A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c11.64

c11.64

The son and successor of Vindhyaśakti was Pravarasena I (c. 280-340) who made extensive conquests in all directions and was the only king of the dynasty to bear the title samrāṭ (emperor). He had four sons whom he set over the newly-conquered provinces. The eldest, Gautamiputra, died before his father. Another, Sarvasena, ruled over southern Berar and the north-western part of ‘Hyderabad’. In the west the absence of the title of Mahākshatrapa among the Śaka rulers between 304 and 345, and the total cessation of coinage between 332 and 348, suggest the extension of Vākāṭaka power over the Śaka dominions. Pravarasena I celebrated his victories by performing several sacrifices—four aśvamedhas and a vājapeya. When Rudrasena I (340-65), son of Gautamiputra, succeeded his grandfather, his uncles, who were viceroys, proclaimed their independence. He overcame two of them with the help of his maternal grandfather Bhavanāga of the Bhāraśiva family ruling in Padmāvati in central India, but the house of Sarvasena continued its independent rule.