Inscriptions of the Aulikaras and Their Associates

Open Access The Aulikaras were the rulers of western Malwa (the northwest of Central India) in the heyday of the Imperial Guptas in the fifth century CE, and rose briefly to sovereignty at the beginning of the sixth century before disappearing from the spotlight of history. This book gathers all the epigraphic evidence pertaining to this dynasty, meticulously editing and translating the inscriptions and analysing their content and its implications. Preface 5 Acknowledgments 9 Contents 11 List of Figures 15 A Concordance of Inscription Titles 17 Legend for Editions and Translations 19 List of Abbreviations 21 Preliminaries 25 Editorial Conventions 25 Dates and Dating 31 Palaeography 33 Part I: Context 39 Introduction: The Aulikara Power Network 39 The Origin of the Aulikaras 41 The Aulikaras and Their Associates 49 Part II: Inscriptions 57 A. Major Inscriptions 57 B. Minor Inscriptions 251 C. Unpublished Inscriptions 263 Appendix 1. Prosopography 275 Appendix 2. Gazetteer 279 Bibliography 281 Index 289

The Aulikaras were the rulers of western Malwa (the northwest of Central India) in the heyday of the Imperial Guptas in the fifth century CE, and rose briefly to sovereignty at the beginning of the sixth century before disappearing from the spotlight of history. This book gathers all the epigraphic evidence pertaining to this dynasty, meticulously editing and translating the inscriptions and analysing their content and its implications.