan, and the previously suppressed Cholas of Tanjore became their arch enemies in the south.
• To summarize, the rise of the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta had a significant impact on India, even in India's north.
• Suleiman, Al Masudi, and Ibn Khurdadba wrote that their empire was the largest in modern India, and Suleiman went on to call it one of the world's four great contemporary empires.

Reasons for Disintegration of Rashtrakutas

• The Rashtrakutas were perpetually at odds with the Pratiharas, Chalukyas, Pallavas, and Palas, all of whom were relatively equal-matched empires, resulting in a war of attrition and the almost simultaneous decline of the rival powers.
• The Rashtrakuta Empire was built on a large number of small and large feudatories, which allowed these samantas to break away and form smaller kingdoms.
• Because these feudatories had always aspired to independence, local wars between them and the overlords were common, disrupting the empire's peace.
• Amoghavarsha's rule was never free of the threat of rebellion by subordinate rulers. Krishna, in the process of saving the Rashtrakuta empire, weakened it from within.
• With an open heart, he rewarded warriors, relatives, and friends like Butuga and Taila for their services, loyalty, and bravery, and they rose to become great powers of the empire.
• For example, Krishna III did not anticipate the feudal developments that would endanger the stability of his empire, and he gave Taila the province of Tardavadi 1000 near the empire's heart as anungajivita (military fief).
• Their power was felt throughout the country and was directly administered by the emperor. In this regard, Krishna was a good friend but far from a wise emperor.
• He allowed fleeting personal feelings to lead him down paths that were politically disastrous for the empire.

Conclusion

The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ended, but their influence endured. Parts of their kingdom were annexed by the later Cholas and other dynasties, but their government system and several other cultural practices were adopted by subsequent empires. Culturally, the temples at Pattadakal and Ellora, as well as numerous medieval literary works, bear witness to the Rashtrakutas' fine taste and patronage.