The Rashtrakutas Conquer the Deccan; Courts Patronise Vernacular Literature

By the ninth century, the Rashtrakutas are western and central India’s dominant power, intervening in the Pala-Pratihara struggles in northern India and dynastic struggles along the eastern coast, and receiving tribute from as far away as present-day Sri Lanka. Under their patronage, the Karnata Dravida mode continues to evolve, and early ideas of pilgrimage networks such as the jyotirlingas (the twelve most sacred Shaiva temples) begin to crystallise. A major shift towards patronising courtly registers of vernacular languages such as Kannada also takes place, which manifests through court-commissioned translations and reworkings of the Mahabharata. Literary and archaeological evidence suggest a thriving trade with the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, especially in textiles and jewellery.