Kadamba dynasty

Kadambas of Banavasi
Banavasi Kadambaru
345 CE–540 CE
  Extent of Kadambas, 500 CE
CapitalBanavasi
Common languagesSanskrit
Kannada
Religion
Hinduism
Jainism[1][2]
GovernmentMonarchy
Maharaja 
• 345–365
Mayurasharma
• 516-540
Krishna Varma II
History 
• Earliest Kadamba records
450 CE
• Established
345 CE
• Disestablished
540 CE
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Chutu dynasty
Pallava dynasty
Chalukya dynasty
Today part ofIndia
The Talagunda pillar Sanskrit Inscription of crown prince Santivarma (c. 450)
The Halmidi inscription at Halmidi village, usually dated 450 CE. is the earliest Kannada inscription issued by the Kadamba Dynasty

The Kadambas were an ancient royal family from modern Karnataka, India, that ruled northern Karnataka and the Konkan from Banavasi in present-day Uttara Kannada district in India. The kingdom was founded by Mayurasharma in c. 345, and at later times showed the potential of developing into imperial proportions. An indication of their imperial ambitions is provided by the titles and epithets assumed by its rulers, and the marital relations they kept with other kingdoms and empires, such as the Vakatakas and Guptas of northern India. Mayurasharma defeated the armies of the Pallavas of Kanchi possibly with the help of some native tribes and claimed sovereignty. The Kadamba power reached its peak during the rule of Kakusthavarma.

The Kadambas were contemporaries of the Western Ganga Dynasty and together they formed the earliest native kingdoms to rule the land with autonomy. From the mid-6th century the dynasty continued to rule as a vassal of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires for over five hundred years during which time they branched into minor dynasties. Notable among these are the Kadambas of Goa, the Kadambas of Halasi and the Kadambas of Hangal. During the pre-Kadamba era the ruling families that controlled the Karnataka region, the Mauryas and later the Satavahanas, were not natives of the region and therefore the nucleus of power resided outside present-day Karnataka. The Kadambas were the first indigenous dynasty to use Kannada, the language of the soil, at an administrative level. In the History of Karnataka, this era serves as a broad-based historical starting point in the study of the development of the region as an enduring geo-political entity and Kannada as an important regional language.

  1. ^ Ram Bhushan Prasad Singh. Jainism in Early Medieval Karnataka C. A.D. 500-1200. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 25.
  2. ^ Vidya Dhar Mahajan. Ancient India. S. Chand. p. 438.