History of India, c. 150 A.D. to 350 A.D.: Naga–Vakataka Imperial Period c15.s3.72

c15.s3.72

90. The faith of the Vākāṭakas was strict Śaivaism.² It changed only for one generation in the time of Rudrasena II, under the influence of his wife Prabhāvatī and father-in-law, Chandra Gupta II, who were both ardent Vaishnavas. But when Chandra Gupta's influence was gone, the family atonce reverted to their Śaivaism. Temples and remains of the Vākāṭaka period are prominently of the martial Śiva—the temples at Nachnā, and the Bhairava lingams at Jāso¹, which differ from the [Bhāraśiva] Ekamukha lingams at Bhūmarā and Nakṭi [illustrated by Mr. Banerji; Arch. Memoirs, No. 16, Pl. XV; ASWC., 1919-20, Pl. XXIX]². All these lingams artistically belong to one school, though the deity-aspects differ. Although there is no great fundamental difference between these and the Guptan art, yet in aim and spirit they belong to a distinctive school. The great guide to distinguish the Vākāṭaka from the Gupta remains—which all have been described as Guptan, though Cunningham has put in the caution—'Although it is probable that the earliest specimen of this kind of temple belongs to a period shortly preceding the Gupta rule' (A.S.R., Vol. IX, p. 42),—is the distinguishing faith. Śaivaism is peculiar to the Nāga-Vākāṭakas and Vaishnavism to the Guptas. Eran and the existing Vaishnava remains at Deogarh should therefore be taken as Guptan, while those at Nachnā, Jāso and mostly (if not wholly) the remains at Tigowa are undoubtedly Vākāṭakan.