The Maitrakas of Valabhi (C. 500 A.C.—770 A.C.)

Summary

This comprehensive historical account traces the rise, expansion and decline of the Maitraka dynasty, which ruled from the port city of Valabhi in Gujarat between the sixth and eighth centuries CE. The author surveys scholarly opinions on the origin of the Maitrakas, suggesting that they were sun‑worshippers and possibly connected with the term ‘Maitraka’ derived from Mithra. Drawing on inscriptions and literary sources, the article reconstructs a succession list beginning with Bhatarka and his successors Dharasena I, Dhruvasena I and others, highlighting their titles and administrative reforms. It discusses the dynasty’s relations with contemporaneous powers such as the Guptas and Gurjaras, notes their maritime and trade activities and comments on their patronage of Buddhism and Jainism. A substantial part of the article analyses the administrative machinery—villages, towns (drangas), larger divisions (visaya, ahara) and officials like mahapradhana and rajasthaniya—gleaned from copper‑plate grants. It concludes by describing the circumstances of the dynasty’s decline, including Arab invasions and the absorption of their territories by the Gurjara‑Pratiharas, while stressing the cultural legacy of Valabhi as a major centre of Buddhist learning.