THE RASHTRAKUTAS

Overview

• The Rashtrakutas ruled large parts of southern and central India from the 6^th to the 10^th centuries CE
• The Rashtrakutas emerged as a power after overthrowing the Chalukya Kiritivarman II in c. 753 CE
• The Rashtrakutas were based around the Gulbarga region of modern Karnataka
• The capital city of the Rashtrakutas was Manykheta (Karnataka)
  
• The Rashtrakutas were in continuous conflict with the Palas and the Pratiharas for more than two centuries

Extent and lineage

The Kailasanatha Temple at Ellora, built by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I

• The Rashtrakuta dynasty was established by Dantidurga who overthrew the Chalukyas in 753 CE
• At the height of their power, the Rashtrakutas kingdom included all of Karnataka and Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh
• The most important kings of the Rashtrakutas were Dhruva Dharavarsha (780-793 CE), Govinda III (793-814 CE) and Amogavarsha (800-878 CE)

Administration, economy and society

• The Rashtrakutas issued coins in silver and gold
• The various currency denominations were Suvarnas (silver) and Drammas (gold) weighing 65 grains, Kalanju (48 grains), Gadyanaka (96 grains), Kasu (15 grains), Manjati (2.5 grains) and Akkam (1.25 grains)

Literature

• Kannada literature attained prominence and importance during the reign of the Rashtrakutas
• Kavirajamarga by king Amogavarsha is the earliest available literary work in Kannada. Amoghavarsha also wrote the Prashnottara Ratnamalika, a religious work in Sanskrit
  
• Adipurana, a life history of the first Jain Tirthankara Rishabadeva in Kannada, was written by Pampa (c. 950 CE). Pampa also wrote the Vikaramarjuna Vijaya, based on the Mahabharata story. Pampa is recognised as one of the most famous Kannada writers
  
• Another Jain writer, Sri Ponna, wrote the history of the 16^th Jain Tirthankara Shantinatha, entitled Shantipurana. His other writings in Kannada included Bhuvanaika-Karamabhyudaya, Jinaksaramale and Gataprataigata
  
• Trikrama (c. 915 CE) wrote the Nalachampu, Damayanthi Katha and Madalaschampu in Kannada
  

Art and Architecture

• The Kailasanatha Temple at Ellora (Maharashtra) was constructed by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (c. 8^th century CE). The Kailasanatha Temple was carved out of a single rock, and is known for its vertical excavation i.e. it was carved starting from the top and proceeding downwards. The Kailasantha Temple is considered to be the pinnacle of Rashtrakuta architecture
• The Rashtrakutas also built some of the sculptures at the Elephanta Caves near Mumbai
• Other famous Rashtrakuta architecture include the Kasiviswanatha Temple and Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal, Karnataka and the Navalinga Temple at Kuknur, Karnataka
• The architectural style used by the Rashtrakutas was primarily Dravidian

Indo-Saracenic Revival

The Indo-Saracenic Revival (also known as Indo-Gothic or Mughal-Gothic) was a architectural style movement by British architects in the late 19th century in British India. It drew elements from native Indian/Indo-Islamic architecture, and combined it with the Gothic revival style favoured in Victorian Britain.

Examples

Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai	Victoria Terminus, now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus	The Gateway of India	Mysore Palace
Madras Museum inMadras (Chennai)	Victoria Memorial inCalcutta	Rambagh Palace, Jaipurby Samuel Swinton Jacob	Ripon Building part of theChennai Corporation inChennai
Bombay GPO	Khalsa College, Amritsar	Daly College, Indore bySamuel Swinton Jacob

Jama Masjid in Kashmir

The Jama Masjid is a revered mosque, located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The main pilgrim destination for Muslims in Srinagar, Jama Masjid is located at Nowhatta, in the heart of the old city. Built by the Mughals, the mosque is greatly admired for its timber construction.

This mosque is believed to have been originally a Hindu temple, built in 1398 by Sultan Sikandar, also known as Sikandar Butshikan - the destroyer of Idols. It was later enlarged by his son, Zain-ul- Abidin. Jama masjid is spacious enough to accommodate 30,000 people, and thousands of devotees congregate here for the Friday prayers.

Jama Masjid is a colossal mosque built around a central courtyard and supported by 370 wooden pillars. The serene atmosphere of the mosque is in stark contrast with the hustle bustle of the old bazaars surrounding it.

The mosque structure is a typical example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The largest mosque in Jammu and Kashmir, Jama Masjid has had an eventful history.

Brihadishwara Temple

The Brihadishwara Temple (Tamil: பெருவுடையார் கோவில், peruvuḍaiyār kōvil ^[?]), also known as Rajarajeswaram^[1], at Thanjavur, is the world's first complete granite temple^[2] and a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas in temple architecture. It is a tribute and a reflection of the power of its patron RajaRaja Chola I. It remains as one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture^[3]. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples" and this temple is an ultimate testimonial for the Vishwakarmas architectural cognizance in planning and sculpting this temple.

This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The 'Vimana' - or the temple tower - is 216 ft (66 m) high ^[4] (about 70 meters) and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kalash or 'Shikhara' (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is of monolithic granite weighing 81.25 tons. There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high^[5]. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, a material sparsely available currently in Thanjavur area where the temple is located.

Not only the temple and the "moolavar", (prime deity, Shiva) but all other deities (Koshta Moorthigal) like Dakshinamurthy, Suriya (Sun), Chandra (Moon) are very huge sized. Especially, Brahadeeswar temple is one of the rare temples which is having statues for "Ashta dik paalakas" [Lords of all Eight Directions [Indra, Varuna, Agni, Eesana, Vayu, Niruthi, Yama, Kubera], each of which is a life like status i.e approximately 6 feet tall.

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[edit]Brihadeshwara Temple in Historic Novels

1. Balakumaran has written the story Udaiyar based on the life of Raja Raja Chola I and the building activities around Brihadeshwara temple

[edit]Picture Gallery

Entrance to Dakshinamoorthi temple	Detail of Gopuram	The Shrine of Sri Subramanya	Detail of steps of the Shrine of Sri Subramanya
One of many stone deities found in the pillared cloister surrounding the courtyard	Several of the Lingam found in the pillared cloister	Example of the many frescos found in the pillared cloister	Nandi, looking peaceful.