Rashtrakuta was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries.Dantidurga established the kingdom, establishing his capital at Manyakheta or Malkhed near modern Sholapur.
At its peak, their kingdom encompassed the entire modern state of Karnataka, as well as portions of the current Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Administration
The actual administration work was carried out by ministers, the number of whom is unknown. Ministers were appointed based on their effectiveness.
The Emperor established direct rule over a portion of the empire, while the remainder was ruled by vassals. Powerful vassals had complete control over their internal administration. They could even make land grants without the suzerain’s permission.
When the Emperor summoned the vassals to the court, they came. They occasionally accompanied the king on military campaigns.
The empire was divided into administrative units known as Rashtras or Vishayas, which were directly ruled by the monarch. Vishyas were further subdivided into Bhuktis. Each Bhuktis was made up of a number of villages.
Rashtra was ruled by Rashtrapati, who had both civil and military authority over the Rashtra. He was in charge of maintaining law and order, collecting taxes, and keeping accounting records.
Village administration was carried out by village chiefs.
The state’s revenue was primarily derived from tributes paid by vassals. Revenue was also generated by mines, forests, and wasteland. The king’s share of the land tax was known as the Udranga or Bhagakara.
The Rashtrakuta had a well-developed coin system. Drama, Suvarna, Godhyanka, Kalanju, and Kasu were the five types of coins.
The Rashtrakuta possessed a massive army. For safety, the majority of the army was always stationed at the capital.
Art and Architecture
The famous rock-cut Shiva temple at Ellora was built by Krishna I.
Ellora, Ajantha and Elephanta are centres of their art.
Literature:
Pampa- Adipurana, vikramarjuna vijaya
Ranna- Gadhayudha
Ponna- Shantipurana
Sources:
Ellora and samugarh inscription.
S Altekar has written book “Rashtrakuta and their times”
Rashtrakuta Emperors (753-982)
Dantidurga (735 – 756)
Krishna I (756 – 774)
Govinda II (774 – 780)
Dhruva Dharavarsha (780 – 793)
Govinda III (793 – 814)
Amoghavarsha (814 – 878)
Krishna II (878 – 914)
Indra III (914 -929)
Amoghavarsha II (929 – 930)
Govinda IV (930 – 936)
Amoghavarsha III (936 – 939)
Krishna III (939 – 967)
Khottiga Amoghavarsha (967 – 972)
Karka II (972 – 973)
Indra IV (973 – 982)
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