The Vākāṭaka Heritage : Indian Culture at the Crossroads

Impact and Extension of Vakataka Art in Chhattisgarh (Dak~iI.J.a Kosala) 143 12 DONALD M. STADTNER Vidarbha and Kosala 157 13 YUKO YOKOCHI The Mahi~asuramardinl Icon With special reference to the images made in the Vakataka realm 167 Bibliography 179 List of Plates 189 Index 193 'the royal fortune of his [Narendrasena's] house [vaJ?1sa] to which he initially had succeeded, was taken away from him by a kinsman who possessed virtue.' A few lines later of the same inscription, P:rthivIl?eJ;la is praised as 'the resurrec-1 SOME THOUGHTS ON STATE AND STATE FORMATION UNDER THE EASTERN VAKATAKAS 9 11 Pargiter 1962, 50. 12 The discovery of the Basim inscription of Vindhyasakti n in 1939 finally proved the existence of the separate Vatsagulma 'branch.' Mirashi, who edited the inscription 1952 in Vol. XXVI of Epigraphia India (pp. 137-155) and again 1963 in his opus magnum (Cn V) remained throughout his life an unwavering adherent of the oneness of the Vakataka kingdom. In what is often considered to be the heyday of classical Indian culture, the 4th and 5th centuries AD, the dynasty of the Vākāṭakas emerged as one of the major patrons of religion and art. Covering the greater part of the northern Deccan, the Vākāṭaka kingdoms were situated at the crossroads of the main north-south and west-east caravan routes. This situation in the heart of the South-Asian subcontinent may partly explain the prosperity of the Vākāṭaka kingdoms and certainly accounts for their cultural diversity and richness, to which the Hindu temples on and around the Rāmagiri (Ramtek Hill) and the Buddhist Caves at Ajanta still bear witness. Here, at the crossroads of the lndo-Aryan north and Dravidian south, the northern culture of the Gupta kingdom reached the Deccan and developed a character of its own. The articles collected in this volume intend to augment our knowledge of how the Vākāṭaka culture came into being, which forces and influences contributed to its flourishing, and how its achievements informed the historical and cultural developments after its fall. Richly illustrated contributions address the Vākāṭaka Heritage from a variety of disciplines: history (Kulke, von Stietencron), archaeology (Kennet), numismatics (Raven), political and religious history (Willis, Bakker), iconography (Brown, Yokochi), and art history (Williams, Spink, Wood, Stadtner, and Nigam) Title Page Copyright Page Preface Table of Contents 1 Some Thoughts on State and State Formation under the Eastern Vākātakas 2 The Transition from Early Historic to Early Medieval in the Vākātaka Realm 3 Kings in Copper 4 The Archaeology and Politics of Time 5 Vākātaka-Period Hindu Sculpture 6 Mansar 7 The Innocent Evolution of Ajanta’s Technology 8 Questions Addressed to Walter Spink 9 The Ajanta Cave 17 Inscription as a Preface to the Local King’s Vihāra History, Religious Story and Homology 10 On the Edge of What? Reconsidering the Place of Mandasor in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries 11 Impact and Extension of Vākātaka Art in Chhattisgarh (Daksina Kosala) 12 Vidarbha and Kosala 13 The Mahisāsuramardinī Icon With special reference to the images made in the Vākātaka realm Bibliography List of Plates Index The articles collected in this volume intend to augment our knowledge of how the Vkaka culture came into being, which forces and influences contributed to its flourishing, and how its achievements informed the historical and cultural developments after its fall. Based on colloquium presentations held at Groningen, June 6-8, 2002. Edited By Hans T. Bakker. Based On Colloquium Presentations Held At Groningen, June 6-8, 2002. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [179]-188) And Index.