Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

LURE - THRU THE AGES

the wall-murals of the Ajanta caves, Bagh caves (Gwalior) and rock-cut chambers in Ceylon. Weakness * Unable to face Pushyamitra and Huna attacks; weak successors, absence of strong leadership. Decline * Gupta empire began to decline after the death of Skanda Gupta; he was succeeded by Puragupta and probably the Gupta empire was finally destroyed by the Gaudas; petty Gupta princes continued to rule but they are of no significance. In fact the death blow to the Gupta empire was given by its own overambitious chiefs and invasion of Hunas.

* Aryabhata ( Surya Siddhanta ), Varahimihira (.Brihat Samhita) and Brahmagupta were the foremost astronomers and mathemati- cians of the world; Aryabhata declared that the earth revolves round its axis. Among the Guptan sculptures, seated Buddha at Samath, the standing Buddha at Mathura museum and copper statue of Buddha at Sultanganj are noteworthy; they also cre- ated Ardhanarishwara form of Siva; the image of Vishnu (Mathura). * The chief temples are Vishnu temple at Tigawa (Jabbalpur district), Siva temple at Bhumara, Parvati temple at Nachna- Kuthava, Buddhist shrines at Sanchi and Bodh Gaya; the main cave structures are in Ajanta and Andhra; the most important paintings of the period are to be found on Mayura Sharma He was the son of Bandhusena; well versed in Vedas; being humiliated by the Pallava horsemen at horse sacrifice (at Kanchi, the capital of Pallavas) he set out to establish the Kadamba dynasty; his Chan- dravalli inscription is the chief source of information and it says that he conquered the Trikutas, Abhiras, Pallavas, Pari- yathrakas, Shakasthana, etc. He was suc- ceeded by Kangavarma in c.365 A.D. Kakus- tavarma was another important king of Ka- dambas; the Tajagunda inscription and the Halasi copper plate are the two important records of his period. Administration * The Kadamban administration was car- ried on with the help of 5 ministers; Pradhana (or Prime Minister) Manev- ergade (Steward of the household), Kra- mukapala (betel carrier), Tantrapala, and Sabhakarya Sachiva (Secretary of the council); Chief Justice was called as Dharmadhyaksha the kingdom was di- vided into mandalas or provinces and vishayas. * One-sixth of the total produce of the land was collected as land revenue; taxes like perjunka (levy on loads), vaddara- vula (tax for royal maintenance), bilkode (sales tax), kirukula (levy on retail goods) and pannaga were collected. THE KADAMBAS 325 - 560 A.D. Triparvata Branch * Krishnavarma * Vishnuvarma * Simhavarma (c.460) (c.475) (c.485) * Krishnavarma II (516)

* The Gupta period is famous for the Hindu revival; kings extended royal patronage to Hinduism but religious toleration was prac- tised, Buddhism was respected; the Gupta period is rightly called the golden age of Sanskrit literature; the towering genius of the period is Kalidasa- one of the greatest poets of the world - patronised by Chandra- gupta II. His most important works were Abhijnana Shakuntala, Ritusamhara (cycle of seasons), Malavikagnimitra, Meghaduta (cloud messenger), Kumara Sambhava (Birth of the war god), Raghuvamsha (story of the race of Raghu) and Vikramor- vashiyam, the Smritis of Yajnavalkya, Narada, Katyayana and Brihaspati were written during this period. Overview * Ruled Banavasi between the 4th and 6th centuries; Royal emblem was lion. * Inscriptions are the main source of infor- mation. * Mayura Sharma was the founder and the great ruler. * Mainly Vedic (Brahmin) religion was followed. * Contributed the Kadamba vimana to the style of temple architecture. * Krishnavarma the second son of Kakus- tavarma, founded the Triparvatha Branch of Kadambas in c. 460 A.D. who ruled till 516 A.D. * They belonged to Manavya gotra and were Haritiputras. * Banavasi was their capital. Advent Mayura Sharma, a Brahmin by birth, founded the Kadamba dynasty; his quarrel with Pallavas at Kanchi forced him to give up Brahminhood and to take up kshatriyahood, later he “revolted against Pallavas and founded the dynasty. A Kadamba tree had grown near his house and hence the family got its name as Kadambas.

* They followed Vedic religion, performed Horse Sacrifice ( Ashwamedha ); Jainism was also patronised, temples and Agra- haras were centres of higher learning; Mainly Prakrit language was used fol- lowed by Sanskrit and Kannada. * The Kadambas were the founders of Kar- nataka architecture; their structures had few things in common with Pallavas; early structure Basti is at Halasi. * They contributed their vimanas and shikharas to the style of architecture, the best example is the Kadamba vimana at Kadayoli (Belgaum district of Karnataka) and Kadamba Shikhara of Lakshmi Devi temple at Doddagaddavalli (of Hoysala period). Decline * The Kadambas of Banavasi were over- thrown in c. 540 by Pulakesin I of Badami Chalukyan dynasty. The last ruler of the dynasty was Krishnavarma II of Tripar- vata branch (founded by Krishnavarma, the second son of Kakutsavarma); later they ruled as subordinates of the Badami Chalukyas.

Chronology * Mayura Sharma * Kangavarma * Raghu * Kakutsavarma * Shantivarma

(c.350-365 A.D.)

(c.365)

(c.455-460 A.D.)

* Mrigesha * Ravivarma * Harivarma

(460 A.D.)

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