Were the Vākāṭakās the Rulers of Aśmaka?
By Dineshchandra Sircar
Summary
In Were the Vākāṭakās the Rulers of Aśmaka?, V.V. Mirashi examines whether the early medieval Vākāṭaka dynasty controlled the southern territory of Aśmaka. The article reviews literary and inscriptional sources, including the Kāmasūtra, Karpūramañjarī and Daśakumāracarita, which mention Aśmaka and Vatsagulma. Mirashi notes that some historians equated Vatsagulma (a branch of Vidarbha) with Aśmaka, implying that the Vākāṭakās ruled both regions. He argues that this identification is flawed. Although Vatsagulma lay in Vidarbha, it had distinct customs and is treated separately in ancient texts. Aśmaka, on the other hand, was a separate kingdom situated along the Godavari and is listed among the southern states subordinate to the Vākāṭaka emperor of Vidarbha. The author further cites Rajaśekhara’s Kāvyamīmāṁsā, which explicitly states that Vatsagulma was part of Vidarbha. Mirashi concludes that while the Vākāṭaka empire exercised suzerainty over several neighbouring states, Aśmaka retained its own identity and was not a territorial synonym for Vatsagulma. The article thereby corrects geographical and dynastic conflations and provides a clearer understanding of Deccan political geography during the Vākāṭaka period.
Conclusion
Mirashi’s analysis shows that Aśmaka was a distinct polity that paid allegiance to the Vākāṭaka emperor but was not identical with Vatsagulma. His careful reading of texts refines our understanding of ancient Deccan geography and guards against conflating separate regions.