Ancient Kingdoms of the South

 As in North India , many dynasties emerged in South India , too . The regimes of the Satavahanas , Vakatakas , Chalukyas and Pallavas from among these southem dynasties are important from the point of view of Indian history .

The Satavahanas : 

The Satavahanas rose to power in the first century BC . Their kingdom comprised Maharashtra , Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh . ' Pratishthan or the present day Paithan in Maharashtra was their capital .

of the Satavahana kings , Gautamiputra Satakarni is particularly well - known . A stone inscription in a cave at Nashik contains a reference to the expanse of his kingdom . Therein , his valour has been described in the words : ' Tri samudra - toya - peet - vahan ' or ' One whose horses have drunk the water of three seas ' ( the Arabian Sea , the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean ) .

Trade increased greatly during the Satavahana period . Naneghat ( Nane Pass ) near Junnar was important from the point of view of trade . One of the caves there bears an inscription of the Satavahana queen Naganika . Goods from Paithan , Ter and Bhokardan markets were sent right up to Rome . Similarly , goods from the Roman market were brought here .

The cave sculptures at Bhaje . Ajanta , Junnar , Nashik Karla , Kanheri were created during the Satavahana period . It was at this time that " Gatha - saptashati ' , a poetic work in Maharashtri Prakrit was composed . It is believed that the Satavahana king ' Hala was its author

The Vakatakas : 

This dynasty rose to power in the Vidarbha region in the third century AD . It was founded by the king Vindhyashakti . The Vakataka kingdom spread from Madhya Pradesh up to the river Tungabhadra in the south . The most renowned of the Vakataka kings was Pravarsen L He extended the Vakataka kingdom up to the river Narmada in the north and up to Kolhapur in the south . Harishena was the last of the important Vakataka kings . His minister Varahadeva was a follower of Buddhism . He commissioned cave no . 16 at Ajanta .

The Vakataka administration was very efficient . The Vakatakas encouraged art literature . During their reign , many books were written in the Maharashtri Prakrit language . Sanskrit literature , too , flourished It was probably during this period that the renowned Sanskrit poet Kalidasa wrote his famous poetic composition Meghadoota ' .

Ajanta caves

The Chalukyas : 

Pulakeshi I established the rule of the Chalukya dynasty in the sixth century AD . Badami " in the present day Karnataka was the capital of the Chalukyas . Hence , they are known as the ' Chalukyas of Badami ' . The Chalukya king Pulakeshi II had repulsed Emperor Harshavardhan's invasion .

Many lakes and temples were built during the Chalukya period . The temples at Badami , Aihole and Pattadakal are especially well - known . Abundant literature was produced in Sanskrit and Kannada during this period . It was during the Chalukya period that the poetic genius of Kannada poets like Pujyapad and Samantbhadra flourished .

The temple at Pattadakal

The Pallavas :

 In the sixth century AD , along with the Chalukyas , the Pallavas were also powerful in South India . Their capital was Kanchi . The Pallava king Mahendravarman was an able ruler and a man of learning . He had written a book on music . He encouraged painting , sculpture and other arts ,

His son was the brave king Narasimhavarman . Narasimhavarman had defeated the Chalukya king Pulakeshi II . The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang had visited Kanchi during Narasimhavarman's reign . The famous Sanskrit poet Bharavi was at the Pallava court . The famous " ratha temples of Mahabalipuram were sculptured during the reign of Narasimhavarman . The Pallava kings encouraged learning and arts .

'Ratha' Temple at Mahabalipuram

The Pallavas had a powerful and well equipped navy . During the Pallava period , India came in close contact with south - east Asia . Internal and foreign trade prospered during this period . The Pallava kings provided patronage both to the Shaiva and Vaishnava sects . Yuan Chwang has recorded that people of all religions received a tolerant and just treatment at the hands of the Pallava kings .

Sangham ( Sangam ) literature :

 In South India , assemblies of scholarly men of letters were held during different periods . Such an assembly was called Sangham . In those assemblies , learned men came together for discussions . The literature composed by these men is known as Sangham literature . It is in the Tamil language and includes prose as well as poetry . " Silappadhikaram ' and " Manimekhalai ' are two famous epics of Sangham literature . Through this literature , we learn about the ancient history and life of the people of South India .