Nagardhan excavations

WHY IN NEWS?

At Nagardhan near Nagpur, recent excavations have brought new clarity on the life, religious affiliations and trade practices of the Vakataka dynasty, which ruled parts of Central and South India centuries ago.

ABOUT NAGARDHAN EXCAVATIONS

• The excavations have provided evidence on the life, religious affiliations and trade practices of the Vakataka dynasty.
• Nagardhan is understood to have served as a capital of the Vakataka kingdom.
• It is the first time clay sealings have been excavated from Nagardhan.
• The oval-shaped sealing belongs to the period when Prabhavatigupta was the queen of the Vakataka dynasty.
• It bears her name in the Brahmi script, along with the depiction of a conch. The presence of the conch is a sign of the Vaishnava affiliation that the Guptas held.
• The Vakataka rulers followed the Shaiva sect of Hinduism while the Guptas followed Vaishnava sect. Queen’s powerful personality allowed her to follow the sect of her choice.
• The copperplate issued by Queen Prabhavatigupta starts with a genealogy of the Guptas, mentioning the Queen’s grandfather Samudragupta and her father Chandragupta II.
• Vakatakas traded with Iran and beyond, through the Mediterranean Sea and the sealings are believed to be used as official royal permission issued from the capital.

ABOUT VAKATAKA DYNASTY

• Ruled parts of Central and South India between the third and fifth centuries.
• Rule extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south as well as from the Arabian Sea in the west to the edges of Chhattisgarh in the east.
• They were the most important successors of the Satavahanas in the Deccan and contemporaneous with the Guptas in northern India.
• Nagardhan served as a capital of the Vakataka kingdom.
• The elephant god was a commonly worshipped deity in those times.
• Animal rearing was one of the main occupations. Remains of seven species of domestic animals — cattle, goat, sheep, pig, cat, horse and fowl — have been traced.
• The rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) were built under the patronage of Vakataka emperor, Harishena.

Queen Prabhavatigupta

• The Vakataka rulers were known to have forged several matrimonial alliances with other dynasties of their times. One of the key alliances was with Prabhavatigupta of the mighty Gupta dynasty, which was then ruling north India.
• After marrying Vakataka king Rudrasena II, Prabhavatigupta enjoyed the position of Chief Queen.
• Scholars say Queen Prabhavatigupta was among a handful of women rulers in India to have reigned over any kingdom during ancient times. Also, there had been no evidence so far of any successor female ruler within the Vakataka dynasty, the researchers suggest.
• She ruled for about 10 years until her son Pravarasena II
• She had a pivotal role in propagation of Vaishnava practices in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Prelims Question

Q. Consider the following statements regarding Vakataka dynasty:
1.They ruled parts of Central and South India between the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
2. Nagardhan served as a capital of the Vakataka kingdom.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a)1 only
b)2 only
c)Both 1 and 2
d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question