The Vakatakas and the Ajanta caves
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The Vakataka kings of the Deccan, allies of the Guptas, under whom the finest paintings of Ajanta were made.
c. 250–500 CE
How it was ruled
The Vakataka dynasty ruled much of today's Maharashtra and central India. Queen Prabhavatigupta, a Gupta princess, ruled as regent for her young sons.
How people lived
Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions flourished side by side; courtiers and merchants paid for monasteries carved in rock.
What people did
Farming on the black-soil Deccan plateau, crafts, and the work of artists and stone-carvers.
What people ate
Millets, wheat, pulses, cotton-seed oil and dairy, as in the Deccan today.
Trade
Routes linking the west-coast ports with the interior passed through Vakataka lands.
Region by region
- Maharashtra: The later caves of Ajanta (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), painted with stories of the Buddha's lives, under King Harishena.
- Madhya Pradesh: Vakataka territories reached into the Narmada valley.
- Telangana: Vakataka influence reached the Godavari region.
Key events
- c. 250 CE: The Vakataka dynasty founded
- c. 390 CE: Prabhavatigupta rules as regent
- c. 460–480 CE: Main phase of the Ajanta paintings
Legacy
The Ajanta paintings are among the greatest works of ancient art anywhere.