History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s6.28

v1.c14.s6.28

But we can make another surmise.* We believe that the heart of Mahārāshtra at least, viz. Paithana and the country around came under the sway of the Vākātakas. This was a Brahmin family ruling in the present Nāgpur division as appears from their many inscriptions found. Their founder Vindhyaśakti is mentioned in an inscription in the Ajanta caves which Dr. Bhau Daji had the honour to first decipher, though Dr. Bhau Daji’s surmise that this Vindhyasakti was the same as is mentioned in Vishnu Purāna is not correct as we shall show in the chapter on Āndhra history. These Vākātakas held extensive sway over the northern part of Mahārāshtra and Aśmaka was under their suzerainty, a subordinate king of Aśmaka being also mentioned in these cave inscriptions. The original founder of the Vākātaka family and his immediate successors were certainly orthodox Aryans who performed the Aśvamedha and other Vedic sacrifices. But the people of the Vākātaka country and some ministers of the family were Buddhists and these built many caves at Ajanta. This Buddhist tendency of the ministers and the people naturally led to the reassertion of the orthodox religion under Rāshtrakūtas and Chālukyas in the sixth century A. D. For as usual these Chālukyas signalise their rising power by performing the Aśvamedha and other Vedic sacrifices.