Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about South Indian Dynasties: Shathavahanas, Kadambas, Gangas from Class 8 Social Science. After studying this chapter, you will learn about the growth of the Shatavahanas in South India, the prominent ruler Gautamiputra Shatakarni, their achievements, administration, art and architecture. You will also learn that the Kadambas were the first to establish an empire in Karnataka, about ruler Mayura Varma, their administration, art and architecture, and their contributions to the religious field. We will also study the establishment of the Ganga dynasty, their contributions to art, architecture and literature, and how to locate the areas of the Kadambas and Gangas.
The Vindhya mountains separate North and South India. The area between the Vindhya mountains and Kanyakumari in the south is called South India or the Deccan region. The Shatavahanas, Kadambas, Gangas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas and Pallavas have been the important dynasties of this region.
Let us begin with the Shatavahanas, who ruled from 230 B.C.E. to 220 C.E. The Shatavahanas were the first to have established a dynasty in the Deccan. They had settled themselves in the land between the Godavari and Krishna rivers. They were the vassals of Chandragupta Maurya and were paying tributes to him. In 220 B.C.E., Simukha became independent and made Srikakulam his capital and started to rule the Shatavahana dynasty.
Gautami Puthra Shatakarni was a prominent king of this dynasty. He drove away the bitter enemies of the kingdom, the Shakas, beyond the borders of India. The Shalivahana Saka is supposed to have been started by him. He expanded his kingdom to include not only Konkan, Birar, Saurashtra and Malawa, but also many new areas. He had titles such as Trisamudratoyapitavahana and Shatavahana Kulayasha Pratistapanakara. Yajnashri Shatakarni was the last king of this dynasty. During his time, on account of continual attacks by the Shakas, the empire declined.
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During the Shatavahana rule, the king was supreme. The kingdom had been divided into provinces called Janapada for purpose of administration and officers had been appointed to look after them. The cities and villages were looked after by self governing institutions. There was no discrimination on the basis of varna in the society. Even women held high offices and had status in society. There were people of different occupations like farmers, merchants, goldsmiths, fishermen, carpenters, weavers, medicine man and others. There were occupational associations. Later these associations emerged as commercial and trade organisations. There was encouragement even for foreign trade, and Nasik, Kalyan, Broach and Bhatkal were trade centres.
The Shatavahanas who followed the Vedic tradition, encouraged other religions like Buddhism and Jainism and believed in harmony. They promoted art, literature and education. Literature was created in Prakrit, the language of both scholars and common people. Gathasaptashati written by Hala is an example of this. Their artistic contributions are highly notable. The Ajanta and the Amaravati paintings belong to the period of the Shatavahanas. Temples, viharas and chaityalayas were also constructed. A chaityagraha was built in Karle by the Banavasi merchant Bhootapala. The Chaityalaya at Karle stands as a prime example of their architectural skill.
During the period of the Shatavahanas, the Kannada region was prosperous. Kannadigas were adventurous and able administrators. They had enriched Indian culture by their contributions.
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Let us now move on to the Kadambas, who ruled from 325 C.E. to 540 C.E. This is the first dynasty to be established in Karnataka. Their capital was Banavasi which is in present North Canara district. Mayurasharma was the founder and a great king of this dynasty. When Mayurasharma was insulted by the Pallava king, Shivaskanda Varma, he adopted the kshatriya way of life and became Mayuravarma. He defeated the Pallavas in a war and established the Kadamba empire. He is the pride of all Kannadigas.
Looking at the map of the Kadamba dynasty, we can see their territory centered around Banavasi in present day North Canara district, extending across parts of coastal and inland Karnataka. According to the Chandravalli inscription at Chitradurga, Mayuravarma is said to have increased the height of the wall of the Chandravathi lake. The Kadambas made special contributions to Karnataka and Indian culture. There was political unity for around three hundred years under the Kadamba rule. Mandalikas, royal priests, ministers and military generals played a significant role in administration. For administrative ease, provincial officers had been appointed to look after the provinces. Land revenue was the main source of income in the kingdom. The occupations such as carpentry, goldsmith, blacksmith, weaving, oil extraction, pottery were the main things in the society. There was greater encouragement for agriculture and trade. Greater importance was given to patriarchy and joint family.
Though they were followers of the Vedic culture, the Kadambas encouraged Jainism and Buddhism. They gave charity to Jain temples and scholars at Hangal, Puligere and other places, and promoted the spread of Jain religion. Buddhism was also flourishing in the Kadamba kingdom. It included Banavasi, the important centre of Buddhism. The temples were centres of festivals and celebrations. Both Prakrit and Sanskrit received encouragement. First Prakrit and later Sanskrit became the court language. Kannada was the language of the people. The ancient Halmidi inscription shows the characteristics of the Kannada language which was in use in the 5th century. This has been the first inscription available in Kannada. The Malavalli inscription is in Prakrit language. The Talagunda inscription is the first Sanskrit inscription found in Karnataka.
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The Kadambas laid the foundation for architecture in Karnataka. They built many temples and basadis in Banavasi. A notable example is the Madhukeshwara Temple at Banavasi. During this period, educational centres like Mathas, ghatikas, brahmapuris and agraharas were established. The main agraharas of that time were found in Talagunda and Balligave. The agraharas were like residential schools.
Now let us learn about the Gangas, who ruled from 350 C.E. to 1004 C.E. The rise and fall of the dynasty of Ganga rulers constitute an important chapter in early history of Karnataka. The founders of the Ganga dynasty claimed their descent from the Ikshvaku dynasty. They ruled from Kuvalala, Talakadu and Manyapura, which is today Manne in Nelamangala, Bangalore Rural district. The Gangawadi kingdom which began with the rule of Dadiga was ruled by 27 kings. Durvinita was a famous king of this dynasty. He was a brave warrior and scholar. He ruled for a long period and gained control of Punnata in order to strengthen his kingdom. The Nallala copper inscription reveal that he constructed many lakes for the purposes of irrigation. He was a lover of literature and wrote creative works in Sanskrit and Kannada. He even translated the Prakrit work Vaddakatha of Gunadya to Sanskrit.
Let us discuss the contributions of the Gangas. The king had a council of ministers to help him. The ministers supervised different branches of administration. The administration in the villages was very systematic. The village committee looked after land revenue, justice, sanitation and defence. Agriculture was the main occupation. There were other occupations like weaving and blacksmith. They had trade relations with other countries. Though the society at the time of the Gangas had been divided into different sects and castes, they were all interdependent. The practice of a patriarchal undivided family was common. Social values like honesty, loyalty, bravery and patience were prominent among the people.
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Mathas, Ghatikas, Brahmapuris, Agraharas and Chaityalayas were centres of education. Talakadu, Shravanabelagola, Bankapura and Peruru have been named as centres of learning. Since the Gangas were Jains, Jainism flourished here. Poojyapada, Vajranandi, Ajitsena and others popularised this religion. Further, they installed a 58 foot monolithic idol of Gommateshwara at Shravanabelagola and made it a famous centre. You must have heard about the Maha Mastakabhisheka of Gommateshwara which takes place once in every 12 years even today.
The statue of Gommateshwara, also known as Bahubali, at Shravanabelagola is a symbol of life of renunciation. The statue was installed by Chavundaraya, the minister of Rachamalla IV. Let me tell you the story behind it. Among 100 brothers, Bharata was the eldest, Bahubali the youngest. After Bharata was coronated as the king, he finds a Chakraratna, a special wheel, won all the kingdoms and became an emperor. Even before that, all his brothers accepted his sovereignty. But when Bahubali did not accept it, both of them got ready to engage in a battle. Bharata lost in drushti yuddha, jala yuddha and malla yuddha. At the end of malla yuddha, Bahubali lifted Bharata and spinning him in the air like a wheel, was about to throw him away, suddenly he lost all interest in everything around him, and put his brother down. He bowed to his brother and went away to meditate for nirvana, standing all the time. As he did not achieve salvation, he realises that as long as he stood in his brother kingdom and meditated, he would not achieve nirvana. Later Bharata came and said that the whole kingdom was Bahubali, and that he was ruling it on Bahubali behalf. Then Bahubali achieved nirvana.
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The Ganga kings encouraged art and architecture. They built beautiful temples and basadis. The Kapileshwara temple at Manne, Pataleshwara and Maruleshwara temples at Talakad, Kolaramma temple at Kolar, Nageshwara temple at Begur and the statue of Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola are examples of their architecture. The significant contributions of the Gangas were the tall pillars called Manastambhas and Brahmamanasthambas. The Pathaleshwara Temple in Talakadu is another fine example.
The Ganga kings were lovers of literature and due to their encouragement to Sanskrit, Prakrit and Kannada languages, many works were written in these languages. Madhava II wrote commentary on Dattaka Sutra. Durvinita wrote the Sanskrit work Shabdavatara, and translated Gunadhya Vaddakathe into Sanskrit. Sree Purusha wrote Gajashastra and Shivamara II wrote Gajashtaka, a Kannada work. Poet Hemasena wrote Raghava Pandaviya, Vadibasimha wrote Gadya Chintamani and Shatra Chudamani, whereas Nemichandra wrote Dravyasara Samgraha and Chavundaraya wrote Chavunda Purana, and Raya became famous.
Now, let us work through the exercises together to ensure you are fully prepared for your exams.
First, we will fill in the blanks with suitable words. One. Simukha made Srikakulam his capital. Two. The literary work written by Hala is Gathasaptashati. Three. The first inscription in Kannada is the Halmidi inscription. Four. Banavasi, the capital of the Kadambas, is in today North Canara district. Five. The prominent king among the Gangas was Durvinita. Six. The literary work written by Chavundaraya is Chavunda Purana.
Next, we will answer the following questions in brief. Question seven. Who was the last king of the Shatavahanas? How did their dynasty become weak? Answer. Yajnashri Shatakarni was the last king of the Shatavahana dynasty. The dynasty became weak during his time on account of continual attacks by the Shakas.
Question eight. Write about the art of the Shatavahanas. Answer. The Shatavahanas promoted art, literature and education. The Ajanta and the Amaravati paintings belong to the period of the Shatavahanas. Temples, viharas and chaityalayas were also constructed. A chaityagraha was built in Karle by the Banavasi merchant Bhootapala. The Chaityalaya at Karle is a key example.
Question nine. What were the values which influenced the Ganga society? Answer. Social values like honesty, loyalty, bravery and patience were prominent among the people of the Ganga society. The practice of a patriarchal undivided family was common, and though society was divided into sects and castes, they were all interdependent.
Question ten. Name four literary works of the period of the Gangas. Answer. Four literary works from the Ganga period are Gajashastra by Sree Purusha, Gajashtaka by Shivamara II, Raghava Pandaviya by Hemasena, and Chavunda Purana by Chavundaraya. Other notable works include Shabdavatara, Gadya Chintamani, Shatra Chudamani, and Dravyasara Samgraha.
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Finally, let us look at the activities and projects suggested in your textbook. For the first activity, discuss with your teacher the way to read inscriptions. This will help you understand ancient scripts and historical records. For the second activity, visit a historical temple nearby and collect its details. Share the information with your classmates to learn about local heritage. For the projects, first, cultivate the habit of reading inscriptions. Second, study one inscription and do a project on it. Third, visit the capitals of the Gangas and collect information on them. These hands on tasks will deepen your understanding of Karnataka rich historical legacy.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]