The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v1.c8.s3.8

v1.c8.s3.8

At the outset of his career Pravarasena turned his attention to the south and south-east and added northern Mahārāṣṭra, portions of the modern Hyderabad State, and the eastern districts of the Madhya Pradesha to his kingdom. The findspots of inscriptions and the names of the villages donated in some of them make it quite clear that this block of territory continued to form part of the Vākāṭaka kingdom down to the end of its existence. There is some uncertainty as to the precise territories in Hyderabad State which were included in the Vākāṭaka empire. There is no doubt that its Marāṭhi-speaking districts were part of the Vākāṭaka dominions.¹ It seems not improbable, however, that most of Hyderabad State was included in the Vākāṭaka empire. The Kadamba kingdom of Karṇāṭak is not known to have included any territory to the north of the Kṛṣṇā. The same is the case with regard to the Pallava kingdom of Kāñchī. It is therefore but natural to assume that the Vākāṭaka empire, which is definitely known to have included the Marāṭhi-speaking districts of Hyderabad State, must have also incorporated all the territories to the north of the Kṛṣṇā. This view gets further support from a tradition recorded in Śrīśaila-sthala-māhātmya of a daughter of King Chandragupta named Chandrāvatī having offered a garland of jasmine flowers every day to the god Mallikārjuna at Śrīśaila.² Chandrāvatī may have been the pre-marriage name of Queen Prabhāvatīguptā, the daughter of Chandragupta II and the wife of Rudrasena II; and if she daily offered a garland to Mallikārjuna at Śrīśaila, the tīrtha may as well have been situated in the Vākāṭaka empire. In that case all the territory right up to Karnul District must have been included in the Vākāṭaka sphere of influence, even if not actually under Vākāṭaka administration. The question regarding the exact southern boundary of the Vākāṭaka kingdom can, however, be satisfactorily solved only by future archaeological discoveries in Hyderabad State.