Rashtrakutas Dynasty

RASHTRAKUTAS DYANSTY:

-Rashtrakutas were the feudatories of Chalukyas of Badami.

-Founded by Dantidurga a feudatory of Vikramaditya II, and made Manyakhet his capital after defeating the Chalukya king.

-Amoghavarsha I was the most famous king of this dynasty and wrote Kavirajamarga, a landmark literary work in the Kannada language.

-Architecture reached a milestone in the Dravidian style, the finest example of which is seen in the Kailasanath Temple at Ellora.

-Other important contributions are the sculptures of Elephanta Caves in modern Maharashtra as well as the Kashivishvanatha temple and the Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal in modern Karnataka, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

-Rashlraklltas patronized Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism & allowed Islam to persist, highlighting their spirit of religious tolerance.

-In Literature they patronised Sanskrit, Prakrit, 'Apabhramsa', a forerunner of many modern India languages & Kannada.