New Light on the Early Rastrakuta House
By Harihara V. Trivedi
Summary
B. V. Trivedi reports the discovery of a previously unknown Rāṣṭrakūṭa inscription from Indragarh near Bhawanpura in Madhya Bharat. The undated record, carved on a stone slab, is stylistically similar to early seventh‑century inscriptions and mentions a ruler named Nannarāja of the Rāṣṭrakūṭa lineage. Trivedi compares this record with the Tivarkhed and Mulaḍai plates, which give Nannarāja’s genealogy as Svāmikarāja → Govindarāja → Durgarāja → Nannarāja, and discusses the chronological difficulties caused by incorrect dates in those chartersfile:///home/oai/share/563030_compressed-109-216.pdf. He notes that if the year “Śaka 553” in the Tivarkhed plates is emended to 653, then Nannarāja’s reign would be reduced to a plausible length. The new inscription adds geographical detail by indicating that the Rāṣṭrakūṭa domain extended north‑west toward Bhinpura and that Nannarāja may have interacted with another Rāṣṭrakūṭa prince based in the Mhow–Hoshangabad area. Trivedi concludes that the record offers fresh evidence about the dispersion and chronology of the early Rāṣṭrakūṭa house and confirms their presence in central India during the seventh century CE.
Conclusion
The newly found inscription from Indragarh strengthens the case for placing Nannarāja in the mid‑seventh century and expands the known territorial extent of the early Rāṣṭrakūṭa dynasty. Correcting earlier chronological errors, it demonstrates that the Rāṣṭrakūṭas were established in central India before their better‑known later expansions.